A Sustainable Community

Heather, a native of West York with deep roots in town, hadn’t known anything but city life. Her boyfriend Matt, a country-boy since birth, found the attraction of the city irresistible. So when it came time for Matt to start paying his way at home, Matt and Heather decided to join ranks with a small but growing number of young people taking up residence in the struggling and low-rent downtown district of York City.

Their first apartment was in a building owned by Heather’s grandfather next door to Central Market where they enjoyed the close proximity to the then shack-like White Rose Bar. Matt and Heather were soon on a first name basis with the bouncer, Peewee, and camaraderie grew among other like-minded young adults living in the building and nearby. The “two-block crew,” as they called themselves, represented a new generation immune to the cynicism surrounding York City. They armed themselves, whether consciously or not, with a host of reasons why city life was the new best thing.

“Walking distance” is a key phrase for Matt and Heather, now married and parents of two. Heather runs a children’s boutique, Growing Up Green, on W. Market Street and Matt works just three blocks from their house in the York Industrial Center. These days, attitudes about the city are changing, but Matt and Heather have deflected their full share of criticism for raising a family in the city. Like most young couples, they were expected to move to a non-city school district in anticipation of kids, or at least in time for Kindergarten. So when they decide to stay put, even family thought they were crazy.

It hasn’t been easy. The day Heather learned her oldest son, Finn, wouldn’t make it on the list of York Academy’s first Kindergarten class, she sat in her car and cried. They had been supporters of the new magnet school since day one, only to miss out in the lottery system. With Edgar Fahs Smith Middle School joining the elementary students at Ferguson Elementary, a cloud of concerns hung over the school-year.

Heather and Matt began questioning themselves. Should we move? Their love for the city hadn’t wavered, but did the costs outweigh the benefits? Ultimately they stayed. The teachers at Ferguson were wonderful even while the challenges of a broadly mixed and high needs population were very real. Finn was just fine and eventually a seat did open up at York Academy.

In the end, what keeps Matt and Heather here in York City is a mix of the love they formed in those first years next to the Market and a strong belief in the sustainability of city life. Matt, an environmental Engineer focused on wetlands and marsh, says, “The American ideal of a house and an acre just isn’t sustainable.” For their family, the community found in the unique and flourishing neighborhoods of York City are another measure of sustainability. It is in these communities where the rewards of city life far outweigh the costs.