"a highly intelligent community"
The problem isn't intelligence, it's money. With such a large fraction of the OR population on fixed incomes, there isn't much money sloshing around for luxuries. I don't see a Trader Joe's in OR's future until the OR demographic changes.
We have a Trader Joe's nearby, and while it offers some goods not available at the major grocery stores, it is mostly about marketing, not economy.
PI: Not "facetious", just unwilling to accept the defeatism that some in this town seem too happy to embrace. I've only been a resident for 18 months, so feel free to chalk it up to my youthful naïveté.
'73: The demographic *is* changing -- and recent studies have shown Oak Ridge to be an ideal place for young families. I'm optimistic for our future. Like Cowboy's sig line says, "Let go of your self-imposed limitations".
(As for KR's rebuttal, I think you answered yourself.... Just keep hunkering down. :-)
ORHS73, the next census is still three years away, and I don't have a great deal of confidence in the "population estimates" for detecting change beyond the predictable (average birth rate, average death rate, average migration rate, etc.). However, it feels like we are experiencing some demographic change.
One number that I can put my hands on is the growth occurring in the school system, and the greatest growth is in the early elementary grades. There has not been much change in the rate of elementary tuition students, so there are more young children living in Oak Ridge than last year, which was more than two years ago, etc.
That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that our percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunches has been climbing for a number of years, now about 34%. So economically, we are not as well off -- but it's not entirely due to the fixed-income retirees.
However, families increase the velocity of the economy, replacing shoes and clothes at a faster rate than adults, as well as buying more groceries, etc.
I don't know whether we can lure a Trader Joe's, but it seems worth trying: they have no competition here, and appear to be an ideal fit for the buying habits of Oak Ridgers. I love this town too much to give up on it.
The not-so-good news is that our percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunches has been climbing for a number of years, now about 34%. So economically, we are not as well off -- but it's not entirely due to the fixed-income retirees.
IMO, the number of new elementary age students is rising in direct proportion to the number of rental houses in Oak Ridge. It appears that our current trend is towards a bedroom community of aging rental units.....and lower incomes. If this trend is not reversed in the near future, the schools will be impacted even further, the shopping demographics will change, city services will be impacted, property values, etc., etc. It's a trend that Oak Ridger's should be very concerned about right now.
The reality in Oak Ridge is that there is no housing available for "normal" young families. If you don't make $400,000 - the best you can find in OR is one of the old, run down government homes or an aging home in an older subdivision. People in my age bracket (30-40), both parents working, cannot usually afford the "Rivers Run" area. On the other hand, they want a nice home, in a nice subdivision.
This is the main reason why OR is not getting the "yuppie" families. They are buying in Farragut, Hardin Valley, Karns, and Maryville. They are buying there because they can get a good home for the $, and the schools are good as well. Until OR starts to encourage building homes in the $150-300,000 price range, the problems we have will continue. We can sing "Kumbayah", be optimistic to a fault, and praise our over-rated schools till the cows come home, but reality must be faced if we want more tax $. That's it in a nutshell my friends. Trader Joe's not coming to OR until he can make some $.
"It's not easy being green"
Kermit, I disagree -- and I'm in your same 30-40 age bracket. There are many quality single-family home options outside of "Rivers Run" and "Westwood". Granted, they may be 10-20 year old homes, but not everyone is looking for "new construction" (we bought new twice -- a townhome in San Diego after our wedding in 1995, and in southeast Virginia in 1999. Each time we regretted it, given the money we hemorrhaged getting appliances, window coverings, floor coverings, landscaping, etc.). I recommend you take a tour around town with a local Realtor to get a better sense of what's available in the $200k range -- and send an encouraging note to Mayor Beehan, who has always had "housing" as a key plank in his platform.
As I've told KR and '73 in this thread, I'm not willing to embrace a defeatist attitude. Maybe it's because I've lived in so-called "paradise" (San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Hawai'i, Virginia Beach area) and see so much more in our humble little community of Oak Ridge. I hope you can see the same.
"As I've told KR and '73 in this thread, I'm not willing to embrace a defeatist attitude."
Bless your heart. I think it is really sweet that you're so hopeful about my former home town.
Nobody was asking you to "embrace a defeatist attitude." You might give some thought to the possiblity that there is some grey area between a "defeatist attitude" and a Pollyanna attitude. Perhaps we could call it a "realist attitude."
The present demographics of OR are reality. Wishing ain't gonna change them.
'73: I agree that wishing isn't enough. That's why I'm writing a letter to the CEO of Trader Joe's to consider this community as a viable location for expansion. And why I continue to stay involved with community efforts to help inform others about the opportunities available in Oak Ridge. And why I refuse to accept the "present demographics" (which IMHO are not as bad as you may think) as static. Realism trapped in the "now" -- instead of the "what could be" -- *is* defeatism.
D, your optimism is great...but it is WHY OR IS IN THE MESS IT IS IN! A thriving community doesn't live in its past or ignore reality around it. Look my friend at Hardin Valley and Turkey Creek. 10 years ago it was nothing but farm land, wooded area. Now look at it! It is next door to us. Part of me grieves for the loss of green, but the 80's-child part of me wants new, exciting. What is new and exciting in OR? Goody's...KMART? I can tell you that all of my friends with young children are locating in K-ville. They will not consider OR due to lack of good housing, high taxes, and crime rates. Farragut, Karns, and Hardin Valley offer good schooling options, so there goes our often quoted selling point. To be honest...it is just not cool to be from OR right now.
Buying an older home is noble, but it not the trend of the 30 somethings. ORHS 73 is right...pollyana is going to kill OR in the long run.
"It's not easy being green."
"And why I refuse to accept the "present demographics" (which IMHO are not as bad as you may think) as static."
You still don't get it. Nobody said anything about stasis. You don't have a crystal ball and neither do I. I haven't attempted to make any predictions about the future, but you keep changing the subject to "defeatism" and stasis.
I'll type this slowly:
OR's demographic is *currently* heavily weighted towards residents on fixed incomes. This demographic is *currently* not the kind that supports high-end retail. The folks that *currently* live in OR and can support it can get their fix in Knoxpatch. There are not enough of them *currently* in OR to bring high-end retail to OR.
Will this change? Maybe. Would it be nice if it did change? I think so. Is it the present reality? I believe it is. If I'm wrong, I'm certainly willing to be persuaded by evidence, but I'm not convinced by cheerleading.