So how are things living in the hood?
An email I received:
"As interesting as the poll to see who your readers are is the comments they add - just moved here, been here just over a year, moved from south tampa - couldn't be happier - it would be interesting to find out how the perception and the reality of the neighborhood stack up and what brought them to the neighborhood - those here less than 5 years. Has it been a good thing or they cn't wait to get the H*** out."
Well readers, what are your answers?
41 comments:
Sherry said...
Ahhh...great subject!! I've been here in Seminole Heights (Hampton Terrace) just about 3 years, also moved from South Tampa (Palma Ceia).
My husband and I LOVE IT! Aside from the obvious features, like being centrally located, easy to get anywhere, and beautiful old homes, we have found our neighbors (and we know all of them abutting our property) have been friendly and open. We didn't experience that in S.T. We love the comraderie of the citzenry in Seminole Heights. We found that by going to porch parties and association meetings.
And, the icing on the cake for me is the local residents have been friendly and supportive of my business, also relocated from South Tampa.
We had considered moving further out of town at one point, I'm so happy we didn't!!
I rented in the OSH area for 2 years. Loved it so much I bought a house in this area. I've been here for 3 years now and I'm looking forward to more.
Came here almost 6 years ago due to lower property prices, character of neighborhood and central location. I have seen great changes in the area. Now that the drug sale and prostitution activity has waned, I can't understand why everyone doesn't want to live here. Now that property values have shot through the roof and gas costs what it does, I couldn't be happier!!
Lived here just short of five years moved from country, on a lake,knew the commute only going to get worse,,,,,,,,,,,did not even worry about gas prices, but as it turned out,,,,,,,,was a bit of a pioneer. Not like the older ones but still things were kind of rough when I moved here and all my friends had me lined up for the shrink. But who has the last laugh now? It is great here, would live no other place in Tampa!
We looked at Seminole Heights back in the late '90s as I was getting ready to graduate USF and enter the "real world." I took a job that sent me elsewhere and when I found out last Spring that I was being assigned in Tampa, Seminole Heights was the first place we looked and were almost discouraged as the homes got more expensive every week(we started looking in January of 2005, but didnt get the word the move was definite until May). We found a delightful bungalow in OSH at a good price and snapped it up. We have now lived here just under a year and have at least met virtually every neighbor on our block.(Most folks I know in the burbs are lucky if they know who owns the house next door much less talk to the folks down the street) When I'm in town we eat at Nickos almost every Saturday and/or Sunday morning, it's a wonderful routine. We're looking forward to the Picnic later this month. I was born in Tampa, but moved away when I was a teenager and finished school in a very small town in the Panhandle. I've found that SH feels like a small town with luxuries of being in the city. I've lived all over the US and while I miss the west coast(mountains, snow, winter that feels like winter), SH feels like home. I would say that it has met or exceeded most of my expectations(I really was hoping the Front Porch would be better, so that's one of the few let downs on a very short list).
I imagine Seminole Heights was a great neighborhood when my grandparents lived here. Back then people still swam in the river, the original REAL Sulphur Springs pool was open, and a trolley line ran from downtown straight up to it and turned around. (Price: one nickel.) Businesses thrived on Nebraska and Florida, traffic wasn't a nightmare and a giant highway didn't slice through dividing the neighborhood in two. On Friday nights, the football games at Hillsborough High were a neighborhood party and the half-time marching band and score announcer could be heard all the way to Sligh Avenue. Afterwards, kids caught a double feature at the Springs Drive-In and I know of at least one Seminole Heights resident who claims to have been concieved there. It really was another world back then. The charm wasnt one of nostalgia, it was just there...
Enter the 60s...Seminole Heights, and to a larger extent Tampa Heights experienced the phenomenon of White Flight as urban decay crept into the inner city. The largely working class neighborhood weathered the storm as whole city blocks were demolished so the the interstate highway system could be built changing the character of the neighborhood forever.
