A CITY defined by its headlines, Newburgh, New York, has previously been deemed the murder capital of the US with gang-busting SWAT raids regularly storming the streets.

Despite the bad press, Long Island native Cher Vickers uprooted her suburban life to start a family in the town that was shunned by many.

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Nestled in the beautiful Hudson Valley right across from the river, Newburgh has hosted rich historical events, including the end of British rule and the birth of America.

But just before the turn of the 21st century, it became synonymous with crime and was even deemed the “murder capital of the US,” by New York Magazine in 2011.

In 2010, the New York Times ran an article proclaiming that “drug-fueled violence reigns” as gang activity was responsible for over a dozen homicides throughout a couple of years.

“There are reports of shootouts in the town streets, strings of robberies, and gang assaults with machetes,” said Senator Charles Schumer at the time.

Others like US Attorney Preet Bharara begged the public to help “restore the rule of law” after criminals “have held the good citizens of Newburgh hostage for too long.”

Around that same time, Vickers left her house on Long Island to visit the town during some Upstate New York exploration.

Her initial thoughts were that the town was quiet and abandoned, but full of endless potential.

“This place was right across the river and had amazing architecture and the prices were insanely cheap,” Vickers exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

“And I was like: ‘I need to find out more about this place.'”

Vickers felt so inspired by her visit that she launched a blog called Newburgh Restoration for eight years while she and her husband saved up to buy their first home.

The blog was dedicated to highlighting stories of people who were moving to the town and rebuilding broken-down buildings.

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“I’ve always had a love of cities and a love of old places, and just because a place might be on hard times doesn’t mean it can’t be incredible or even better than what it was,” she said.

‘ROUGHER THAN NYC’

But before making the move, Vickers had to convince her family to let her leave the safety of Long Island.

Her family immigrated to the suburbs to work hard and provide a stable life for their children.

Meanwhile, their risk-taking daughter explored NYC’s shadiest neighborhoods and even recounted moments when she and her friends had to be escorted through the streets in some parts of town.

“I had a lot of memories and stories of New York City neighborhoods from my parents,” Vickers said.

She remembered her parents striking fear into her by saying the “Bronx is burning” or that “the Mafia is gonna kill you if you go to Harlem.”

While she knew that her parents spoke from a truthful place, Vickers felt that the city was changing even if her family couldn’t see it.

“My parents would freak out and it was just like, it’s not like that anymore,” she said.

After hearing about her plan to move, her parents were initially supportive, until hearsay from neighbors made them worried.

Vickers said: “The neighbor had heard about it. He’s like, ‘That’s worse than the worst neighborhoods of New York City.”

“And I was just like, well who cares? The more I keep coming up here, it just wasn’t the big deal that everybody made it out to be. People are people.”

LIFE IN NEWBURGH

Despite hyping up the city and bracing herself for change, Vickers had a terrible experience trying to move at first.

She took her family north of Manhattan to look at homes together but was shocked by the state that the neighborhood was in.

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“We pulled up and automatically I was like, ‘no,'” she said.

“And the reason why was because of the empty feeling. If you’re in a depressed neighborhood, and there are people walking around, it’s fine.

“When I went there, there was literally nobody, it was empty and the houses were empty next door.”

But instead of killing her spirit, this moment motivated her to make Newburgh work for herself and others in the future.

It was this feeling of emptiness that made her realize what the city lacked – vibrancy, discovery, and population.

By working in economic development, Vickers is able to restore this aspect by creating opportunities for developers to bring new business to the town.

“Very simply, I would just like to see every empty lot with a building where there was a building,” she said.

“I’d like to see a building put back and I’d like to see every storefront have something in it.

“In this age of Amazon and Target, I know that’s a hard thing, but really that’s what makes a place attractive is that you can wander and come upon something you never knew was there.”

After buying a home and living in the town with her husband and children for five years, Vickers has one piece of advice for visitors: just talk to people.

“If you’re interested in being here, walk around and really take time to drink in the experience,” she said.

“If you grew up appreciating diversity, then you’re gonna love what’s here.

“If you wanna look for bad things, then you’ll have no problem, but if you’re looking for good things… there are tons of them.”

Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY