Can anything stop Henry from turning into another Clayton county? (crime, homes)

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Yes...something can be done. The current and long-time residents can stay and continue living in Henry County, rather than abandon it like they did with Clayton County. If a few undesirables move in and cause current residents to pack up and leave, it just makes more room for and attracts more undesirables...and they eventually become the majority. If current residents stay put, they continue to be the majority.

I couldnt agree with you more! The problem with Henry county is the same problem that Clayton county had. The apartments!!! If you take away all of the low end apartments in just Stockbridge alone you would change the direction of Henry county immediatley!! Reality is that is not going to happen, the apartments are here and there is nothing that the homeowners of Henry county can do to change that. Same holds true for Clayton county. The undesirables from inner city Atlanta that began pouring into Clayton county in the early 90's were initially ALL in the older apartments. Then the homeowners who properties backed up to these apartments began to see a huge spike in crime so they fleed, that happened all over Riverdale and Morrow. Thats how the cycle started in Clayton county and that is how it began in Henry. Then the schools start to go down which forces more and more homeowners to move in order to get their kids into a better school system. This is EXACTLY what happened to me and my family in Henry! Most if not all of the problem students and parents at my daughters old school Dutchtown came from the MANY low income apartments in and around I-75 in Stockbridge. Just so you know only a few of these complexes even check someones credit now! Most will let you move in without even seeing if you skipped out on the last place you were at, insanity!!

There is a reason that Fayette county doesnt have a fraction of the problems that Henry or Clayton has. Reason being that they limit apartments and they have limits on the size of a lot for a new home as well as many other statutes that help with quality of life. This has helped Fayette keep out most of the low income individuals and their problems, just ask any longtime resident and you will hear the same thing. Had Henry followed Fayettes model and not Claytons the county would be much better off and I may still be there!!!

[Tdiddy0027]

oh yes, god forbid we offer affordable housing for hard working, blue collar people who might want to raise their kids in a good school district or just have a better quality of life. So suprascooby, what your saying is that affordable homes and apartments should not be built so an area can remain exclusively upscale and keep out undesirables. To me that sounds incredibly elitist and close minded. I don't understand why we all can't learn to live among people who many different than us, in race OR class. Can someone answer me this??

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Tdiddy0027

oh yes, god forbid we offer affordable housing for hard working, blue collar people who might want to raise their kids in a good school district or just have a better quality of life. So suprascooby, what your saying is that affordable homes and apartments should not be built so an area can remain exclusively upscale and keep out undesirables. To me that sounds incredibly elitist and close minded. I don't understand why we all can't learn to live among people who many different than us, in race OR class. Can someone answer me this??

The problem is not the affordable housing/apartments themselves, but instead the heavy concentration of apartments.

If we had mixed-zoning, apartments would not be a problem for certain areas.

This problem could be improved...if we "retrofitted" the metro area...

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by MisterNY

Thank you. Well said. Unfortunately it's a reality many cant seem to understand. Sad thing is that those who complain are also nomadic themselves, so they leave for other reasons sometimes, then blaming the few 'bad' seeds that move into their neighborhoods. They think if they leave and maybe come back, things may be the same. They grow dispointed when they see the reality.

Sometimes these areas decline because of racism alone. They see one family that moves in, that may not resemble them and they move. The sad thing is that, the same family that moved in may want the same for their kids (a good school, a safe area and so forth). Now the few that have a problem with people that dont look like them living among them, leave....Then the area loses value, some 'real unwanted' elements move in, then decline........The sad thing is that the cycle revolves through time, and all over. When will they learn? Obviously never .

This is how white flight happens. The first few families leave because they are ardent racists and don't want to live among any [insert racial slur here]. This then causes more minorties to move in, which makes the next level of whites uncomfortable. And so on, and so on...


Also, studies have shown, whites (in general) prefer areas that are really no more than 20% minority. 30% is really the maximum. Once areas reach like 40% minority, most whites will "fly out."

And this contrasts with minorities (blacks in particular) who prefer racially mixed areas. The the two preferences unfortunately don't "mesh."

However, I think Gen Y (and future generations) will start to change this...there are already signs. Hope. The key is how much influence their parents and their older brothers and sisters (Gen X) will have on them when they start making more housing/neighborhood/school choices. We'll see.

