Utah is home to amazing natural wonders and national parks like Zion, Bryce Canyon, and the Arches, showcasing stunning red rock formations and vistas. For outdoor enthusiasts, Utah offers hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and more, that blend alongside city-life. If Utah sounds like the state for you, then you may also be curious what cities fit into your budget. For example, the median home sale price in Utah is $529,600 as of July.
If that price is out of your budget, don’t worry, we’ve got options to help you find a home. Redfin has collected a list of the 8 of the most affordable places to live in Utah. And they all have a median home sale price under the state’s average. From Ogden to Provo, read on to see what cities you may want to consider moving to this year.
#1: Ogden
Median home price: $367,625 Average sale price per square foot: $231 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,350 Median household income: $55,974 Nearest major metro: Salt Lake City (40 miles) Ogden, UT homes for sale Ogden, UT apartments for rent
With a median home sale price of $367,625, Ogden lands the number one spot on our list as the most affordable place to live in Utah. There are about 87,300 residents living in this mid-sized city. Living in Ogden, you can take a trip to one of the nearby ski resorts like Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, or Nordic Valley, visit the historic Union Station, and enjoy the outdoors at the beautiful Ogden Botanical Gardens or Ogden Nature Center.
#2: Logan
Median home price: $379,000 Average sale price per square foot: $229 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $450 Median household income: $43,056 Nearest major metro: Ogden (48 miles) Logan, UT homes for sale Logan, UT apartments for rent
Taking the second spot on our list of affordable cities to live in Utah is Logan. When living in this city of 52,800 people, you can explore the charming downtown area, see the animals at Zootah, or visit the natural areas outside town like Providence Cave.
#3: Provo
Median home price: $427,500 Average sale price per square foot: $277 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,484 Median household income: $50,072 Nearest major metro: Salt Lake City (45 miles) Provo, UT homes for sale Provo, UT apartments for rent
Next is the city of Provo, which has about 115,200 residents. The median home sale price is $427,500 which is about $100K less than the median home sale price in Utah. If you find yourself moving to the third most affordable city in Utah, spend the day at Utah Lake State Park, hike up Provo Peak or Y Mountain, and check out the Saturday Provo Farmers Market during the summer season.
#4: West Valley City
Median home price: $442,500 Average sale price per square foot: $226 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,315 Median household income: $43,056 Nearest major metro: Salt Lake City (12 miles) West Valley City, UT homes for sale West Valley City, UT apartments for rent
Only slightly more expensive than Provo is West Valley City, the next city on our list. About 140,200 people live in West Valley City, where there are plenty of unique activities to do. Be sure to check out a show at USANA Amphitheatre, see a Utah Grizzlies game at Maverik Center, or watch a movie during the summer at Redwood Drive-in Theatre.
#5: Layton
Median home price: $470,000 Average sale price per square foot: $227 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,337 Median household income: $43,056 Nearest major metro: Ogden (16 miles) Layton, UT homes for sale Layton, UT apartments for rent
Another great affordable place to consider moving to is Layton. With 81,800 residents, moving to this city gives you the perks of city-life without living in a major metropolitan area. Living in Layton, you can explore nature at Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve, hike the Adams Canyon Trail, and check out the downtown area.
#6: Orem
Median home price: $472,500 Average sale price per square foot: $222 Median household income: $65,622 Nearest major metro: Provo (7 miles) Orem, UT homes for sale Orem, UT apartments for rent
Another noteworthy city is Orem, where the median home sale price is about $50K less than the state’s average. With roughly 98,100 people calling Orem home, it’s a great area to consider living in. There are also plenty of activities to do in Orem. For example, you can check out the waterfall, historic railroad, and canyon at Provo Canyon, visit the downtown area, and explore the wetlands habitat at Powell Slough Waterfowl Management Area, among many other local favorites.
#7: West Jordan
Median home price: $506,000 Average sale price per square foot: $237 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,407 Median household income: $84,722 Nearest major metro: Salt Lake City (15 miles) West Jordan, UT homes for sale West Jordan, UT apartments for rent
Seventh on our list of affordable places to live in Utah is West Jordan. With a population of nearly 116,900, living in West Jordan is a great option for those looking for a mid-sized city to live in. Don’t miss out on checking out one of the many parks in town, bike, run, or stroll along the Jordan River Parkway Trail, and see the beautiful flowers at Conservation Garden Park.
#8: St. George
Median home price: $509,000 Average sale price per square foot: $272 Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,803 Median household income: $59,989 Nearest major metro: Las Vegas (120 miles) St. George, UT homes for sale St. George, UT apartments for rent
Last but not least on our list of most affordable places to live in Utah is St. George. This affordable area is home to about 95,300 residents. Be sure to enjoy nature at Snow Canyon State Park and Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, bike along the New Bearclaw Poppy Navajo Trailhead, and visit the St. George Narrows once you move to St. George.
Methodology: All cities must have over 50,000 residents per the US Census and have a median home sale price under the average median home sale price in Utah. Median home sale price and median sale price per square foot from the Redfin Data Center during July 2023. Average rental data from Rent.com July 2023. Population and median household income data sourced from the United States Census Bureau.
We all know that comedic actors like Adam Sandler, Steve Carell, and Jim Carrey have killed serious roles drawing attention from critics and audiences alike. But what about the comedic actors who flop badly? Here are ten funny actors that would be better off sticking to comedy.
1. Vince Vaughn
“I didn’t love his True Detective performance, though, but can’t lay that season’s faults all on him,” said one. “I don’t know if it was Vaughn, his character, or the show in general, but I couldn’t take him seriously,” another agreed.
2. John Belushi
One suggested, “John Belushi and Continental Divide were terrible.” A second said, “The only movie my parents and I walked out on. I was only 9, but I vividly remember my dad’s disappointment at a boring Belushi movie.” Finally, one stated, “I saw that movie in the theatre when I was ten. My friend and I were bored to death.”
