1. How long have you lived here? If you were not born here, indicate where you came from and why.
I was born in Muncie to a single, hard-working woman in 1972.
2. Are you happy with where you live? Do you feel like you belong?
I’m happy living in Muncie for the most part and love the home I live in and like my neighborhood for the most part. As with everything, there’s things I would change, #1 thing I’d change about Muncie is the road maintenance issue. Many of our roads are horrible and I’ve had two rims bent from hitting potholes. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I feel content and feel like I fit in here but also like other places and fit in in other cities as well.
3. Do you expect to stay here for long? What are or will be some of the considerations in deciding how long you stay here?
My house will be paid off in 2025 and I will always keep my house, however, I plan to travel more consistently once my house is paid off and will have a caretaker stay while I’m out of town.
4. How would you describe Muncie to someone who has never been here? What are its most distinctive characteristics?
Muncie is a better place when Ball State University is in session because of the diversity the students and faculty bring. The college offers music, arts, various types of performances and conferences that many benefit from, but again, when school is out, Muncie is kind of dry. There’s quite a bit to do in the city and I appreciate the new businesses coming to town, bringing with them opportunity and diversity.
5. Do you think the ways other people think about Muncie are the same ways you think about it? How do you your thoughts and feelings about Muncie differ from its public image (from media or word-of-mouth around the state and beyond)?
I think people that move away forget what Muncie has to offer and once they come back, their eyes are opened. As with any marketing, the best is displayed. Living here though, I see the crime, drugs and bedbug problem more than possibly the public because these aren’t typical things you want out in the public forum, or at least things you’d like to minimize.
6. What are your feelings about Muncie’s future? What are your hopes for Muncie? How do you expect Muncie will fare in the years ahead? What changes do you expect?
Muncie will continue to evolve, I just hope our community evolves at a rate that our youth can keep up with the ‘new’ jobs in technology and manufacturing because if not, our city could become stagnant. Ball State is a big influencer of change in our city and with their help, Muncie will be better. I think there will be more school changes in our future, maybe school bus changes and public transportation changes as our population changes.