By the 70s the river was horribly polluted, bungalows were getting stuccoed, and the housing projects at the north and south end of the neighborhood were riddled with crime. Seminole Heights wasnt a particularly desirable neighborhood, but it was affordable even for a widowed, single mother. My mom bought a house here in 1982.
Growing up here in the 80s, one of my favorite places was Magic Skate where you could buy all the new Garbage Pail Kids cards, Smoke Bombs, and Big League Chewing Gum (shredded bubble gum made to look like chewing tobacco). If you had the guts, you could try out the half pipe ramp in the backyard. (Years later, the owner's son graduated to selling half ounces of weed.) Don from Green Shift Music (at their original location on Florida) fostered my comic book addiction and flirted with my mom. Afternoons were spent playing tackle football in the outfield of Seminole Heights Little League. That's where I broke my collar bone.
One of the undeniable things about growing up around here in the 80s were the race problems. As one of only three white kids in my class at Stephen Foster Elementary, (the skinny kid with glasses), I got my ass kicked on a daily basis. The problems intensified as the hormones kicked in at Sligh Junior High and bloody, racially motivated fights were a weekly ritual. The tension was so tough between the Riverview Terrace and Knollwood Manor kids and the Seminole Heights kids that two of my best white friends from that time freaked out and became skinheads (the racist kind). It was a fucked up situation. And if Sligh Junior High was plagued with racial problems, Van Buren was a full on Race Riot breeding ground. The last day of every school year was dubbed "Crack a Cracker Day" and when the bell rang at the end of sixth period the war was on. The white kids ran like crazy to get to the busses. Fists flew. A sucker punch just as I reached the bus left my driver screaming and blood all over my braces.
From what I hear from a friend who teaches there, it's not much better now...
Fastforward: mid-90s. The gentrification of Ybor left many artistic minded folks displaced and looking for a cool cheap neighborhood. A few rainbow flags were already flying. Businesses like Ybor Pizza, once the meeting house of the Ybor arts scene, moved to Seminole Heights as well as their ex-neighbors John and Angelica who opened up shop on Florida. The pirate radio station moved too, a gallery or two and then...a FLOOD of YUPPIES FROM THE SUBURBS!! White Flight Returned with a vengence as images of white picket fences, quaint antique shops, and mocha lattes danced through their heads! Increased SUV traffic accidents snarl roadways as distracted drivers yap on fancy cellphones. Property values soar with the johnny come latelys and cool neighborhood spots are seconds away from being transformed into sports bars. Code enforcement calls about lawns full of dog shit go through the roof! An infestation of inane bloggers furthers the online technophile divide and then...
Enter Starbucks! Crown Jewel of the gentrified mind! But man what a buzz...
To Be Continued...
So I am trying to see your point. I hope it becomes clear in your next post because you've piqued my interest but so far all I see is: Working class whites leave(well, most, but some diehards stay), the projects go up, the minorities move in, race problems abound, the dinks move in, the artists flee gentrification and move in, the middle class whites move back, the artists move out, minorities move out and, Starbucks opens. Hence, Seminole Heights was ok when your grandparents lived here, it sucked in the 70's, it became more suckilicious in the 80's, for a brief moment the bohemians decreased the suckitude in the mid 90's but gentrification led to further suckism so now it's even suckier and Starbucks, subsequently, has certainly sealed Seminole Heights suckification forever. In a nutshell, your basically saying you hate Starbucks. I mean, I know youre the Nabob of Nothing, or Nabob of Negatism, but is that your whole point, just expressing your furor and frustration? Or do you wish anarchy or a revolution? Maybe you just dream of moving to the next transitional neighborhood so you can be validated for your feelings of opression by "the man"? Or maybe you just want to bitch for the sake of bitching.
Kelly, I hate to tell you, but gentrification is a fact of life, if not, all inner cities would be poor, unsafe and crime would be outrageous. However, it is the "yuppies" that raise and pay taxes so that you can have the luxury to drive on paved streets, enjoy police protection etc.