3. Eddie Murphy
“Wes Craven wanted to make a horror film and wanted Eddie Murphy to be a more complex character in Vampire in Brooklyn. However, Eddie Murphy felt he still had to make his comedy front and center. Definitely worth the watch. It’s enjoyably terrible, but Kadeem Hardison is legit amazing,” another confessed.
4. Chevy Chase
“I’ll never forget when Memoirs of an Invisible Man came out. I just kept waiting for a punchline that never came,” admitted one. “The screenwriter William Goldman writes about this movie in his book Which Lie Did I Tell.”
“He knew it would be a disaster because the studio wanted to make a big-budget comedy like Ghostbusters, and Chevy Chase wanted to make an intimate drama about loneliness,” another informed.
5. Tiffany Haddish
“Tiffany Haddish! She is so wooden as a dramatic actor. See The Card Counter, On the Count of Three, and Here Today (actually, don’t see that last one),” one replied. “Her performance in Card Counter is so bizarre; it’s like she’s in a completely different movie,” another added.
6. Chris Rock
“I wasn’t a big fan of him in Fargo, to be honest. I kept thinking that’s Chris Rock, and it took me out of the show. But, on the other hand, I think his voice is unique, so it’s hard to see him as not Chris Rock,” another confessed.
7. Bill Murray
“While I loved The Razor’s Edge, Bill Murray was not ready for drama yet,” suggested one. Another stated, “He wasn’t, but he got great eventually. Lost in Translation is a top-tier film. His performance carries The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as well.” “My wife read the book and wanted to see the movie. So we watched it and were massively disappointed,” a third person confessed.
8. Chris Pratt
“I love the bit in the latest Jurassic World movie where he’s supposed to be frantic and angry that someone kidnapped his adopted daughter, and he conveys this with all the mildly aggravated energy of someone who has to be somewhere and can’t find their keys,” shared one.
9. Nick Kroll
“I thought Nick Kroll was terrible in both Loving and Don’t Worry Darling,” one replied. Another added, “I like a lot of Kroll’s stuff, but the second he has to go out of bounds of his five characters, the quality of his performance drops like a rock.”
10. Seth McFarlane
“I like The Orville, but every time Seth MacFarlane tries to give a stirring Captain Picard-Esque speech, I want to throw up. It’s very much not in his wheelhouse,” a final person commented.
Source: Reddit.
Who is one actress you can never stand watching, no matter their role? After polling the internet, these were the top-voted actresses that people couldn’t stand watching.
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We’ve all heard the famous adage that “no publicity is bad publicity,” and while it tends to be accurate, there are certainly exceptions. But what about those few stars who stay out of the limelight and get along without a hint of trouble?
These 7 Celebrities are Genuinely Good People
Have you ever known someone and thought you liked them—until you learned about their hobbies? Then you get to know them and then you’re like, “Wow, red flag.” Well, you’re not alone.
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Some celebrities definitely seem to enjoy the limelight and keep working to stay in the public eye. While others quickly move out of the spotlight. Many of these actors and actresses stepped out of the spotlight to live a more private life without constant media pressures.
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We’ve all been there – sitting through a movie that we can’t help but cringe at, but somehow it still manages to hold a special place in our hearts.
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Pet adoptions have been soaring with the current COVID-19 pandemic. In my opinion, that totally makes sense! After all, who wouldn’t want an adorable cuddle to pass the newfound time at home?
That’s where a pandemic puppy can come into the picture. Today I will share a complete look at the cost of adopting my pandemic pup, so you can know what you’re getting into.
What’s Ahead:
Why I adopted a pandemic puppy
I’ve been dreaming of adopting a puppy since I got to college. I grew up with a wonderful dog and waited for the day that I could comfortably adopt a new puppy.
Over the years, I always had a responsible reason for why I couldn’t adopt a puppy at the moment. For years, my string of small apartments wouldn’t make a happy home for a puppy. Plus, I wanted to have some savings on hand for the inevitable expenses the responsibility of a dog would bring, like unexpected vet visits. Little did I know, I could save on some of these expenses by purchasing a pet insurance policy through an insurer like Embrace. However, without that knowledge, I continued to put off my desire to bring a puppy into my life.
In January, my husband and I started to seriously consider bringing a puppy home. We were finally living in a space with a fenced backyard and plenty of nearby hiking trails for an active pup. We even applied to adopt a handful of puppies, but the timing never worked out for us.
In mid-March, my husband and I were looking forward to a busy spring. I had several fun trips mapped out until the COVID-19 pandemic through our plans for a loop. As things started to settle into an isolating routine, my husband transitioned to working from home. At that point, we decided that we were truly ready to bring home a puppy with both of us available at the house.
When we spotted our pandemic puppy on a rural shelter page in mid-March, we hopped in the car and drove the hour to meet him. Immediately we fell in love and put down a deposit to secure his adoption for the next week. We were able to bring him home at the end of March when he turned eight weeks old.
Pongo has been our fun-loving pup ever since!
The cost breakdown
Pongo was an adorable eight-week-old puppy that quickly grew into a 40-pound bundle of joy. Along the way, he has turned out to be a rather expensive pandemic purchase.
I will take more in-depth about this below, but one way to save a ton on puppy costs is through pet insurance. Pumpkin is one of the best options on the market, with an affordable preventive care option.
Bringing him home
The first major expense of owning a pet is bringing them home. For Pongo, those costs added up quickly.
$50 deposit to secure his adoption. We paid this fee a week before he was available for adoption to ensure that he was coming home with us.
$150 adoption fee. The adoption fee covered his neuter surgery and other medical treatments that the shelter provided. When Pongo was found at the shelter, he and his brother were in fairly bad shape. Both had significant skin issues which needed extensive treatment. Luckily, the shelter quickly restored his skin to a better condition and continued the treatments after we brought him home.
