In the next ten years, what do you feel will be the major changes in Jefferson, as we know it? I'll let you respond, then supply the correct answer(s).
9 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I predict that gold will be discovered in the lock boxes located in Jefferson's banks, leading to an unprecedented Greene county gold rush. Property values will skyrocket as it is bought up, claims will be staked on public property, saloons and bordellos will line the square. Police and sheriff's dept.'s will go wanting, as they fall in with the wild frenzy for quick, easy wealth. Once it is found that the gold is only in the banks, Dave Redfern will call in the bar tabs and become King of Jefferson.
Jefferson has just entered its population spiral. Thirty years ago, there were 40-50 kids living in the Southfield/McDuffie/Riverside area. Today there are virtually none. The same can be said for the Rushview area, and the Russell Park area.
The school district has closed or discontinued classes at four schools, while opening one. They have absorbed three other communities into their district in an effort to keep it afloat.
Most of the houses in town still have people living there, but very few families! 20 years from now, barring some totally unforseen demographic cataclysm, you will be lucky to find 4000 people in all of Greene County.
Look, Jefferson is obviously the way people want it. No screaming kids running around, nobody messing up the parks, and no new ideas or technology to deal with. Just leave these guys alone and let them wither on the vine.
If I still lived in Jefferson, I would buy Dick Brunner's or Stapleton's house there by the tennis courts at Russell Park. Maybe both of them. I would just kick back, keep them up, and live in them in the way they were meant to be lived in. If anyone answers this I'll tell them what I mean by that.
This is the way I analyze Jefferson's tax base, and it is certainly not scientific so you are welcome to correct me if I seem inaccurate.
If Jefferson is home to 4,000 residents, the census indicates that about 35% are retired - that would be maybe 1,500 people. Of those 4,000 or so, around 25% are kids. That's 1,000 kids, ages 0-18. That would be about 70 per class (excluding out-of-towners), with the rest not yet in the school system.
This leaves 1,500 people between the ages of 18 and 62 or so, approximately half male, half female. Of the 750 or so females, I'm guessing half don't work full time away from the home - maybe more. So, you have a work force of about 350 females and 750 males, or 1,100. Probably 100 of these are unemployed or disabled.
So we have about 1000 people working that reside in Jefferson. From my take on the community, it appears that maybe a third of these people work outside Jefferson. Of the remaining 650 workers, a few are able to work only part-time.
What happens is we get down to about 600 Jefferson residents who are employed full-time in Jefferson. Lets say that half of these folks have college degrees.
You can see how easy it is to be a big fish in a small pond when only 300 of your fellow residents are college graduates working in town. Thank goodness for government jobs!
This trend could only be reversed by bringing in younger, educated people who are raising families. But in order to accomplish that, they would need jobs commensurate with their expertise. Good luck.
In response to the Brunner home, etc. These are great, spacious older homes, facing a park and surrounded by other great homes. They weren't built to be occupied by 1 or 2 people. These were built to be a focal point of a family's life, filled with kids, guests, and happy times. I'd have cookouts, neighborhood parties, any kind of get together for any reason I could think of. These homes have big yards, plenty of room, and face an established, nice park with great trees and character. People wonder why no one uses the parks. These old homes were built around the park for a reason. The present homeowners need to suck it up, spend some money, and give people a reason to actually live in the neighborhood, use the park, and enjoy the small town life that everyone has forgotten but is right there for taking.
I'd like to boost the comment on the Russell Park homes. I live a few blocks from there and would love to see it full of families and kids, the way it used to be.
I can remember riding my bike home after my morning paper route at 5:30 or 6:00 AM and seeing Dick Brunner and Dr. Burke going after it on the tennis courts at Russell Park. Anyone else remember this or am I just too old for the rest of you?
9 comments:
I predict that gold will be discovered in the lock boxes located in Jefferson's banks, leading to an unprecedented Greene county gold rush. Property values will skyrocket as it is bought up, claims will be staked on public property, saloons and bordellos will line the square. Police and sheriff's dept.'s will go wanting, as they fall in with the wild frenzy for quick, easy wealth. Once it is found that the gold is only in the banks, Dave Redfern will call in the bar tabs and become King of Jefferson.
Jefferson has just entered its population spiral. Thirty years ago, there were 40-50 kids living in the Southfield/McDuffie/Riverside area. Today there are virtually none. The same can be said for the Rushview area, and the Russell Park area.
The school district has closed or discontinued classes at four schools, while opening one. They have absorbed three other communities into their district in an effort to keep it afloat.
Most of the houses in town still have people living there, but very few families! 20 years from now, barring some totally unforseen demographic cataclysm, you will be lucky to find 4000 people in all of Greene County.
Look, Jefferson is obviously the way people want it. No screaming kids running around, nobody messing up the parks, and no new ideas or technology to deal with. Just leave these guys alone and let them wither on the vine.
If I still lived in Jefferson, I would buy Dick Brunner's or Stapleton's house there by the tennis courts at Russell Park. Maybe both of them. I would just kick back, keep them up, and live in them in the way they were meant to be lived in. If anyone answers this I'll tell them what I mean by that.
This is the way I analyze Jefferson's tax base, and it is certainly not scientific so you are welcome to correct me if I seem inaccurate.
If Jefferson is home to 4,000 residents, the census indicates that about 35% are retired - that would be maybe 1,500 people. Of those 4,000 or so, around 25% are kids. That's 1,000 kids, ages 0-18. That would be about 70 per class (excluding out-of-towners), with the rest not yet in the school system.
This leaves 1,500 people between the ages of 18 and 62 or so, approximately half male, half female. Of the 750 or so females, I'm guessing half don't work full time away from the home - maybe more. So, you have a work force of about 350 females and 750 males, or 1,100. Probably 100 of these are unemployed or disabled.
So we have about 1000 people working that reside in Jefferson. From my take on the community, it appears that maybe a third of these people work outside Jefferson. Of the remaining 650 workers, a few are able to work only part-time.
What happens is we get down to about 600 Jefferson residents who are employed full-time in Jefferson. Lets say that half of these folks have college degrees.
You can see how easy it is to be a big fish in a small pond when only 300 of your fellow residents are college graduates working in town.
Thank goodness for government jobs!
This trend could only be reversed by bringing in younger, educated people who are raising families. But in order to accomplish that, they would need jobs commensurate with their expertise. Good luck.
Ok I will answer. I know where Brunners house is. What did you mean?
In response to the Brunner home, etc. These are great, spacious older homes, facing a park and surrounded by other great homes. They weren't built to be occupied by 1 or 2 people. These were built to be a focal point of a family's life, filled with kids, guests, and happy times. I'd have cookouts, neighborhood parties, any kind of get together for any reason I could think of. These homes have big yards, plenty of room, and face an established, nice park with great trees and character. People wonder why no one uses the parks. These old homes were built around the park for a reason. The present homeowners need to suck it up, spend some money, and give people a reason to actually live in the neighborhood, use the park, and enjoy the small town life that everyone has forgotten but is right there for taking.
I'd like to boost the comment on the Russell Park homes. I live a few blocks from there and would love to see it full of families and kids, the way it used to be.
I can remember riding my bike home after my morning paper route at 5:30 or 6:00 AM and seeing Dick Brunner and Dr. Burke going after it on the tennis courts at Russell Park. Anyone else remember this or am I just too old for the rest of you?
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