Enough with the "gentrification crap" you pot smoking hippie wanna be!
I moved here from a rental on Davis Islands last year. If I could, I would have bought there, but I couldn't even come close to affroding it. But, I love my bungalow, and the fact that so many of my friends have moved to SH in the past year, too (yeah, we're all middle class people, most white, some married with kids, but most single, living alone). I wish I could say all of my abutting neighbors are great, but I watched one get arrested for drug dealing, and I had two cop cars in front of my house recently to visit the neighbors next door. I'm not crazy about it, but I don't regret buying my house last year. It is a great house.
Kenny, is that you again or do you have a twin?
Would you grow up and start taking responsibility for your actions?
Woe is me.
In spite of the outrageous jump in my taxes and insurance in recent yrs., I am very glad to have left the 'burbs and moved here. However, I sure would like to see some new people elected to the state legislatures that would do something about the crime that is Citizen's Insurance so that I can continue to afford to live here! My house has stood for 80 yrs. Let's give it some credit!
Doesn't mean you haven't hid behind anonymous posts before.
Kenny has a long lost twin named Kelly.
At least you use words that everyone understands Kenny.
Who killed Kenny?
I've lived in the neighborhood off and on since the late 80's. The perceptions have changed about the neighborhood greatly, but I'm a little torn on the way I see the neighborhood going.
There's a great duality between them what want to preserve the old character of the area and them what want to see change.
I recently returned to Tampa after a 4 year, self imposed exile in Austin,TX. Austin was a place famous for it's quirky laidbackness. That was then, this is now- the reality of that is the local slogan of "keep Austin weird" needing a disclaimer added on saying "but not near my house". The end result is that many of the things that used to make the city a unique place have gone the way of the dinosaur.
What I see happening here is much the same way. Surely there is room to encourage economic growth while still fostering the quirkiness of the neighborhood. If the opinions of some that I've read on this board were to prevail, the only thing unique about this area will soon be that the houses are old. (but the yard looks great!)
Before anyone thinks otherwise, I am a homeowner who worries about my property value, but I'm also a homeowner in THIS neighborhood because of what this area has to offer and don't want to see it go away.
"a FLOOD of YUPPIES FROM THE SUBURBS!! White Flight Returned with a vengence as images of white picket fences, quaint antique shops, and mocha lattes danced through their heads!"
What's wrong with antique shops and lattes? Seriously, we can't all be as edgy-hip as you. And there are still parts of OSH that are quite...."scenic"....if you feel the need to return to the time before property values went up and those damned yuppies moved in. Might I suggest you head east of 15th Street or north of Sligh? Still plenty of that character you miss to be found.
I think they are all yours because I know I didn't post them.
It had to be you, It haaaad to be youuuu.
I know your writing style.
I can smell a rat when I read one.
Now don't you have some small children or new mothers to go harass today?
I just thought of something, Mr Bangharts initials are DSB which also could stand for Devil Star Bucks, quite the coincidence don't you think? Mr Banghart, are you going to admit now that you are Satan, there's just too much evidence now. Don't deny it.
The sass is flying today......
I have lived in S Town for about 3 months. Just bought a home off Hanna and LOVE it and all of its character! I would hate to see Seminole Heights filled with chain businesses but an eclectic mix would be nice, Central Market next to Ping's Pogo Emporium!
In case anyone lacks a sense of humor the above comment was a joke, since Starbucks is one word, but still Satan is Satan. DSB obviously stands for Devil Satan Beelzebub
Kelly,
Surely you have somthing better do... or perhaps something better to smoke. First of all, I don't consider myself, or my neighbors as yuppies. I feel that they, like myself, moved here because it was a great location, and was all we could afford. We have worked YEARS to make our homes a nice, safe place for us to live. And asses like you come in trying to say we are gentrifying the neighborhod, please. What have you ever done to better the city of Tampa. You are a pot-smoking freak that wants to be a hippie so bad you can't stand it. We have worked our asses off for years to better our neighborhood, make it safer, etc. Look at the extra millions in dollars the city now has as out tax base increases. Maybe you are upset because you have to drive your piece of crap a little further to buy your drugs. Get a life.