$210 rental pet fee. When we first got Pongo, we were living in a rented duplex. The landlords graciously allowed us to bring Pongo home. But we had to pay a $210 non-refundable pet fee.
The first part of the adoption journey was several hundred dollars. But that was just the beginning!
Vet bills
When you bring home a young puppy, you should expect to pay for a wide range of vaccinations. We brought Pongo home as an eight-week puppy with some severe skin issues. With that, our vet bills were a little bit higher than the norm.
$189.96 – First vet visit and a handful of shots.
$87.04 –A booster shot visit.
$205.8 –More shots and skin check-up.
$67.27 –Another booster shot visit.
$79.33 –A microchip visit with another vaccine.
The veterinary costs can add up quickly. But after this last visit to the vet, Pongo should be okay until his annual appointment in March.
Other costs
Beyond the initial costs of bringing him home and the vet bills, extra expenses needed to be considered. I’ll break them down now:
$98.17 – The first of many Amazon orders to make our home comfortable for Pongo. This included buying a crate to grow into, potty training pads, teething rings, and other toys.
$6.25 – A quick trip to the hardware store by my house that sells dog toys and bones.
$12.68 –Another Amazon purchase to stock up on toys – because Pongo rips through toys very quickly.
$58.01 –A Petsmart run for food and other supplies.
$10.57 –More toys from Ace Hardware.
$280 – We set up a subscription for Pongo’s food from Amazon. With that, we are able to save 5% on his food, but it still adds up.
$50 – Walmart Pet Rx purchase for his first round of heartworm medication.
$75 –A Chewy delivery of Pongo’s six month supply of preventative medications.
$275 –The combined total of boarding costs for Pongo on three separate occasions.
As you can see, the extra costs of a puppy can get expensive.
The total cost of adopting my pandemic puppy
Although we look for opportunities to save where we can, the cost of owning a pet is just expensive. What isn’t included in these expenses are the sleepless nights of puppy potty training and adorable puppy cuddles that make it all worth it.
In total, the cost of adopting our pandemic puppy is $1,904.51. So far, we’ve spent close to $2,000 on Pongo. But I’m optimistic that the upfront veterinary costs of adopting a puppy with a few skin issues will not continue to be a major factor.
Overall, we were very happy to bring Pongo into our lives. He has been worth every penny!
Where I could have saved more
Of course, there are always ways to save more. What I didn’t look into when I first brought Pongo home was pet insurance. I think that I seriously missed out on an opportunity to save on vet bills. With that, you may want to look into your pet insurance options if you are considering adopting a pet. Here is a bit more about Embrace.
Lemonade
Lemonade is a great pet insurance option. They’re quickly disrupting the industry with their low-cost plans that start as low as $10/month (and a 10% discount if you also insure your home or car through Lemonade). But, you can decide the deductible amount and coverage limit you want to set for yourself.
When it comes to what they cover, the answer is pretty much up to you. If you’re looking for basic wellness care and vaccine coverage, Lemonade has a plan for you. But, they’re also perfect for those looking to protect their pet in the event of an accident or illness. They’ll cover heartworm testing, fecal testing, bloodwork, emergency surgeries, x-rays, labwork, medications, and more.
Plus, an especially wonderful feature of Lemonade is that they offer expert medical advice via their chat feature. That way, you don’t have to call up the vet for every little question.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is another pet insurance provider that offers an insurance plan designed to prioritize the wellness of your pet. Pumpkin offers insurance that covers a high percentage of eligible veterinary expenses for accidents and illnesses. Pumpkin also offers an optional preventative care plan – Pumpkin Preventive Essentials – which pays for an annual wellness exam, vaccines, and select lab tests to detect parasites & life-threatening diseases.
Here’s how Pumpkin works: when your dog is sick, you can take them to any licensed veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada for treatment. You pay the vet and then afterward, file a claim for the eligible veterinary expenses to be reimbursed after your annual deductible has been met.
In terms of annual limit options with Pumpkin, every family is offered a 90% reimbursement rate on eligible vet bills, up to an annual coverage limit of $10k or $20k for dogs and $7k or $15k for cats.
Embrace
Embrace offers pet insurance policies that you can customize to your coverage needs. You’ll be able to adjust the monthly premiums and annual payout limits to suit your budget.
In addition to the flexible coverage, you can choose to take part in a Wellness plan. A Wellness plan will reward you for taking care of your pet’s needs on a regular basis. Essentially, you’ll be rewarded if you are taking care of your pet responsibly.
Summary
The costs of a pandemic puppy can add up quickly. But if you are prepared for that financial responsibility, then the costs pale in comparison to the fun of bringing home a puppy. Even as the chaos of the pandemic swirls around us, Pongo has been an amazing blessing in our lives.
If you are considering bringing a puppy home, I’d encourage you to think about the costs ahead of time. When you have the costs of a puppy factored into your budget, you can enjoy the experience of adopting a puppy to the fullest!
Pumpkin Advertiser Disclosure: Pumpkin Pet Insurance policies do not cover pre-existing conditions. Waiting periods, annual deductible, co-insurance, benefit limits and exclusions may apply. For full terms, visit pumpkin.care/insurancepolicy. Products, discounts, and rates may vary and are subject to change. Pumpkin Insurance Services Inc. (“Pumpkin”) (NPN #19084749) is a licensed insurance agency, not an insurer. Insurance is underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company (NAIC #21113, Morristown, NJ), a Crum & Forster Company and produced by Pumpkin. Pumpkin Preventive Essentials is not an insurance policy. It is offered as an optional add-on non-insurance benefit. Pumpkin is responsible for the product and administration. Pumpkin Preventive Essentials is not available in all states. For full terms, visit pumpkin.care/customeragreement.
