Why I am a 4th generation Near South resident

My Mom has lived in Near South all her life, as have I, and my grandma has lived here since the 60's. Her dad, my great grandpa, also had stake in the neighborhood around the same time. I am a 4th Generation Near South resident. This isn’t because of lack of social mobility. The one time I ventured outside the neighborhood, I ended up breaking my year lease to move to an 1888 Victorian cottage back in Near South, though I’d still be renting. Since moving in, the walls have been talking, trying to schmooze me into saving up and buying the house from my grandma. In the early 90's, she used a Housing & Urban Development grant to start bringing it back to life after it sat abandoned for 12 years. Near South has affordable rentals full of charm that allow one to save to buy a home, hopefully in the Near South. This character is in stark contrast to the institutional looking 5-over-1 new construction apartments eclipsing the downtown scape, one of the only other options for living near the city center. The boxy massing and proportions of those "luxury" buildings tend to look unfortunate.

Grandma Ferguson’s home, photographed while under construction in 1906.

Having a Neighborhood Association in place of the usual and often assumed HOA is a hallmark of Near South. Of course, NSNA encourages renters to serve on the Board and be involved in their many grassroots efforts in Lincoln. I now wave at neighbors beyond my block and beyond my family when out and about. I’ve met some of the most cultivated local minds through NSNA, and NSNA is the most active and caring ensemble of foreground community contributors that I’ve encountered. My fellow Board members are more than worthy of looking up to and are dear friends. I’ve learned so much from them. NSNA has a 51 year old framework for getting involved in something bigger, but still local. That expertise is only appropriate for Lincoln’s most historic neighborhood. The NSNA furnishes the identity of Near South.

Near South is the best neighborhood. Walkability, columnar street trees, character, and pocket parks. This Old House Magazine ranked Near South as one of the best places to buy a house in the Midwest. Near South is a great place to rent too. Near South is the oldest, most diverse, and most densely populated neighborhood in Lincoln, with almost 11,000 residents. Urban density is essential to preventing urban sprawl, so Near South has done its part. Near South encompasses one of the two census tracts with the highest concentration of children, they keep the neighborhood lively. When investment and advocacy happen in Near South, it impacts many. Near South and NSNA are great blueprints.

If a stroll through the neighborhood itself can’t convince you of its grandeur, a meeting with the NSNA Board will quite literally restore your faith in humanity and the not so bygone era of a true neighborhood, and all that comes with loving yours, even as a renter. 

by Raina Engelhard, NSNA Board Member & 4th Generation Near South Resident