Location! Location! Location!

I  love my 'hood. It's vibrant, transitional, and during the holidays, it's quiet.  I live "on the parade route," in a small town next to my college alma mater, and my church is two blocks away.  In New Orleans that first point is a huge selling point for homes. Here in Belton we usually just have the one big parade each year: Fourth of July, so it's not a huge selling point.

My church has activities everyday of the week. Prayer groups, Bible Studies for every different group, multi-generational groups, ministries to several different language groups, sports for mainstream as well as special needs people, coffee clubs, counseling services, day care,  and  a preparatory school that meets on our campus.  It's a busy place.

During the academic year the campus hosts a variety of activities: Art exhibits at the Visual Arts Center. Concerts, lectures, and conferences at one or more of the concert halls, auditoriums, or amphitheater. Fun Runs, fitness challenges, college and High School level spectator sports and competitions. The campus grounds are a much sought after photo shoot location for brides, debutantes, young/soon to be families, high school seniors, and alumni reliving memories. The neighbors stroll their kids and exercise their dogs, as they walk or jog the well-lit sidewalks and walking paths. It too is a busy place.

The downside to living next to the university is the high neighbor turnover because so many of the surrounding houses are rentals geared to the college population. And the high traffic flow as students arrive and depart for classes or activities. The two-edged sword of growth increases the energy vibe (which I love), but also increases construction inconvenience and debris (not so much love).

Right now, two of the rentals are vacant. Interestingly enough they are the two that have historically housed the party guys. Every weekend a party.  Sometimes well into the wee hours of the morning. This past year the parties tapered off--perhaps they buckled down and studied more as they advanced in their degree plans and the courses became more difficult. Or perhaps they have moved on, with or without their degrees in hand. For what ever reason, it's a wee bit quieter.

I kind of miss the weekend parties.

If you need a change of venue, I know a couple of parade route houses in a great town..."Won't You Be My Neighbor?"