Print

[Mike Ingels]

Well, de facto means unintended or not official.

Segregation is, of course, the separation of the races.

The African-American and poor white area of Monroe is centered on the East End.

That, to me, is de facto segregation.  I don't think that anyone planned it.

But if you were going to plan a utopian, let's-all-hold-hands kind of town, you certainly wouldn't end up with what we have in Monroe in terms of housing patterns.

[Brian Beneteau]

I just started a new job and am looking to find a rental house for my family (wife, baby, and I) in Monroe.  We looked at a rental house near S. Monroe st. and W. 8th street and really didn't care for the neighborhood.  I don't want to spend more than $1000/month.

I saw a beautiful rental house online in "Frenchtown", Arbor Creek Sub, but it was a little too pricey.  I'm just looking for advice on areas to concentrate on because I live too far away to just drive around the city all day.

Thanks for your help!

I just heard that there is a house for rent in the new Mason Run neighborhood for $850 per month. It is a three bedroom two bath home. They did not know the address, so you may wish to drive through the neighborhood and look for a sign.

[Mike Ingels]

The east end does have a lot of black citizens now, but that wasn't the case back in the early 1900's, 20's, and 30's. Back then poor immigrants were directed to live in the far east end area. If you were  British, German, and French you were probably ok. But if you were Belgian, Italian, Lithuanian, Irish, etc. and even Southern (non yankee was big back then) the far east end was probably your neighborhood. That was what I was told by old timers back when I was a kid, which was a while back.

That is fascinating.  It actually does make sense.  Those neighborhoods are closest to the heavily industrial areas of town.  And they are closest to the marshy areas that were once considered to be pretty much useless.  So, having poor neighborhoods there makes sense.

But it's not just Monroe.  Jackson is segregated.  Adrian divides between Mexicans and whites.  When I was looking to rent a while back in Adrian, I had a landlord who told me that he wouldn't take me to the "garbage neighborhoods" on the east side of Adrian.

I think that it's those kind of handshake, whispered things that end up creating divided populations like we have.  Oh, and, of course, economics.

[homebody]

I like many of the homes in the vicinity behind the IHM grounds, like between Monroe St. and Elm, seems like the yards aren't very large, but, the houses have a lot of character and are well taken care of, some bigger homes, some smaller.   If I was a city dweller, I would probably look around in that area for a house.