Fast Food Homes

When I grew up in this town, this area was a farmer's cornfield. I am sure he cashed out, and I don't blame him. Now this subdivision has hundreds of homes, and is the size the whole town was when I was a kid.

Anyway, the developer is a total ripoff king. He took what was originally approved by the city for 100 total homes, and built it into almost 1000 homes with only one way in and one way out. It has grown a lot since this picture. In other parts of the country where things are regulated, this would never have been allowed to happen. I do not like the government telling you or me what to do, but sometimes it is a good thing. I believe in this case it would have been, because this developer is basically a "good 'ol boy" who has been allowed to do whatever he wants as long as city officials gets their wallets padded. Not to mention all the tax revenue these homes bring in, the average being $4000 per year. The developer has more money than all the people who live in this subdivision combined. He owns a bank. I am all for success, but this guy is a crook and very dishonest. He wouldn't even put matching shingles on brand new homes. I'm not kidding. I have pictures to post later.

I am sure there are many, many towns just like this one. We don't see any improvements in roads, parks, and general maintenance. Police force stays the same. The Fire Department is still volunteer. I am mind boggled as to where all the revenue goes.

When I lived in Santa Barbara, and Carpenteria, California, I would see results from tax revenue. Streets were well taken care of, parks and beaches were well-maintained. People who lived there seemed to care more and took pride in their city. I realize there is more money in that area, but why can't these smaller towns make good use of what they have. Midwest suburbia is turning into a fast food mentality, slap it together and sell it. People who cannot afford custom homes don't really have many more options for home ownership.