Over this site’s long existence, we’ve never shied away from criticizing or poking fun at Oklahoma City’s gated suburb to the north – the vaunted hamlet of Edmond.
From Royce Young’s “10 Reasons Edmond Sucks” to Marisa’s “9 Reasons Why I Hold a Grudge Against Edmond” to my very recent “7 Alternatives to the Weird Edmond Sculpture Park,” we’ve produced plenty of listicles that call out the city, and all the various upper-class elites, snoots, and racist crazies who call it home.
Although we like to make fun of Edmond and its shortbread cookie-cutter culture, I must admit that now that I’m getting older and more settled, I’m starting to better understand Edmond’s allure and charm.
Say what you want about the town, but if you’re a boring upper-middle-class or rich person who wants to live exclusively around other upper-middle-class or rich people, it’s hard to top Edmond!
In most neighborhoods, the property values are growing higher than the iron gates and stone walls that encircle them, easily keeping out most of the up-and-coming middle-class riff-raff who either A) don’t make enough money or B) don’t have rich enough parents or C) don’t have enough home equity in their OKC home to make the jump to the fertile lands south of Waterloo.
Sadly, this unattainable charm – which is also Edmond’s biggest appeal to the people who live there – is being lost on the wokes who care about things like affordable housing.
Over the past couple of months, there have been a wide variety of media reports about studies that show 75% of the people who work in Edmond are forced to commute because they can’t afford to live there, or that 65% of Edmond residents couldn’t afford to buy a new home Edmond, which is probably why they’ll never leave their home in Edmond.
I guess this news really upsets the Edmond Young Professionals who, for some reason, want to live in this sterile land of SUVs, HOAs and PTAs.
Savannah Whitehead – the chair of the group – wrote an editorial in Yawn Doc complaining about the city’s lack of affordable housing, and how it’s dashing their young professional dreams of circling around the cul-de-sac in suburban glee.
Via Yawn Doc:
During a recent Edmond City Council meeting that revealed a study showing unattainable home prices in our community, some residents shared concerns that their property values and life accomplishments might be lessened if the council were to pursue efforts to create more affordable and sustainable housing solutions.
The sentiment shared by some during the meeting — that they “worked hard to get here” — is appreciated and understood. However, young professionals in our community simply want the opportunity to do the same.
Yep, that’s right. Just like the hard-working young professionals before them, today’s Edmond Young Professionals simply want the same opportunity to oppose affordable housing at an Edmond City Council meeting someday. That’s not a lot to ask, is it?
Here’s more:
Young professionals and other people who desire to call Edmond home are not looking for a handout, or even a hand up. All we are asking is for the supply of housing to be increased in a way that includes options that can be afforded by the majority of people instead of only by the upper-income echelon. The housing stepping stones that are missing must be restored.
I appreciate Savannah’s optimism and everything, but how do you convince builders to put up more affordable housing in Edmond when they can earn more by constructing an addition of white modern farmhouse McMansions?
Also, isn’t this a bit of a watch-what-you-wish-for situation?
If Edmond suddenly sees a glut of affordable housing, condos and apartments hit the market, all the people who moved to Edmond to get away from affordable housing will have to find new places to live, leading to an oversupply of unaffordable housing in Edmond.
That may be good for Deer Creek, but it's really bad for Edmond. In fact, it will ruin it!
If you ask me, the Edmond Young Professionals who want to live in Edmond but can’t afford it should do what most other people do in those situations – live in Oklahoma City and join Loyal OKC!
Anyway, if you have any thoughts about the Edmond housing situation or how and where to build affordable housing in a suburb that doesn’t seem to want to be affordable, I guess leave a comment or something.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
