The following is a discussion of vision which I hope will enlighten and inform my readers. Vision is so very important, it determines how we navigate through life and its challenges. Unfortunately, many wander through life with blinders on. Many of us see things as they are but are unable to envision things for what they can become. In most major cities across the country, revitalization is happening as we speak. These changes are making some cities” what they can and will become”. Okay, this is the thing. My home is in an area south of the Atlanta Airport. This is an area that many outside of my community see for the positive potential it has to become a booming, flourishing area. This is certainly not a bad community. Yes, there are some things within the community that needs attention in the form of positive changes. To change this community it will take collective, collaborative efforts on the part of individuals that reside in my community and surrounding areas. Case in point, I posted my thoughts on a community information app called Nextdoor. I suggested via this app that communities in the area come together to begin discussions on how to improve facets of the community that negatively impact community residents. Many of the responses I received back were negative……..NO VISION. Someone responded that I was going down a rabbit hole…..NO VISION. Another person said, “you can’t change people”…….NO VISION.
Go online, educate yourselves on the expansion plans for the Southside. Look at what’s to come for the areas south of the Atlanta Airport. This information is not being made readily available to you for a reason. I am a “Big Thinker”. When I continue to get offers on my home daily I wonder why. In researching this phenomenon I ran across an article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle earlier this summer indicating that there were efforts on the part of families from Johns Creek (Northside of metro Atlanta) who were interested in purchasing homes on the Southside….. VISION. Open your eyes. You can see development taking place all along the Southside. You might have to squint your eyes to see it but it is definitely there. A Comprehensive Medical Center owned by an African American Doctor is scheduled to be built on Old National Highway. This facility will serve pediatric, geriatric, dental and all other patients in between…..VISION. Open your eyes!
I grew up in a black, family-oriented area in Atlanta called Fourth Ward. It was a community that wasn’t high income, but it wasn’t low income either. It was an area where neighbors looked out for each other. If you needed a couple of eggs or a cup of sugar and didn’t want to make a trip to the store to get it you could go next door and “borrow” it from your neighbor. This was done with the thought that if your neighbor needed these things they could get it back from you…….VISION. Together we stand, divided we fall. Today, Fourth Ward, now called “Old Fourth Ward” is one of the hottest real estate tickets in the area. Once a quiet, old school, predominately black area it is now a flourishing, predominantly Caucasian neighborhood with some homes that flaunt values up to a million dollars……VISION. People who lived in that community before this time sold off their homes for little or nothing…..NO VISION. In walks MR. GENTRIFICATION, he buys up numerous properties, the taxes rise exponentially and eventually wipes out most of the people from the old neighborhood that can’t afford to pay the taxes. When there is no VISION the people perish. Think Big!!! Don’t accept things as they are, look at things as what they can become. Food for thought, in these areas residents can appeal their tax bills and some government programs will assist residents, especially senior citizens.
Start looking at trends in certain neighborhoods before considering a purchase. A website called “Homefacts” can give you all the pertinent information regarding your neighborhood and/or a neighborhood you are considering moving to. Homefacts provide information on cities all over the US regarding home values, school ratings, crime, demographics weather, etc. To withstand life challenges you must have a vision. Don’t accept things for what they are, determine what they can become. I understand why others want to purchase my property and my neighbors’ property. People that want to purchase my property see and understand what my community can become……VISION. Expand your horizons. Stop looking at things as they are, instead imagine what things can become. Visionary thinking requires collective efforts on the part of individuals in the community. Hopefully, this insightful information will encourage visionary thinking on your part. Please give us a thumbs up, a share, and also subscribe so that you can receive our weekly post.
Marvin Dixon/Founder
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