Once a Dream, Now a Nightmare

Once a Dream, Now a Nightmare

A friend just asked me "Are you happy now that you finally moved to the neighborhood of your dreams?" Had I been asked the same question six years ago I would answer without hesitation "of course I am; this has been my dream all along". At one point of our lives, my husband, our baby, and I were all squeezed in a small studio apartment in downtown Syracuse dreaming of the day we moved to this very neighborhood. We would drive to Target, which is a few blocks away from where we live now, and talk about the day we would move to this beautiful neighborhood. Today, my answer would definitely be different. This neighborhood went through tremendous transformations in the past few years that it is barely recognizable. People live in seclusion isolated in their own apartments. The downturn of economy has changed people's priorities so there is no more place in their lives for socializing.

Although I recently returned to Syracuse and moved into Wildwood Ridge Apartments the consequences of the changes in the economy are clearly visible even to an outsider. One of the most apparent impacts can be found in the actual residents' demography as they became younger and more diverse. According to Kay Fenner, the manager of the Wildwood Ridge Apartment complex, "people have changed". Ms. Fenner, who has been working here for the past ten years, has observed that the new residents tend to be "younger, more educated, financially capable, and less friendly." Her comments ring true to me as I have noticed that my neighbors keep mostly to themselves, preoccupied with their own personal lives. The irony lies in that the personal lives of the residents have more similarities than differences. The demographic changes have created a community, although diverse, identical in several aspects; such as age, children's ages and financial status.

Culture has always played a significant role in people's lives in this neighborhood. The holiday decorations used to display neighbors dedication to the community. As Kay Fenner realized through out her time working in this complex, "the holidays aren't as fun as they used to be". Her deduction came from the fact that the decorations and celebrations among neighbors became rare with time. The changes in the economy have caused many people to lose their jobs or to work more than one job to make ends meet. This directly affected the way people celebrate the holidays as they would be more careful spending their money. CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc. Scott Spiker, in the report "Majority of American families spending less for holidays, First Command reports", noted that "The deteriorating economic conditions have moved beyond corporate board rooms and straight into our living rooms." USA Today economy reporters Sandra Block and Barbara Hagenbaugh,