(Note: This is referring to whites overall...it doesn't really apply to "urban trendies" who are childless or so rich that their kids go to private school)

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by aries4118

The problem is not the affordable housing/apartments themselves, but instead the heavy concentration of apartments.

If we had mixed-zoning, apartments would not be a problem for certain areas.

This problem could be improved...if we "retrofitted" the metro area...

I'm just wondering...how many low-rent apartments are there in Henry County? I don't think developers actually build new apartments of this nature...so, where are these apartments coming from? I'm not thinking of reasonably priced apartments...more like weekly rentals and real eyesores that attract the misfortunate.

I was thinking that there are many areas zoned for single-family...I may be wrong. I guess the best thing to do is to stay aware of what is being built in your community and/or make sure that your area is properly zoned.

[luckysnap]

White Flight still exists.

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

I'm just wondering...how many low-rent apartments are there in Henry County? I don't think developers actually build new apartments of this nature...so, where are these apartments coming from? I'm not thinking of reasonably priced apartments...more like weekly rentals and real eyesores that attract the misfortunate.

I was thinking that there are many areas zoned for single-family...I may be wrong. I guess the best thing to do is to stay aware of what is being built in your community and/or make sure that your area is properly zoned.

LOTS to put it plainly. Pretty much all of the apartments in Stockbridge/Eagles Landing do not do credit checks with the exception of 2 upscale complexes. I know this because my wifes friend works for one of the two nice complexes and is aware of what her competition is up too.

Now all of these complexes started off a as nice, new complexes, most had gates that a required a code etc.. What happened is they put way too many of these complexes in and some are right on top of each other. As more are built it becomes harder to fill the others so they start to drop the prices and then the complex is sold and so forth until you get to the point were they no longer require credit checks.

Google St. Ives Crossing shooting for info on just one of the complexes and the shooting at a high school graduation party a few years back. This complex is only 6 to 7 years old and sits right behind the mini golf course of I-75 and Eagles Landing. It is HORRIBLE and all of the kids at this complex go to my daughters old school of Dutchtown.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by suprascooby22

LOTS to put it plainly. Pretty much all of the apartments in Stockbridge/Eagles Landing do not do credit checks with the exception of 2 upscale complexes. I know this because my wifes friend works for one of the two nice complexes and is aware of what her competition is up too.

Now all of these complexes started off a as nice, new complexes, most had gates that a required a code etc.. What happened is they put way too many of these complexes in and some are right on top of each other. As more are built it becomes harder to fill the others so they start to drop the prices and then the complex is sold and so forth until you get to the point were they no longer require credit checks.

Google St. Ives Crossing shooting for info on just one of the complexes and the shooting at a high school graduation party a few years back. This complex is only 6 to 7 years old and sits right behind the mini golf course of I-75 and Eagles Landing. It is HORRIBLE and all of the kids at this complex go to my daughters old school of Dutchtown.

Those complexes don't sound like the REAL low-rent complexes that exist in other places. I'm talking weekly rentals and run-down slummy buildings. It sounds like these are decent apartments where people have jobs and pay their rent.

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Those complexes don't sound like the REAL low-rent complexes that exist in other places. I'm talking weekly rentals and run-down slummy buildings. It sounds like these are decent apartments where people have jobs and pay their rent.

In that case, there are some weekly rental places like Suburban lodge in and around Stockbridge, there was a murder there last year that made the news.

There really arent much in the way of govt housing though, most of the apartments I mentioned earlier are govt subsidized. Meaning very cheap rent!

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by Tdiddy0027

oh yes, god forbid we offer affordable housing for hard working, blue collar people who might want to raise their kids in a good school district or just have a better quality of life. So suprascooby, what your saying is that affordable homes and apartments should not be built so an area can remain exclusively upscale and keep out undesirables. To me that sounds incredibly elitist and close minded. I don't understand why we all can't learn to live among people who many different than us, in race OR class. Can someone answer me this??

Take if for what you want! I have seen first hand what happens when these so called hard working, blue collar people move into an area. They dont elevate themselves to their surroundings, they bring the entire area down to theres! I will say this though, I do not blame them for coming into a nice area, I blame the idiot politicans that allowed govt subsidized housing our low income apartments to be built in these nice, upscale areas for the sake of political correctness, diversity or any other feel good, bleedingheart term you want to throw in! By the way Henry county, the area I originally posted about was once nice but never upscale!