The ‘other’ city
By Harry Esteve
Of th« Emerald
Springfield The bike paths
end there None of the
shoestores sell Birkenstocks
From a Eugene perspective,
it's simply an ugly appendage,
desecrating the east end of a
hallowed city
Its most impressive building is
the public library; the classiest
restaurant serves barbecued
beef
Until recently, Springfield was
one of the fastest growing cities
in Oregon People seemed to
like its quiet, shaded streets, its
hick-town atmosphere and its
low-priced property That's
when the mills were open and
people were working
Now Springfield seems to be
shrinking As the mills close one
after another, parts of the city
are being abandoned In some
neighborhoods, every other
house displays either a "For
Rent" or "For Sale" sign Some
of the signs have been up for an
entire year Few new houses are
being built
Yards that once were careful
ly maintained have grown into
weed wildernesses, tangled
with blackberry brambles.
Peeling paint, tumble-down
fences and wizened rose
bushes give some parts of the
town an eery feeling of neglect
— not just by the people who
have given up and left, but also
by the people who have given
up — and stayed
These are mostly young cou
ples with small children With
the mills shut down, they rely on
food stamps, welfare or low
paying part-time jobs They
cling to the low rent districts of
Springfield, where two-be
droom houses go for under
$200 a month
They spend their food stamps
at corner convenience stores,
buying eight-packs of Coca
Cola, using the change for car
tons of cigarettes Their chil
dren trade dollar stamps for
handfuls of candy and giggle
with brown smiles.
There is, of course, another
side to Springfield. Some
families have been lucky en
ough to hold onto their jobs
Most live in modest houses in
one of several residential
neighborhoods tucked to the
Continued on Page 12
1
CHOCOLATE
ComTa^
truffles...
divine decadence
Now available on campus at:
Aunt Lucy Devine’s
Fall Creek Bakery
Book & Tea
6 West 17th Avenue
E«ll I.
f^1 t&c fiafevi cafeesi
helium balloons and balloon bouquets
large selection of general to x-rated cards
gourmet candies
party supplies and gifts
683-8480
4 10 E. I I th . Corner of I I th and Mill
r
j