Lake Worth, Florida

My first job, of my 54 jobs, was in Lake Worth, Florida in the 60’s.  Lake Worth was a scruffy place with an aging downtown, aging population, and a high school with a football team more famous for their team name, the “Trojans,” than for their playing.  But a recent visit to Lake Worth showed me how a small town can be transformed from a sweaty spot on the coast of Florida to a thriving, artsy, intelligent, and highly attractive location.  The Lake and Lucerne streets area downtown is now filled with busy restaurants, galleries, shops, and the obligatory Starbucks.  There is a deli, Greek and Italian restaurants, there are nightclubs and al fresco eateries.  And the smelly movie house where I was a 14 year old usher is now a well respected contemporary art gallery.  The other theater in town, formerly a seedy porn palace, is now a real theater offering plays by local and traveling acting groups.  Next door is an “art” cinema house showing trendy movies.  Friday night there was music all over the downtown and folks were out walking and enjoying the fun.
A regional community arts group is re-locating to Lake Worth and local galleries are full and not too expensive.  I was told there is an active gay, lesbian, and trans community in LW and the city manager is a trans.  When Steven Stanton showed up at his prior job and apparently was in the process of a personal and sartorial transformation, his city council went berserk and tossed him.  But LW welcomed Stanton, now Susan, and it is obvious he is doing a fine job.  The city just received a major grant to help the economy revive from the housing crisis and has been praised for its revitalization efforts.  Stanton actually was, some years ago, the city manager here in Berea, Ky.  I had told people he was the city manager who lived on my street, but my friend D. corrected me.  That must have been his successor who lived near me and was not a bad manager either, but I wonder if Ms. Stanton could have done wonders for us here.
A remarkable theory by Richard Florida asserts that cities that progress economically and show improving quality of life are those with a “creative class” of urbanites such as artists and gays  and lesbians and musicians and other talented bohemians.  He approves of Lexington, Ky and Pittsburgh, PA and I am familiar with both cities–he is correct I think, these cities with an artsy, gay, and progressive class are beautiful, livable cities.  I think he would approve of Lake Worth.  It is not at all yuppified, like Delray Beach or Boca Raton, rather, it remains an inexpensive, walkable, and working class town.  I kind of felt comfortable there.  Also it was 75 F. on the beach while Berea was frozen solid.  I wrote about my first job in LW on another blog…more about that later.