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Armed Forces Day, May 19, 2012
Holy Cross is like a small town within a large city.
We have the advantage of living within walking distance of urban amentities, yet we feel as though we live in a quite, beautiful town.
Many of us like living here because we are close to our jobs downtown. With today's gasoline prices, that's a real advantage. But it's a great place to play and celebrate, too, and we get together a lot. A couple times each year we plan elaborate parties with barbeques and live music. We have simple pitch-ins preceeding quarterly meetings attended by an average of 70 to 80 neighbors. And it is not unusual to see groups of neighbors getting together in each other's back yards to share food, conversations and games of cornhole, poker, horseshoes, or just to watch their children play together.
Holy Cross is a diverse neighborhood full of homes distinguished by skilled craftsmanship. Historically, its center was a farm owned by the family of Governor Noble, now beautiful Highland Park. Later, the community was settled by families of German, Irish and Italian descent. And, in the last half century, the diversity increased to include African American and Hispanic families. Today, the skills and care of all kinds of hard-working families remain evident in this close-knit neighborhood.
The historic strengths of the neighborhood have been individual responsibility coupled with community activisim. Long-time neighbors provide a strong foundation that encourages new people to move into the neighborhood. Many rehab older homes and build new ones on vacant lots. Sustainability has been a long-time goal and it is more of a neighborhood watchword even today. A lot of newcomers are transplants from the suburbs who want to live downtown without giving up community. They feel right at home in Holy Cross.
