Urban Farmsteading
If this is your thing, St. Louis is your place.
Tonight I drove from a good friend’s home in Old North to the farm to put baby chickens on perches.
I love taking side streets, and observing as much as a I can.
This evening, one stretch I took was Evan Ave, from Sarah until it terminated at Marcus.
All I could think of the entire time (and what I’m often thinking about) washow much potential there is in St. Louis. I passed relic after relic of architecture that we cannot even be produce anymore — abandoned, discarded, forgotten. Amazing old homes that can, and deserve to, be restored to glory. And, most likely, available for a song and a dance.
Where less fortunate buildings once stood, there are acres upon acres of open lots. Most are certainly owned by the city and available for relatively nothing.
So, there is an opportunity to live on acreage in the middle of a major metropolitan area. We’re talking minutes from the Central West End, the most beautiful neighborhood on earth. It’s not like a possibility, either — if you wanted to stake out a place for yourself, get some chickens, and steward some land, there’s not much stopping you. Scrape together $10k or so and get busy.
It’s sad to think about what once was and will never be again. It is also inspiring to imagine what could be. For me, part of that magical future is urban farmsteading families, regenerating the land with livestock, and feeding the city.