In an earlier entry about the cost of waiting one year to begin investing for retirement, I posted a chart from AllFinancialMatters that demonstrated the power of compound returns. Vintek posted a math exercise related to the subject.
I got this from a book called The Random Walk Guide to Investing by Burton Malkiel. It’s a book I recommend, and I’ll eventually talk about it in the forum. Here’s the exercise:
William and James are twin brothers who are 65 years old. 45 years ago (at the end of the year when he reached 20), William started an IRA and put $2K in the account at the end of each year. After 20 years of contributions, William stopped making new deposits but left the accumulated contributions in the IRA fund. The fund produced returns of 10% per year tax-free. James started his own IRA when he reached the age of 40 (just after William quit) and contributed $2K per year for 25 years, making his last contribution today. James invested 25% more money in total than William. James also earned 10% on his investments tax-free. What are the values of William’s and James’s IRA funds today?
Vintek sent along the answer in a spreadsheet. It’s eye-opening.
William has $1,365,227. James has $218,364. James invested 25% more than William, but through the magic of compounded returns, William’s IRA fund is worth more than six times as much! For some real fun, download the spreadsheet and plug in your own numbers. I’m having to contribute $5,000/year because I didn’t start in time. How about you?
(Note that the 10% assumption used in the charts and in the spreadsheet is arbitrary and for illustrative purposes only. An 8% return-on-investment is more realistic over the long term, and interest rates on CDs are half that. Still, the same principle applies regardless the rate, as long as the rates are consistent between sample cases.)
You twenty-somethings: I know that retirement seems a long way off, and you probably wish I would write about how to save money on mortgages or how to use coupons at the grocery store. But this is important. Force yourself to save for retirement. It may hurt, but it’s not going to hurt for long. And when you’re old like I am, you’ll be glad you made the decision. If you will just invest $2000/year for twenty years starting at age 20, you’ll set yourself up for life!
A commenter at AllFinancialMatters writes:
Don’t ever try to convince yourself that you can make up for not saving for a few years by saving later. It will snowball. You’ll establish a lifestyle that depends on too much of your income to ever make up for lost time. But if you didn’t save enough last year, resolve to find the extra money somewhere this year to make up for the lost time. When you are in your 40s like me and looking back, you won’t have regrets about your retirement savings.
When people ask me what I do and I tell them I run a credit card comparison site, they generally look away, as if I’ve just said I’m a pimp. Or a crack dealer. Or a crack-dealing pimp. When I tell them credit cards aren’t all bad, they’re skeptical. You probably are, too. I might not be able to change your mind, but if one less person in the world thinks I’d give cigarettes to an asthmatic, this post will have been worth it.
Used properly, credit cards can offer you some real benefits. (Yes, used poorly they can ruin your life, but that’s been established elsewhere. I’m here to give you a few positives.)
Before his trip abroad, J.D. mentioned getting his first credit card in a long time. He talked about the dangers of doing so, but he also exhibited what I’d consider the mindset of a responsible credit card user. This mindset can be summed up in a single sentence, which you should make your credit card mantra:
“I pay off my credit cards on time every month.”
Follow that simple rule and credit cards will be your best friends, keeping you cool in the summer, warm in the winter, etc. When you have made paying off your bill completely each month a given, instead of an option, or a wish upon a star, you have the mindset to take advantage of the two main benefits of credit cards: (1) convenience and (2) protection. Let’s look at each.
Convenience Walking around with a lot of cash leaves you vulnerable. Vulnerable to losing it, vulnerable to having it stolen. And it requires repeated stops at ATMs when you run out, which can be a major hassle. Credit cards solve this problem. You can use them almost anywhere today, for even the smallest purchases.
In addition, credit cards are often necessary for travel, especially if you book airline flights online or want to make advance reservations for a rental car or hotel. In many cases, you simply can’t do these things without a credit card. At best, it’s a hassle. Maybe that’s fair, but it’s reality.
Also, when you travel abroad, as J.D. has just done, a credit card allows you to make purchases more easily and often more cheaply, without having to pay international ATM fees or deal with travelers checks.
Protection If you lose your credit card, or someone steals it and hits the bars, your credit card company can not legally make you liable for any more than $50 of those fraudulent charges; in reality, most credit card companies won’t charge you at all, because they want to keep you as a customer.
Credit cards also protect you as a buyer. If you make a purchase and the item breaks, or is lost while being delivered, or a company won’t give you a refund, your credit card company will go to bat for you. Call them up, say you want to dispute a charge on your card, tell them why, and in most cases they’ll erase your debt and go after the merchant that stiffed you. Now it’s between them—as far as you’re concerned, the matter is over.
But Wait! There’s More!: Bonus Benefits There are two more fringe benefits to consider, although I believe they are less important.
Over 75% of the credit cards on the market today offer some sort of rewards program, whether it’s getting a small percentage of cash back, points toward merchandise and gift cards, or airline miles. In most cases, these reward programs are free—you don’t pay an annual fee to get them. So, as long as you are following your mantra (“I pay off my credit cards on time every month.”), you get free stuff for using your credit card. These rewards can be lucrative if you’re a big spender, but I suggest you only think of them as fun extras; otherwise you can become obsessed with racking up points and do something stupid with your credit card.
Credit cards are a free short-term loan. While I don’t suggest you think of them as free money, I do suggest that you think of them as a convenient way to save yourself from forking over big wads of cash for no reason. Example: You want to book a flight today, while rates are lower, for a vacation that won’t occur for two months. If you even have the option to pay cash, it will mean paying an awful lot upfront for something you won’t be using for a while. A credit card lets you make that purchase quickly and easily, with no interest for the month in between when you bought the ticket and when your credit card bill is due.