Wrong again.
Not mine but I would like to take credit for it.
Guess there is more than one
A double S.
Mad Dog 20/20 is more my drink of choice.
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
Imagine life in Tampa with Kelly Benjamin as a leader...The city is so run down, crime is high, people are dying in their own homes due to unsafe conditions, all white people live a minimum of 50 miles outside of city limits (unless you are poor and white) there is no money in city buget for police, schools, fire, etc. All the poor inner city people finaly lose thier government assisted social services and are forced to hang out on the streets all day and do drugs with Kelly. What a life. Heaven forbid anyone being able to scrape together what little money they can and buy a dump in the inner city. Heaven forbid they work their ass off for years to turn their dump into a beautiful home they can be proud of. And yes Kelly, we are tired after working all these years, and YES we are tired of others that have no respect for anything trashing are yards, tearing up our parks that we have built, stealing our cars, doing drugs in our lawns, etc.
For once in your life Kelly B. Put up or shut up. We are tired of hearing your meaningless words. For once, do something in our great city to finally make a difference. Stop trying to attack these hard working citizens that are actually taking their own time to improve our city and improve the lives of thier neighbors. I honestly believe it is your laziness that scares you. Maybe if we keep moving forward, one of these days, you will have to put the joint down and get off your butt and actually do something.
WHEW... AMEN!!!!!!! It is about time people stand up and say enought is enough. My wife and I bought our house 8 years ago. Wow look how far we have come. We lived without air, holes in the floors and walls, but it was home. Many times, we thought we would have to sell because we could barely make the mortgage. We raised the money, fixed it up board by board--OURSELVES! Who does this punk think he is coming in here talking gentrification? If you don't like the progress, lifestyle, clean streets, clean and safe business (most of them) then get the hell out of the neighborhood the WE ALL BUILT!!! We like it, we are still working, but we did it on our own, our money, our voices our hands! This neighborhood is all encompassing, we don't discriminate, all we ask is that your respect your neighbors and keep your house clean. It does not take any money to keep your house clean. If you want to live like a pig, do drugs, etc. Then move. It will not be tolerated any more.
Does Joe Redner support Kelly Benjamin's, (his campaign manager) positions?
He wouldn't know the first thing about politics.
You have to have the personality needed to get votes.
You have to make compromises to all parties involved.
David Banghart would make a much better politician.
He's progressive without being looked upon as needing his diaper changed.
He seems to understand how government operates and can obviously relate to many people without hurting their feelings.
Maybe I’m stoned like y’all claim Kelly to be but when I read”put up or shut up” I seriously had to rub my eyes. He has clearly shown that he can put up. He ran for office and is now working with Joe Redner. What are you doing? Oh that’s right calling him a pot smoker in a blog. So freaking what if he smokes? Sure its illegal but then again so is getting lit at the Front Porch Grille and driving off and I see that shit a lot more often than I see stoners at the Hanna mart looking for munchies. If that’s the most offensive thing you can think of to call him then perhaps you need a bong hit to get the creative juices flowing. Just a thought.
Hey, AngelSil, stop sending everyone to my 'hood! [N of Sligh to the rest of y'all]
I'm running out of places to bury them until I get rid of that travesty of a garage....
We've been here two years, and it's my first house. I'm glad things are cleaning up. I never looked anywhere else, based on price and location, and, for the most part, I couldn't be happier with the decision (other than the rolling travesty that is Citizen's Protective Extortion).
On a personal note to Mr. I-Hate-Gentrification, you are cordially invited to a complimentary Venti quad-shot half-caf soy-infused dose of STFU.
