One of my favorite Veggie Tales songs is when Larry the Cucumber sings about losing his ball when it accidently goes over his fence into the gated community. One of the choruses sung by the barbershop quartet in the community goes:
Ohhh, the Gated Community is where we like to be
Our clothes are never dirty, and the lawns are always green.
And when you come to visit, you can stand outside and see
What a tidy bunch we are in our gated unity!
Never fails to crack me up. I remember when I was young and single, but completely broke, I looked into a brand new apartment community that was being built. I took a tour with the rep of the apartment (it was GORGEOUS) but the minute she said that it would be a gated community I knew it wasn’t for me – not because I don’t approve, but I knew I couldn’t afford that luxury (sure enough – the starting rent on a 2 bedroom was $1400, which after securing a roommate would STILL be $400 over my monthly budget).
I’m not necessarily against gated communities – I think they can be quite effective in reducing the potential for crime of all kinds. But I do think that there is a danger in setting up an appearance of discrimination in an attempt for seclusion. Having said that, I do think homes in gated communities are LOVELY because it seems like the houses are more custom rather than thrown up there. There is a new Virginia Gated Community in the southern part of the state, just south of Roanoke and Lynchburg. It looks LOVELY since it’s a waterfront community as well. Sadly, their website doesn’t list any floorplans which is a bummer because I LOVE LOVE LOVE looking at floorplans (as many of my long-time readers know). But the scenic pictures of the lake are to die for.
But for me, I don’t know that I’ll ever be found living in a gated community. I don’t need that kind of pressure to keep up with the Joneses.