Credit Cards’ Evil Ways If you think I’m a shill for credit card companies, let me set you straight by telling you this: Credit card companies want you to screw up. They want you to forget your mantra. They want you to pay off only part of your balance, pay it late, maybe even go over your credit limit. When you do, they’ll pounce, gleefully charging you out the wazoo for each mistake and showing no mercy when you say “It’s never happened before” and “Can’t you make an exception this one time?” These days, credit card companies are making less and less money from interest charges and more and more from fees, so they need you to screw up.
The solution: Don’t screw up.
A Word About Debit Cards Debit cards have increased in popularity, especially among younger people. If you can’t internalize the mantra “I pay off my credit cards on time every month,” then by all means go for the convenience of a debit card and the protection from buying what you can not afford.
However, three words of caution on debit cards:
Debit cards do not offer the same protections as credit cards. First, they offer little extra benefit if you have a dispute with a merchant. Debit card purchases are treated the same as if you made a cash purchase. You may get your bank to help you, but who has your money? The merchant, who is under much less pressure to give it back.
If debit cards are lost or stolen and used fraudulently, you could be charged much more than you would be for a lost credit card—only $50 if you report it within two days, but after that up to $500, depending on how much the card was used. (After 60 days, you’d have to totally eat the fraudulent purchases, but who would not know their debit card was stolen for 60 days?) In addition, if you try to use your card while you are unaware that someone is fraudulently emptying your bank account, this could lead you to make purchases without money in the bank to cover them, leading to the equivalent of bounced check fees. And, of course, when your debit card is used fraudulently, your money is gone from your bank account, and it may be weeks before the situation is handled and the money is restored. Contrast that with a credit card, in which the money you’ve used to make purchases is the bank’s money, not your own, so you do not lose cash when fraud occurs.
This may be a personal thing, but debit cards can make it difficult to keep track of how much money you have to spend. Because you make purchases without getting a running total of how much is left in your account, you must keep track in some way, whether it’s using a checkbook-type ledger or just checking your balance online often. In short, a debit card requires discipline. (In that way, debit cards and credit cards are definitely the same.)
Thank you for reading. Now I’ll go back to stealing candy from babies.
The Jefferson Avenue commercial district in Buffalo, New York, is anchored by a supermarket.
There are dozens of other businesses and services along the 12-block corridor — a couple of bank branches, a library, a coffee shop, gas stations, a small plaza with a dollar store and a primary care clinic and a business incubator for entrepreneurs of color.
But Tops Friendly Markets, the only grocery store on Buffalo’s vast East Side, is the center of activity. More than just a place to buy food, pick up medications and use an ATM, the store is a communal gathering space in a predominantly Black neighborhood that, for generations, has been segregated, isolated and disenfranchised from the wealthier — and whiter — parts of the city.
Which explains how it came to be the site of a mass shooting on a spring day in May of last year. On that Saturday, a gunman, who lived 200 miles away in another part of the state, drove to Jefferson Avenue and went into Tops, and in just a few minutes killed 10 people, injured three and inflicted mass trauma across the community.
It is a scenario that has sadly, and repeatedly, played out in other parts of the country that have experienced mass shootings. But this one came with a twist: The gunman’s intention was to kill as many Black people as possible.
To achieve that, he specifically targeted a ZIP code with one of the highest percentages of Black residents in New York state. All 10 who died that day were Black.
“The mere fact that someone can research, ‘Where will the greatest number of Black people be … on a Saturday morning,’ that’s not by chance,” said Franchelle Parker, a community organizer and executive director of Open Buffalo, a nonprofit focused on racial, economic and ecological justice. “That’s not a mistake. It’s a community that’s been deeply segregated for decades.”
The day of the shooting, Parker, who grew up in nearby Niagara Falls, was driving to Tops, where she planned to buy a donut and an unsweetened iced tea before heading into the Open Buffalo office, which is located a block away from Tops. The mother of two had intended to complete the mundane task of cleaning up her desk — “old coffee cups and stuff” — after a busy week.
She saw the news on Twitter and didn’t know if she should keep driving to Jefferson Avenue or turn around and go back home. She eventually picked the latter.
When she showed up the next day, there were thousands of people grieving in the streets. “The only way that I could explain my feeling, it was almost like watching an old war movie when a bomb had gone off and someone’s in, like, shell shock. That’s how it felt,” said Parker, vividly recounting the community’s collective trauma in a meeting room tucked inside of Open Buffalo’s second-story office on Jefferson Avenue.
Almost immediately following the May 14, 2022, massacre, which was the second-deadliest mass shooting in the United States last year, conversations locally and nationally turned to the harsh realities of the East Side and how long-standing factors that affect the daily life of residents — racism, poverty and inequity — made the community an ideal target for a white supremacist.
Now, more than a year after the tragedy, there is growing concern that not enough is being done fast enough to begin to dismantle those factors. And amid those conversations, there are mounting calls for the banking industry — whose historical policies and practices helped cement the racial segregation and disinvestment that ultimately shaped the East Side — to leverage its collective power and influence to band together in an effort to create systemic change.
The ideas about how banks should support the East Side and better embed themselves in the neighborhood vary by people and organizations. But the basic argument is the same: Banks, in their role as financiers and because of the industry’s history of lending discrimination, are obligated to bring forth economic prosperity in disinvested communities like the East Side.
I know banks are often looked upon sort of like a panacea, but I don’t particularly see it that way. I think others have a role to play in all of this.
Chiwuike Owunwanne, corporate responsibility officer at KeyBank
“Banks have been very good at providing charitable contributions to the Black community. They get an ‘A’ for that,” said The Rev. George Nicholas, an East Side pastor who is also CEO of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity, a four-year-old enterprise focused on racial, geographic and economic health disparities. “But doing the things that banks can do in terms of being a catalyst for revitalization and investment in this community, they have not done that.”
To be sure, banks’ ability to reverse the course of the community isn’t guaranteed — and there is no formula to determine how much accountability they should hold to fix deeply entrenched problems like racism. Several Buffalo-area bankers said that while the Tops shooting heightened the urgency to help the East Side, the industry itself cannot be the sole driver of change.
