Victoria Heller wrote: > Less than half of Minneapolis households own homes (according to our 2000 > census) compared with the national average of 70%.
CD: I'd appreciate a more specific census reference because it sounds like you're comparing our city with the nation as a whole which is not appropriate. First you need to compare Minneapolis with other midwestern cities of similar size (St. Paul would be a good start), and then to a national list of cities. I took a look at the census 2000 Summary File 1 - H4, it appears that actually more than half of housing units are owner occupied in Mpls 51.4 %. In St. Paul on the figure is 54.8%. Now we might have something to talk about. Look at MN Planning Datanet for even more detail. http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/datanetweb/ Victoria Heller again: > Why do Minneapolis leaders discourage homeownership? You must not have noticed the City Living Home Program. http://www.cityliving.org/599.html City leaders who've supported this program are clearly encouraging home ownership. Mortgages are available nearly a full point below market rate if you buy a home in Mpls or St. Paul. Victoria Heller: > Our current City practices are driving potential homeowners to the suburbs. Potential home buyers are driving themselves to the suburbs, literally. The road building frenzy of the past 50 years has hastened the trend to suburban living, along with the massive parking lots around the dales. Pinning responsibility for the suburbanization of the metro area on the central cities requires a lot more effort than you've demonstrated here. Conor Donnelly WaitePark _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
