I live in the Bay View area of town. It's an up and coming neighborhood. There are a lot of younger people moving down here from the east side who are looking for more affordable housing, but still want to be close to downtown. They also want to live in an area where there are local businesses that are unique and they want to shop on a street with some character. In this case, that street is Kinnickinnic Avenue. It's come a long way, but also has a way to go. We've got coffee shops, and a few good restaurants. There's even some decent nightlife now, aside from pubs that resemble your grandpa's basement.

There is somewhat of a tension in this neighborhood though. It's a tug of war between different generations. On one hand, you've got plenty of families who have owned their homes for years and passed them on to their children (the "old south side" as some would say). This group tends to be more conservative, and comes from a blue collar background. On the other hand, you have a lot of newcomers ranging from young professionals and newlyweds, to folks from the inner city looking for a safer place to raise their family. This influx of younger and more diverse residents may have created the tension between these two groups of "Bayviewites."

To make a neighborhood one's own must mean that one has to be willing to accept and respect one's neighbors. At the same time, it's only healthy to have a range of ideas floating around about where the neighborhood needs to go to truly achieve progress. Good luck Bay View. Now let's get a tenant for the Avalon Theater.