If anyone doesn't care for the snark, well. . . just avoid anything with my name on it.
I gotta say I've really enjoyed reading all of this and wasn't going to bother responding to the silly e-insults from reactionary anonymous bloggers that I at first thought were just really stupid but upon reflection found to be pretty malicious and totally lame. I guess I struck a nerve and hurt some feelings, which I would probably apologize for if I didnt mean every word of it. In fact, the quality of the mean spirited comments reinforce the kind of frame of mind that I find so despicable about so many elements of this particular neighborhood trend. But I dont want to be misconstrued: I think it‘s great that houses are being restored (i restored one myself). It’s really cool that some folks have found a sense of community here and all that. But it’s not cool that so many people like to treat each other like assholes. It’s not cool that the generalized bitchy mentality of the suburban mind set has arrived.
Saturday morning I stumbled upon the question above that I thought was interesting and it got me thinking about how the neighborhood changed through the decades in different ways. So I typed it out. (and No, I wasnt stoned.) But I was thinking of a famous comic by a famous stoner artist by the name of R. Crumb: A Short History Of America. The comic depicts a serene valley full of trees and wildlife and as humans moved in they altered that landscape to fit their needs. The small settlement grew into a town, the town into a polluted city full of traffic, billboards, gas stations, and power lines and then eventually into a apocalyptic wasteland...eventually evolving (most likely with the help of extra-terrestrials) into a futuristic utopian city full of hovering spaceships and people riding bikes and such. It’s a cool comic. Here's a link to it:
http://www.deniskitchen.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP_RC.shorthist&Category_Code=SP
All I meant to point out was that neighborhoods, cities, and urban landscapes change through time. Everything, including our entire lifestyle as Americans in the age of Empire, is ephemeral. Nothing about this era that we occupy is sustainable. Certain conditions could arise at any moment to turn the whole area into a ghetto all over again, or into a radioactive dust bowl...you just never know. I enjoy hearing my grandma’s stories about her memories of the area: Walking down Hillsborough Avenue in the scorching sun during the Great Depression. Driving downtown to Franklin Street to celebrate with the whole city at the end of World War II. It’s important to know what was here before you and how your very presence affects history. Recent transplants here who might not be aware that the Tampa trolley was ripped up in 1946 after General Motors bought them out.or that you could see the Springs Drive In Theatre screen from I-275 (where I first saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 82...)
There must be some elements of truth to the depiction of the “yuppie trend” to get so many feathers ruffled. It's amazing to come into the office this morning and see all the flustered shit talk on the internet... I imagine if it wasn't true it wouldn't sting so bad so I'm not gonna take the rap for your complex. It’s not at all a localized phenomenon anyway and it’s been an ongoing metamorphosis in the historic districts of most cities in the country for awhile now. This debate should be framed in terms of economic ebbs and flows, geography, and population movements not name calling and absurd accusations...
I dont know where some folks get their hallucination of what a city I would run would look like, but it shows a complete ignorance of the views I hold and the platform I ran on. Smart Growth, Urban Infrastructure Density, Mass Transit, Sustainable and Livable Cities are all proven ideas. It’s also an undeniable FACT that gentrification patterns throughout Tampa have dislocated families, perpetuated poverty, and segregated poor minorities. The statistics can be verified through Dr. Susan Greenbaum at the University of South Florida. It’s a byproduct of the housing boom that you social darwinists (and republicans) shouldnt have a real problem with. But for God’s sake, stop trying to pretend it isnt happening. Maybe the suburbs will be the new ghettoes now that white flight has reversed.itself There are ways to revitalize areas through entrepreneurial opportunities and economic development
without displacing entire communities but by and large, Tampa missed the boat on them (although Iorio’s doing a much better job than Greco)...
I encourage people to run for public office to get ideas out there. It creates a more robust democracy.
