You Call it the Ghetto, I Call it Home
By Marc Davison
11 Dec 2008
What city do you live in? What neighborhood?
I live in the Cromdale neighbourhood in Edmonton, Canada.
What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?
Off kilter, ghetto,dangerous,blue-collar, welfare,poor,rundown, drugged, pawn shopped thrift store, the busy part of nowhere, home, old, friendly, genuine.
How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?
2 years, and lack of money and options brought me to my basement suite. I live here because I can afford too. It is close enough to everything and far enough away that it's not that loud. This area has more character than most, at least from what I have gathered. A lot of people say it is a "sketchy" neighbourhood. It is. I meet my girl at the train station or the bus stop if it's after dark, even when it's -30 out. Sunday mornings are the weirdest mornings, my girl has walked out to catch a bus wearing a nice outfit, and gold high heels to go to brunch, and had cars stop and proposition her. This is why the neighbourhood is odd. My neighbour, on the other hand, is a wonderful old italian lady who when I couldn't afford a bus pass to get to work, lent me hers for over a week, and has an amazing garden in the summer.
This is my neighbourhood, and though I will leave it eventually, it is my home for now, and I am proud to say so.
What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?
My favourite thing about my neighbourhood is the amount of character, and characters that are in it. It is a very poor neighbourhood, and has had its fair share of problems, but it also has some nice old architecture, schools from the early 1900's, this person with an old range rover that has rainbows painted on it, as if he gave his kids some paint and said go to town. The old shut down hotel, which was a drug den more than anything else. My neighbourhood is not the cleanest and in two years I have seen numerous accidents at the intersection a block from my house, but this is what colours the neighbourhood and makes it what it is for better or worse. These are the things I love and don't love about my neighbourhood.
Do you feel that you belong there?
I don't belong anywhere, because I belong everywhere. I haven't travelled as much as I would like, and still haven't found the place I want to call home. In regards to my neighbourhood, I belong here as much as anyone else does.
What is the most common misconception about where you live?
That it is more dangerous than it is. There are a lot of problems with it, but if you are cautious, and inconspicuous, you will be fine.
What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?
The Motoraunt. It is an old restaurant that looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie, filtered through Willy Wonka. It serves the best t burgers in town. All homemade, and the structure itself was all hand built by the owners late husband.
What aspect of your city do you secretly love?
The fact that it tries to pretend that it is a small town with big ambitions, when it really is a big city that just hasn't adjusted to it's new body yet.
Anything else you'd like to add?
This is not a city for most people. I moved here due to the ease of finding a job. I found that easily enough, but since then I have found the woman I want to marry, and a creative rush like no other. I am entering school for graphic design, and will pursue photography as a major component to my design in the future.
