posted by Mike Madison at 9:04 AM /
I hope that Steve is right about the gradual trend toward diversity in Mt. Lebanon, and I certainly agree that the town is more diverse (economically, socially, and politically, especially) than it generally gets credit for. It's hard to escape Mt. Lebanon's "Caketown" past. I hope that one of the benefits of this blog will be exposure for some of that diversity.
On the racial and ethnic diversity front, Mt. Lebanon still has a very long way to go. It would be unwise, I think, for either the town or the residents to sit back and simply let the population "evolve" in a more diverse direction. It may not, or if it does, "natural" evolution of this sort may take an extraordinarily long time.
My suggestion: A formal public/private partnership involving the town, business leaders, real estate companies and agents, not-for-profits (especially local congregations), and interested individuals (call them "ambassadors"?) to reach out to prospective Pittsburgh residents -- of all colors, nationalities, and ethnicities -- and encourage them to consider locating in Mt. Lebanon. As a start: This town receives at least its fair share of relos (jargon for "relocating families"). We should target their employers.
On the racial and ethnic diversity front, Mt. Lebanon still has a very long way to go. It would be unwise, I think, for either the town or the residents to sit back and simply let the population "evolve" in a more diverse direction. It may not, or if it does, "natural" evolution of this sort may take an extraordinarily long time.
My suggestion: A formal public/private partnership involving the town, business leaders, real estate companies and agents, not-for-profits (especially local congregations), and interested individuals (call them "ambassadors"?) to reach out to prospective Pittsburgh residents -- of all colors, nationalities, and ethnicities -- and encourage them to consider locating in Mt. Lebanon. As a start: This town receives at least its fair share of relos (jargon for "relocating families"). We should target their employers.
2 Comments:
Mike,
Thanks for fixing the comments so us Typepad folks can join in.
I don't know if Lebo is going to change anytime soon regarding diversity, but I'll add that I also don't think there's any plan not to. I think part of this is a real estate issue.
Having lived on the East Coast (CT, NY, Boston) until 2001, most towns there were still segregated ecomomically into the 80s. What changed things was the housing boom - and the housing bust.
When housing prices exploded in the early 80s, all of sudden middle class folks were limited as to where they could buy, so they bought in what would be considered "fringe" neighborhoods.
Incomes kept rising, then when the bust came, those who had equity, regardless of class, had the means to move to better neighborhoods.
Another boom followed with more middle class people only able to afford Bridgeport instead of Stamford or Fairfield.
In about 15 years time, most neighborhoods were fully integrated. If you were able to buy at the right time, regardless of class, you are now wealthier than you ever imagined.
There is nothing like those market dynamics here. Real estate creeps along at 4% annual appreciation. Income stays fairly constant. While housing stock is affordable, average regional income remains depressed, so there isn't any significant change.
While that doesn't explain everything, I do think it's a point worth considering.
Still, we see a fairly diverse crowd at the coffeehouse - certainly more diverse than we see shopping at Giant Eagle in Bethel Park or in South Hills Village. So something must be happening in Mt. Lebo that's positive in this regard.
I've lived in Mount Lebanon for twelve years now. While it's not an overly diverse area, I know there are black and Japanese families nearby, and I've certainly run into a few Indian and Chinese families in town.
A few years ago, I remember some local folks started some sort of "tolerance" activities, I think usually in the late summer or early fall. I don't really know what's happened to them.
Laurie Mann
No Longer the World's Slowest Blog
http://www.dpsinfo.com/blog
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