Living in the Ghetto

One would think that in a town of supposed millionaires, where the average house costs $350K and is only a 3 bedroom 2 bath single car garage house, and where the highest population of PhDs per capita exist, there wouldn't be a bad part of town or a slum section or even a ghetto. However, my studies of the local gossip rag--whoops, I mean newspaper that doesn't report any real news--that comes out five days a week, to investigate the court findings has proven otherwise. I live in the ghetto of Podunk.



This wonderful government built temporary housing that I have called home for the past 9 years is on the outskirts of the ghetto. Further up my street, there's a point at which is stops being the ghetto and is a nice neighborhood. But the two blocks from where my quad is to just about where the fire burnt and new homes have been constructed to the block behind me from the gas station to the first two quad buildings on that street constitute the current slum of Podunk.



I don't really know my neighbors--and this may be a good thing, since in that 2 block radius we have chronic drug users, domestic violence offenders, auto burg thieves, and a registered sex offender who also happens to be a convicted murderer*.



We have a new neighbor immediately across the street from us, and they appear normal and friendly. In 9 years of living on this street, I had forgotten my neighborly manners and never introduced ourselves--the new neighbor approached us, and introduced herself, and then I felt horrible. I was raised better...but I also am very wary of this part of the street. I wear a uniform, that while tacky and not very professional, declares me to be part of the police department. Years ago, when our uniforms looked very similar to the cops and we wore badges, I had a neighbor that used to beat up his girlfriend with a gun and then approach me when I came home from shift and want to talk to me--that scared the begeezers out of me--I never knew if he had a gun or if he was mad because he'd been arrested the day before or if he was trying to show me he wasn't a bad guy or what. I'm a little leery. And I'm a pessimist, and I don't trust most people who live here. Turns out the new, nice, friendly and mommy to a cute baby with a fun dog, is fine--although I'm sure she has no idea she lives on the outskirts of the ghetto.**



We've tried to escape, tried to overcome obstacles and move, but it's not working. The housing market is stinky, and would you want to move to the slums? When I bought the quad, it was not a terrible street. There were other streets that I would NOT live on and that I'd been warned about. Plus, the house was cheaper than the rent I was paying for a one bedroom apartment with no bathtub, so it was silly not to buy and move here. As time has passed, most people have moved on to whole homes (or at least duplexes), and quads have become temporary rental property. I'm not trying to bash renters--I was one for a while, and I paid the bills, cleaned the place, was respectful of others and tried to improve where I lived rather than just seeing it as a place to party and trash.



This whole issue has been huge to me for the past two years, and grows larger every day. The quad attached to us was trashed and then abandoned and foreclosed on, and a new couple has purchased it, and is trying to clean it up...for rental property. The other two units have been abandoned (and empty from residents as long as I've lived here) and are now in foreclosure with the bank trying to unload them. We have maintained the front yard for the whole building for the past two years because it reflects on us, complete with lawn care (gotta love the water bill in the summer, and I can't explain how many times we've planted grass on the half immediately in front of us--the other side grows fine, so Hubby has to mow it), repairs (concrete steps are a pain in the you-know-where and now more have to be repaired), and we've even paid the insurance on the building when it's due and waited for reimbursement to be sure that if something happens we're not screwed more than we are by living here.



It's unbelievable that we can make a good living, have higher educations, pay our taxes, support charities, be upstanding citizens and do everything a "good American" should do, but be held back from pursuing our dreams by a stinking house. It didn't sell last year when we had it on the market for six months, and I don't think it'll move now. We have to wait to see if the couple that purchased the unit next to us purchases the other two units and then we'll have to offer them this unit for next to nothing (like less than we owe) because there's a blasted Condo Association we're in and if someone controls more than 51% of the building, they can dictate how the others have to live/decorate/plant/etc. I understand why some people are just walking away from houses. I respect my credit too much for that.



*While I'm all about the man served his time, he committed the sex offense after serving his time in another state and moving here. Where he committed the offense in his home. On my street. Public records people! Know where you live.

**We have other neighbors across the street and up a building that are fun, good people too. I know not everyone is terrible in this street. It just seems like the bad outweigh the good 4:1.