The stigma thing is sadly true of people. The place I live - a college town in IL, is in a really cool little neighborhood. 20 years ago it was solidly "the ghe

The stigma thing is sadly true of people. The place I live - a college town in IL, is in a really cool little neighborhood. 20 years ago it was solidly "the ghetto". 15 years ago the residents got sick of it and started organizing community efforts to make it a nice place. 10 years ago, the city got involved and started helping residents through policing, community and "historical districting". The people who had caused problems - prostitutes/pimps, drug dealers, gangers, started working elsewhere, and the "bad" areas contracted on themselves. A lot of folks in that lifestyle started living well instead, the rest retreated. 5 years ago I got my house for 1/2 of what the same house in other parts of town would cost. People thought I was crazy despite how much the area had changed for the better. These days the area is undergoing some gentrification, and it's sad seeing families move out to be replaced by graduate students - I like a neighborhood where there are children playing, and families hanging out. Heck, someone broke into my house once, shortly after I moved in, and the fact that there were families at home meant the cops were called and caught them in the act, rather than now, where I suspect an afternoon break-in would go unnoticed since no one is around. But despite all of that - people still say "wow, it must be scarey living over there. You have good job, upgrade out to the booneys, is being close to downtown really worth the risk?". I just laugh. And consider buying the next house up for sale to rent to grad students.