Banghart, if you want to know if Joe supports my positions, ask him yourself. He's got an open door policy. Stop by Redner Enterprises: 3924 W. Spruce. Or come to the campaign party on July 1st and chat him up...
check out:
-Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream by Andres Duany
-Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler
Have a great rainy day ya'll.
AbngelSil: I invite you to come to my house for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine! I live N of Sligh where you have no been in many years. Come see what it's really like these days.
Wow, now I am really confused. Kelly, I applauded you for responding to the previous bloggers post. However, I am really torn with the whole "gentrification" and "white flight" thing. If anything, the term "white flight" to me shows bigotry. It seems that it would imply that Blacks can't live in the suburbs, and whites cannot move to inner cities. Look at some of our local leaders and previous leaders, Chief Holder (black), Curtis Lane (Black) both live in New Tampa. How can you support the living conditions of most inner cities. Do you just write it off as dumb, ignorant, poor minorities, let them live as they wish. Most people move out of Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights so 1) they can cash out and make money 2)they choose not to live in a clean neighborhood 3)they feel more comforatable living amongst crime and filth. The way the neighborhood is evolving is to bring in business that do several things. A)creates new businesses that residents need/use. b) puts services and goods within a local/commutable distance. While gas prices continue to go up, more business will be coming in to our neighborhood that can deliver the needes services and goods. I don't think it is fair to slam all corporate giants. I think that is the small minded leftist point of view. Some corporate giants offer much needed services to our community. I work very hard for every dollar I spend, I shop wisely and at times do shop the bigger "chain" stores because they do offer a better price. However, I do shop locally as much as possible when feasible.
Your reference to grandma walking down Hillsborough is the same vision shared by most neighbors. Look at the plan that the neighbors have fought for during the last few years. Pedestrian friendly! Being a business owner, I know the importance of adaptabilty and change, if you can't change, you will not succeed. A perfect example if the Mega market on Nebraska. When they first opened, no one had any hopes for them. They installed a meat market, and now they are always packed. Ybor Pizza has been a hot topic lately. We need to realize these business are in business to make money. They are making a profit on our dependence on them. For them not to clean up and evolve with the neighbhorhood is thier own ignorance.
Have you ever asked those leaving the neighborhood why they are leaving?
As for the reference of "ruffling feathers", I don't see the truth in it. Instead, I find it very offensive to label those that have put years of efforts into making the place better. From what I remember of your run for office, was you at the church, taking the mic, and screaming something while you raised your hand like hitler. Everyone started laughing. I don't think you took it seriously, and I think you made a mockery out of the entire ordeal. Look at our neighbors. How many hours have they devoted to being at City Hall. Partroling the streets. Working with TPD to help lower crime. Working with Code Enforcement to clean our streets. raising money to build not only our park but 10 inner city parks throughout the city. We have gone before zoning to fight business that do not meet proper zoning. ie parking, etc. We have all but eliminated prostitues along Nebraska. Yes, we occasionally like our $3.00 latte, so what! Don't you drink your $6.00 a can folgers at home. Where do you think that money goes. To a corp. During all the "real hard work" where have you been. The neighbors have tried very hard to reach out to minorities in the neighborhood. What has happened? They have had paint your heart out teams every year since its inception. So why, after all the hours of hard work, do thier efforts have be labeled "Yuppie". Is it because the majority does not smoke, are white, drive nice cars, have respect for thier neighbors, keep thier lawns and homes clean? If that is the case, maybe we are all yuppies. At least we are working our asses off to make Tampa a better place for our families, children and grandchildren.
Again, I do repect you for responding to the many post on the site, but also invite you have a little more respect for the people on here that really do work hard, for free, countless hours to make a difference.
Kelly didnt invent "white flight".
Check out the definition at wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight
Kelly, You don't mind the dogs pooping all over your lawn?
How about we have a dog parade (we will line them up short to tall,) and let them take a massive #2 on your lawn.
You might reconsider why some of us call on our neighbors.
