Lakewoodites will enjoy reading this article that appears in the Fall 2008 issue of the New York Times Real Estate issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/realestate/keymagazine/105newhaven-t.htmlAn excerpt: ..."But if that’s why I’ve gotten to know my street, it doesn’t explain why I love my street. I love my street because it works. That’s a subjective proposition, of course. My street wouldn’t ‘‘work’’ for people who require the quiet of the countryside or the excitement of a metropolis. An acquaintance from San Francisco recently told me he couldn’t move here because we’re 40 minutes from the nearest Whole Foods Market. That would never be my complaint, but I have others: the Friebellarkenthals have had three bikes stolen, not just Lucy’s. West Rock Avenue is an urban street in a poor city with high taxes and struggling schools. On my block, 15 of the 42 houses are multifamily, spoiling the image that we’re all homeowners here; some of those houses need a fresh coat of paint. It’s no real estate agent’s dream. In saying West Rock Avenue works, what I mean (I’ve decided after much thought) is, first, that our street values community without requiring conformity; second, that neighbors are friendly but not nosy; and, finally, that even with all of the above, there’s no sense of smugness. It’s neither a suburban idyll nor a hip, funky enclave. It just works."
