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You are spot on about the landlords. My rent has gone up over $300 in the past 3 years, I am now paying a price that would have been inconcievable a few years ago. I have slowly been working up the promotion ladder in my job, but my living standard has basically only kept pace with my rent and inflation.
I guess this is a NC problem as a whole. Greensboro just happens to be a place where these issues are more pronounced and difficult to escape from. We also simply do not have the amenities of a Charlotte or Triangle which adds to the depression.
Things I do enjoy in Greensboro are the parks, the greenways, and the people (overall).
I empathize with this post. You're working harder and only falling further behind. And it's a problem, not just here but nationwide. The required income to rent ratio is only widening, and it's an egregiously intractable problem. It's simply not reasonable to expect landlords to accept anything less than market value for their properties, and in my opinion it doesn't constitute greed. The problem lies on the income side of the equation. Wages simply aren't keeping up. I don't have the answers but in the abstract, a demise of organized labor has exacerbated this effect. Labor unions have the means and clout to negotiate wages and benefits more commensurate with current and changing economic conditions. Unless and until Labor becomes a more potent political force, we'll continue to see an erosion in the quality of life for lower and middle income Americans.
No, its a problem almost everywhere in this country, especially in more desirable places.. And in fact, it gives lie to the supposition that G'boro is somehow not a nice, desirable place to live. If that were true, rents wouldn't be rising.
The discussion is changing, time to beat a different drum. You might try, I dunno.......an opinion that doesn't simply state that someone else's opinion is wrong. Or one that actually makes an attempt at insightfulness. Please feel free to use mine as a template. For the most part, there's no right and wrong here. Readers will ultimately respect any thoughtfully substantiated opinion.
Personally, of the many states and cities I have lived and worked in, Greensboro is my least favorite. I honestly cannot wait to get out of this place.
My opinions are likely more reflective of my lower income than anything. I think Greensboro is fine if you have enough money to enjoy its newer amenities downtown or on the NW side. Without these things, its an incredibly depressing place. As others have mentioned, you can basically draw a backwards "c" around the downtown and all of those areas are in some stage of blight/disorder. The crime/homelessness/poverty is unbelivable. The stench of weed is pervasive. The drivers are dangerous and disregard others. The commercial strips are dominated by bars, tattoo parlors, hookah lounges, and currency exchange places. The sad thing is that the cost of living keeps going up, trapping people in these locations with no upward mobility. I know, because I am trapped living in an apartment building where cars are broken into every week, shootings happen regularly, fights and noise disturbances are a daily occurence, and drug use is rampant. Yet, this is all I can afford and even now I am paying more than I should and commuting 20 minutes to work.
Yes, lots of other cities suffer from these problems. The issue with Greensboro is that there is no easy escape from the poverty/social issues here. There are no transiton zones for the lower to middle class. Everything is either too expensive, or poor and run down. There is no in between. Then there are the cultural issues. Many on the W and NW sides act politically 'holier than thou' with their lawn signs and 'brewpub culture', but they seem oblivious to the fact that they live in economically segregated enclaves that reinforce the same social inequalities that they rail against. This problem also exists elsewhere, but it is magnified in Greensboro where the divisons are less racial and more economic than any other city I have lived in.
While much of what you say is accurate, I'd also present the idea that the issues you describe about Greensboro are reflective of recent developments in the nation overall.
None of that is to say that Greensboro doesn't have its problems. But more simply, living as a poor person has gotten harder as a whole everywhere. Rents are way up everywhere. I would agree that Greensboro lacks some of the resources that many other cities have.
I'd be curious to know where else you've been and would be comparing Greensboro to.
Personally, of the many states and cities I have lived and worked in, Greensboro is my least favorite. I honestly cannot wait to get out of this place.
My opinions are likely more reflective of my lower income than anything. I think Greensboro is fine if you have enough money to enjoy its newer amenities downtown or on the NW side. Without these things, its an incredibly depressing place. As others have mentioned, you can basically draw a backwards "c" around the downtown and all of those areas are in some stage of blight/disorder. The crime/homelessness/poverty is unbelivable. The stench of weed is pervasive. The drivers are dangerous and disregard others. The commercial strips are dominated by bars, tattoo parlors, hookah lounges, and currency exchange places. The sad thing is that the cost of living keeps going up, trapping people in these locations with no upward mobility. I know, because I am trapped living in an apartment building where cars are broken into every week, shootings happen regularly, fights and noise disturbances are a daily occurence, and drug use is rampant. Yet, this is all I can afford and even now I am paying more than I should and commuting 20 minutes to work.
Yes, lots of other cities suffer from these problems. The issue with Greensboro is that there is no easy escape from the poverty/social issues here. There are no transiton zones for the lower to middle class. Everything is either too expensive, or poor and run down. There is no in between. Then there are the cultural issues. Many on the W and NW sides act politically 'holier than thou' with their lawn signs and 'brewpub culture', but they seem oblivious to the fact that they live in economically segregated enclaves that reinforce the same social inequalities that they rail against. This problem also exists elsewhere, but it is magnified in Greensboro where the divisons are less racial and more economic than any other city I have lived in.
A few questions. What other cities have you lived? You say that the stench of weed is pervasive... are you talking about all over town or just in your apartment complex? I think your statement that everything is either too expensive or too run down is a just hyperbole.
JerichoHW is funny. So is Edward (Owen Wister) Teach.
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