Some of them respect me, some don't.
For those that don't, I have a wide array of city services I can use to bring happiness back into my life after I spend 15 minutes toothpicking the poop from between the cracks of my loafer.
It's the basic lack of respect that has some of us on the warpath.
Because we have been so outspoken and have worked our butts off, I think maybe we being heard.
All I am asking for is a dirty diaper free yard.
A yard free of beer bottles and condoms.
I just woke up one day and snapped when I removed a dity Pampers from behind my picket fence.
Does it say "Diaper changing station here?"
Most of us have changed. Our backs hurt from picking up the trash and the arthritis in my middle finger kicks in when I have to give someone the bird who is having sex in my alley.
I just want to be happy.
You call it gentrification, I call it slobification.
Maybe people would have taken you more serious if during your campain they hadn't seen you piss fall down drunk at places like the Hub.
Because gentrification is such a contentious issue, it often creates a variety of sides and stakeholders that are often at odds with one another. On the one hand, gentrification helps to revitalize distressed urban communities that have experienced disinvestment and abandonment, and can often be beneficial to long-time residents of these areas. It can result in the opening of grocery stores and other services that may not have existed there previously. However, it has the added side-effect of displacement, particularly for renters.
Gentrification usually increases the property value of an area. This is a positive development for city officials (by raising tax revenue, which is often dependent on property values), the middle class, as well as existing resident owner-occupiers. Unfortunately this same rise in property value can be devastating to those in lower income groups, when children of such residents find they can no longer afford to live in certain neighborhoods. As a result, there tend to be very strongly opposed views on gentrification, with some seeing it leading to healthier, more vibrant cities, and others seeing it as destroying poor communities. Both views would seem to be correct.
OMG- I wonder what Kristin the code enforcer will think of you people when she reads the above comments.
Dude-
Anytime you want to stop trying to get in her pants.
I may have to call her about the upcoming dog poop parade.
Bungalowlady:
My name is Angelsil and I live just south of Sligh, thank you very much. You're woefully wrong if you don't think I've been north of Sligh recently. My best friend moved there (see Rafe above) when *I* found him the house. Some of the areas (Evelyn City to be sure) are much improved. Some are still in transition. If you don't think the neighborhood around Central Avenue north of Sligh (for example) has some rough parts then it is you who need to look around. But you seem to be overlooking my point - which was that Seminole Heights *as a whole* is far from the yuppie haven Kelly is making it out to be. There's everything from gentrified areas where middle class people (like me) can't begin to afford homes to areas still very much in transition where homes are much more affordable. The focus on the gentrification of the immediate area around Hillsborough and Central or Hampton Terrace or even Evelyn City is still on a portion of a very large neighborhood.
On the Starbucks topic (I know you all can't wait to hear more), no one seems to have mentioned Indigo.
Not only is it close enough to the 'hood, but it also a locally owned/run business, therefore satisfying both camps. I personally try to go there instead of Starbucks since they're local peeps and the only thing I find lacking is a place to sit down. If they had that I wouldn't go to Starbucks at all! The coffee is super great. AND on weekends everything is buy one , get one! they are open 7-2 on Sat & Sun(i think). You can't beat that with a stick!!!!!
I am glad to see that Indigo is finally open on Sundays...I bet Starbucks had something to do with that as well as the "buy one get one"...competition is a great thing.
I can't comment on anything that might be contoversial. I don't want to offend anyone. However, I do read the blog every once in a while when I want to find out where to eat or when I need a good laugh. I know I am not the only code officer that reads it so it must be a good blog. It certainly brings attention to some of the things that are of concern to the neighborhood and my dating status. This blog and Sherry keeps me informed and busy! =)
Thank goodness you are a good sport. This group can be brutal at times.
White flight happened all over the country in the late 60s. It is a fact, not something to argue about. Whites in power sent expressways through poor (non-white) neighborhoods throughout the country.
These are facts, not open to debate.
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