“There are a lot of institutions … that can certainly play a part in reversing the challenges that we see today,” said Chiwuike “Chi-Chi” Owunwanne, a corporate responsibility officer at KeyBank, the second-largest bank by deposits in Buffalo. “I know banks are often looked upon sort of like a panacea, but I don’t particularly see it that way. I think others have a role to play in all of this.”
A long history of segregation
How the East Side — and the Tops store on Jefferson Avenue — became the destination for a racially motivated mass murderer is a story about racism, segregation and disinvestment.
Even as it bears the nickname “the city of good neighbors,” Buffalo has long been one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States. Of the 114,965 residents who live on the East Side, 59% are Black, according to data from the 2021 U.S. Census American Community Survey. The percentage is even higher in the 14208 ZIP code, where the Tops store is located. In that ZIP code, among 11,029 total residents, nearly 76% are Black, the census data shows.
The city’s path toward racial segregation started in the early 20th century when a small number of job-seeking Black Americans migrated north to Buffalo, a former steel and auto manufacturing hub at the far northwestern end of New York state. Initially, they moved into the same neighborhoods as many of the city’s poorer immigrants and lived just east of what is today the city’s downtown district. As the number of Blacks arriving in Buffalo swelled in the 1940s, they were increasingly confronted with various housing challenges, including racist zoning laws and restrictive deed covenants that kept them from buying homes in more affluent white areas.
Black Buffalonians also faced housing discrimination in the form of redlining, the practice of restricting the flow of capital into minority communities. In 1933, as the Great Depression roiled the economy, a temporary federal agency known as the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation used government bonds to buy out and refinance mortgages of properties that were facing or already in foreclosure. The point was to try to stabilize the nation’s real estate market.
As part of its program, HOLC created maps of American cities, including Buffalo, that used a color coding scheme — green, blue, yellow and red — to convey the perceived riskiness of making loans in certain neighborhoods. Green was considered minimally risky; other areas that were largely populated by immigrant, Black or Latino residents were labeled red and thus determined to be “hazardous.”
“The goal was to free up mortgage capital by going to cities and giving banks a way to unload mortgages, so they could turn around and make more mortgage loans,” said Jason Richardson, senior director of research at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, an association of more than 750 community-based organizations that advocates for fair lending. “It was kind of a radical concept and it has evolved over the decades into our modern mortgage finance system.”
The Federal Housing Administration, which was established as a permanent agency in 1934, used similar methods to map urban areas and labeled neighborhoods from “A” to “D,” with “A” considered to be the most financially stable and “D” considered the least. Neighborhoods that were largely Black, even relatively stable ones, were put in the “D” category.
The result was that banks, which wanted to be able to sell mortgage loans to the FHA, were largely dissuaded from making loans in “risky” areas. And Buffalo’s East Side, where the majority of Blacks were settling, was deemed risky. Unable to get loans, Blacks couldn’t buy homes, start businesses or build equity. At the same time, large industrial factories on the East Side were closing or moving away, limiting job opportunities and contributing to rising poverty levels.
“Today what we’re left with is the residue of this process where we’ve enshrined … a pattern of economic segregation that favors neighborhoods that had fewer Black people in them and generally ignores neighborhoods that had African Americans living in them,” Richardson said.
Case in point: Research by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition shows that three-quarters of neighborhoods that were once redlined are low- to moderate-income neighborhoods today, and two-thirds of them are majority minority communities.
Adding to the division between Blacks and whites in Buffalo was the construction of a highway called the Kensington Expressway. Built during the 1960s, the below-grade, limited-access highway proved to be a speedy way for suburban workers to get to their downtown jobs. But its construction cut off the already-segregated East Side even more from other parts of the city, displacing residents, devaluing houses and destroying neighborhoods and small businesses.
As a result of those factors and more, many Black residents have become “trapped” on the East Side, according to Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr., a professor of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo. In 1987, Taylor founded the UB Center for Urban Studies, a research, neighborhood planning and community development institute that works on eliminating inequality in cities and metropolitan regions. In September 2021, eight months before the Tops shooting, the Center for Urban Studies published a report that compared the state of Black Buffalo in 1990 to present-day conditions. The conclusion: Nothing had changed for Blacks over 31 years.
As of 2019, the Black unemployment rate was 11%, the average household income was $42,000 and about 35% of Blacks had incomes that fell below the poverty line, the report said. It also noted that just 32% of Blacks own their homes and that most Blacks in the area live on the East Side.
“Those figures remain virtually unchanged while the actual, physical conditions that existed inside of the community worsened,” Taylor told American Banker in an interview in his sun-filled office at the center, located on the University at Buffalo’s city campus. “When we looked upstream to see what was causing it, it was clear: It was systemic, structural racism.”
Banks’ moral obligations
As the East Side struggled over the decades with rampant poverty, dilapidated housing, vacant lots and disintegrating infrastructure, banks kept a physical presence in the community, albeit a shrinking one. In mid-2000, there were at least 20 bank branches scattered across the East Side, but by mid-2022, the number had fallen to around 14, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s deposit market share data. The 14 include four new branches that have opened since early 2019 — Northwest Bank, KeyBank, Evans Bank and BankOnBuffalo.
The first two branches, operated by Northwest in Columbus, Ohio, and KeyBank, the banking subsidiary of KeyCorp in Cleveland, were requirements of community benefits agreements negotiated between each bank and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. In both cases, Northwest and KeyBank agreed to open an office in an underserved community.
Evans Bank opened its first East Side branch in the fall of 2021. The office is located in the basement of an $84 million affordable senior housing building that was financed by Evans, a $2.1 billion-asset community bank headquartered south of Buffalo in Angola, New York.
