I live in one of the best neighborhoods in Albert Lea.

We didn’t know it when my husband and I first bought our house on East Park Avenue five years ago, but we discovered it shortly after, and it has been reaffirmed ever since.

Despite living in a home that is more than 100 years old — and dealing with all of the repairs that come along with owning an old house — the people in this neighborhood far make up for any bad qualities.

My neighbors are people who go out of their way to help clear snow on your sidewalk or clean off your car after a blizzard. They are people who let you borrow a tool that you don’t have, who offer advice on lawn care or home improvements and who almost always say “hello” when you see them outside their home.

What I’ve noticed even more than these qualities, however, is that my neighbors are people who are involved in the community — and that is inspiring.

There are all ages of people who live in our neighborhood: young families, middle-aged people and several who are retired. Even though they all come from different backgrounds, many make an effort to be involved.

Last week there were two instances where I was proud to say I live in this neighborhood.

The first was last Tuesday at one of the caucuses I covered in Albert Lea for the newspaper. I saw many, many people from our neighborhood who stood in long lines to have the opportunity to vote for their favorite candidate for president. There was a great turnout in general, but it was especially exciting for me to see all these people I knew be involved.

I knew before that night that I had a politically active neighborhood, as some neighbors have hosted events for candidates at their homes in the past.

The second time I was proud to live in this neighborhood in the last week was at a meeting at City Hall on Thursday. As has been reported, Park Avenue and the surrounding streets will have a major reconstruction project this summer.

It will clearly be a challenging project, and residents from the neighborhood turned out in high numbers to find out about the plans and to voice concerns.

Many people asked questions in the large group setting; others asked questions after the meeting on a more personal level with engineers and city staff.

Many of us have some of the same concerns with access and the timeline of the project.

The Council Chambers were full for the meeting, which to me spoke volumes to the types of people who live there.

I’m sure there are many other great neighborhoods in Albert Lea as well, but I have been impressed to see these people first-hand.

I’m glad to know these people and that my family has the chance to be around people who are committed to their community.

 

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.