We’ve looked at Newport, Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati before, but this time we’re going to look at Fairfield Avenue, starting at Ward Avenue and heading east.
As I’ve said before, one of the great tragedies of St. Louis and its relationship to the Metro East is that civic and business leaders have not made more of an effort to revitalize the communities less than a mile away from downtown.
For years now we have struggled with how to get more jobs to move back downtown, while ignoring neighborhoods in Illinois that would have a five minute commute to our central business district.
Newport, and its neighbor to the west, Covington, are scrappy old industrial suburbs, and there is certainly more work to do, but they show that when you do not abandon one half of a metro area, there are great rewards for the old community.
Fairfield Avenue is thriving, with a mix of shops, historic movie theaters and even houses all standing right next to each other.
I have a feeling there are also many great deals to be snatched up, as well.
The side streets have great houses, too.
The side streets remind me of the old residential neighborhoods of the St. Louis MO area I saw in the early 1960s; and the Webster Groves Old Orchard business district” of the early 1960s…
Unfortunately in St. Louis, instead of combating crime, the powers that be embrace it, and those with the means run from it. Eventually, the problems of yesterday become problems of today in your own neighborhood.
It’s all about what we as a society will tolerate. Downtown St. Louis, the Landing, the Riverfront… it’s become trashy, desolate, and most of all an embarrassment. Pathetic. It’s progressively getting worse. Pay attention to the patterns people. North St. Louis has been the new East St. Louis for a long while. Now, South St. Louis is the new North St. Louis. Wake up! There’s not much “St. Louis” left!