Banks have been very good at providing charitable contributions to the Black community. They get an ‘A’ for that. But doing the things that banks can do in terms of being a catalyst for revitalization and investment in this community, they have not done that.
The Rev. George Nicholas, an East Side pastor who is also CEO of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity
On the community and economic development front, banks have had varying levels of participation. Buffalo-based M&T Bank, which holds a whopping 64% of all deposits in the Buffalo market and is one of the largest private employers in the region, has made consistent investments in the East Side by supporting Westminster Community Charter School, a kindergarten through eighth-grade school, and the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, a nonprofit organization focused on improving access to education in the city’s 14215 ZIP code.
Currently, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood operates four schools. In addition to Westminster, it runs Highgate Heights Elementary, also K-8, as well as two academies that serve children ages six weeks through pre-kindergarten. Twelve M&T employees are dedicated to the program, according to the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood website. The bank has invested $31.5 million into the program since its 2010 launch, a spokesperson said.
Other banks are making contributions in other ways. In addition to the Jefferson Avenue branch and as part of its community benefits plan, Northwest Bank, a $14.2 billion-asset bank, supports a financial education center through a partnership with Belmont Housing Resources of Western New York. Meanwhile, the $198 billion-asset KeyBank gave $30 million for bridge and construction financing for Northland Workforce Training Center, a $100 million redevelopment project at a former manufacturing complex on the East Side that was partially funded by the state.
BankOnBuffalo’s East Side branch is located inside the center, which offers KeyBank training in advanced manufacturing and clean energy technology careers. A subsidiary of $5.6 billion-asset CNB Financial in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, BankOnBuffalo’s office opened a month after the shooting. The timing was coincidental, but important, said Michael Noah, president of BankOnBuffalo.
“I think it just cemented the point that this is a place we need to be, to be able to be part of these communities and this community specifically, and be able to build this community up,” Noah said.
In terms of public-private collaboration, some banks have been involved in a deeper way. In 2019, New York state, which had already been pouring $1 billion into Buffalo to help revitalize the economy, announced a $65 million economic development fund for the East Side. The initiative is focused on stabilizing neighborhoods, increasing homeownership, redeveloping commercial corridors including Jefferson Avenue, improving historical assets, expanding workforce training and development and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship.
In conjunction with the funding, a public-private partnership called East Side Avenues was created to provide capital and organizational support to the projects happening along four East Side commercial corridors. Six banks — Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the nation with $2.5 trillion of assets; M&T, which has $203 billion of assets; KeyBank; Warsaw, New York-based Five Star Bank, which has about $6 billion of assets; Northwest and Evans — are among the 14 private and philanthropic organizations that pledged a combined $8.4 million to pay for five years’ worth of operational support, governance and finance, fundraising and technical assistance to support the nonprofits doing the work.
Laura Quebral, director of the University at Buffalo Regional Institute, which is managing East Side Avenues, said the banks were the first corporations to step up to the request for help, and since then have provided loans and other products and education to keep the program moving.
Their participation “is a signal to the community that banks cared and were invested and were willing to collaborate around something,” Quebral said. “Being at the table was so meaningful.”
Richard Hamister is Northwest’s New York regional president and former co-chair of East Side Avenues. Hamister, who is based in Buffalo, said banks are a “community asset” that have a responsibility to lift up all communities, including those where conditions have arisen that allow it to be a target of racism like the East Side.
“We operate under federal charters, so we have an obligation to the community to not only provide products and services they need but also support when you go through a tragedy like that,” Hamister said. “We also have a moral obligation to try to help when things are broken … and to do what we can. We can’t fix everything, but we’ve got to fix our piece and try to help where we can.”
In the wake of a tragedy
After the massacre, there was a flurry of activity within banks and other organizations, local and out-of-town, to respond to the immediate needs of East Side residents. With the community’s only supermarket closed indefinitely, much of the response centered around food collection and distribution. Three of M&T’s five East Side branches, including the Jefferson Avenue branch across the street from Tops, became food distribution sites for weeks after the shooting. On two consecutive Fridays, Northwest provided around 200 free lunches to the community, using a neighborhood caterer who is also the bank’s customer. And BankOnBuffalo collected employee donations that amounted to more than 20 boxes of toiletries and other items that were distributed to a nonprofit.
At the same time, M&T, KeyBank and other banks began financial donations to organizations that could support the immediate needs of the community. KeyBank provided a van that delivered food and took people to nearby grocery stores. Providence, Rhode Island-based Citizens Financial Group, whose ATM inside Tops was inaccessible during the store’s temporary closure, installed a fee-free ATM near a community center located about a half-mile north of Tops, and later put a permanent ATM inside the center that remains there today. And M&T rolled out a short-term loan program to provide capital to East Side small-business owners.
One of the funds that benefited from banks’ support was the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, which has raised $6.2 million to address the long-term needs of the East Side.
Bank of America and Evans Bank each donated $100,000 to the fund, whose list of major sponsors includes four other banks — JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, M&T and KeyBank. Thomas Beauford Jr., a former banker who is co-chair of the response fund, said banks, by and large, directed their resources into organizations where the dollars would have an immediate impact.
“Banks said, ‘Hey, you know … it doesn’t make sense for us to try to build something right now. … We will fund you in the work you’re doing,'” said Beauford, who has been president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League since the fall of 2020. “I would say banks showed up in a big way.”
Fourteen months later, banks say they are committed to playing a positive role on the East Side. For the second year, KeyBank is sponsoring a farmers’ market on the East Side, an attempt to help fill the food desert in the community. Last fall, BankOnBuffalo launched a mobile “bank on wheels” truck that’s stationed on the East Side every Wednesday. The 34-foot-long truck, which is staffed by two people and includes an ATM and a printer to make debit cards, was in the works before the shooting, and will eventually make four stops per week around the Buffalo area.
Evans has partnered with the city of Buffalo to construct seven market-rate single family homes on vacant lots on the East Side. The relationship with the city is an example of how banks can pair up with other entities to create something meaningful and lasting, more than they might be able to do on their own, said Evans President and CEO David Nasca.
The bank has “picked areas” where it can use its resources to make a difference, Nasca said.
“I don’t think the root causes can be ameliorated” by banks alone, he said. “We can’t just grant money. It has to be within our construct of a financial institution that invests and supports the public-private partnership. … All the oars [need to be] pulling together or this doesn’t work.”
‘Little or no engagement with minorities’
All of these efforts are, of course, welcomed by the community, but there is still criticism that banks haven’t done enough to make up for their past contributions to segregating the city. And perhaps more importantly, some of that criticism centers on banks failing to do their most basic function in society — provide credit.
In 2021, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued a report about redlining in Buffalo. The regulator looked at banks and nonbank lenders and found that loans made to minorities in the Buffalo metro area made up 9.74% of total loans in Buffalo. Overall, Black residents comprise about 33% of Buffalo’s total population of more than 276,000, census data shows.
The department said its investigation showed the lower percentage was not due to “excessive denials of loan applications based on race or ethnicity,” but rather that “these companies had little or no engagement with minorities and generally made scant effort to do so.”
“The unsurprising result of this has been that few minority customers or individuals seeking homes in majority-minority neighborhoods have made loan applications … in the first instance.”
Furthermore, accusations of redlining persist today, even though the practice of discriminating in housing based on race was outlawed by the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
In 2014, Evans was accused of redlining by the New York State Attorney General, which said the community bank was specifically avoiding making mortgage loans on the East Side. The bank, which at the time had $874 million of assets, agreed to pay $825,000 to settle the case, but Nasca maintains that the charges were unfounded. He points to the fact that the bank never had a fair lending or fair housing violation, no specific incidents were ever claimed and that the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act exam never found evidence of discriminatory or illegal credit practices.
The bank has a greater presence on the East Side today, but that’s because it has grown in size, not because it is trying to make up for previous accusations of redlining, he said.
“Ten years ago, our involvement [on the East Side] certainly wasn’t what you’re seeing today,” Nasca said. “We were looking to participate more, but we were participating within our means and our reach. As we have grown, we have built more resources to be able to do more.”
Shortly after accusations were made against Evans, Five Star Bank, the banking arm of Financial Institutions in Warsaw, New York, was also accused of redlining by the state Attorney General. Five Star, which has been growing its presence in the Buffalo market for several years, wound up settling the charges for $900,000 and agreeing to open two branches in the city of Rochester.
KeyBank is currently being accused of redlining by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. In a 2022 report, the group said that KeyBank is engaging in systemic redlining by making very few home purchase loans in certain neighborhoods where the majority of residents are Black. Buffalo is one of several cities where the bank’s mortgage lending “effectively wall[ed] out Black neighborhoods,” especially parts of the East Side, the report said.
KeyBank denied the allegations. In March, the coalition asked regulators to investigate the bank’s mortgage lending practices.
Beyond providing more credit, some community members believe that banks should be playing a larger role in addressing other needs on the East Side. And the list of needs runs the gamut from more grocery stores to safe, affordable housing to infrastructure improvements such as street and sidewalk repairs.
Alexander Wright is founder of the African Heritage Food Co-op, an initiative launched in 2016 to address the dearth of grocery store options on the East Side, where he grew up. Wright said that while banks’ philanthropic efforts are important, banks in general “need to be in a place of remediation” to fix underlying issues that the industry, as a whole, helped create. (After publication of this story, Wright left his job as CEO of the African Heritage Food Co-Op.)
Aside from charitable donations, banks should be finding more ways to work directly with East Side business owners and entrepreneurs, helping them with capital-building support along the way, Wright said. One place to start would be technical assistance by way of bank volunteers.
“Banks are always looking to volunteer. ‘Hey, want to come out and paint a fence? Want to come out and do a garden?'” Wright said. “No. Come out here and help Keshia with bookkeeping. Come out here and do QuickBooks classes for folks. Bring out tax experts. Because these are things that befuddle a lot of small businesses. Who is your marketing person? Bring that person out here. Because those are the things that are going to build the business to self-sufficiency.
“Anything short of the capacity-building … that will allow folks to rise to the occasion and be self-sufficient I think is almost a waste,” Wright added. “We don’t need them to lead the plan. What we need them to do is be in the community and [be] hearing the plan and supporting it.”
Parker, of Open Buffalo, has similar thoughts about the role that banks should play. One day, soon after the massacre, an ATM appeared down the street from Tops, next to the library that sits across the street from Parker’s office. Soon after the ATM was installed, Parker began fielding questions from area residents who were skeptical of the machine and wanted to know if it was legitimate. But Parker didn’t have any information to share with them. “There was no outreach. There was no community engagement. So I’m like, ‘Let me investigate,'” she said. “I think that’s a symptom of how investment is done in Black communities, even though it may be well-intentioned.”
As it turns out, the temporary ATM belonged to JPMorgan Chase. The megabank has had a commercial banking presence in Buffalo for years, but it didn’t operate a retail branch in the region until last year. Today it has four branches in operation and plans to open another two by the end of the year, a spokesperson said.
After the Tops shooting, the governor’s office reached out to Chase asking if the bank could help in some way, the spokesperson said in response to the skepticism. The spokesperson said that while the Chase retail brand is new to the Buffalo region, the company has been active in the market for decades by way of commercial banking, private banking, credit card lending, home lending and other businesses.
In addition to the ATM, the bank provided funding to local organizations including FeedMore Western New York, which distributes food throughout the region.
“We are committed to continuing our support for Buffalo and helping the community increase access to opportunities that build wealth and economic empowerment,” the spokesperson said in an email.
In the year since the massacre, there has been some progress by banks in terms of their interest in listening to the East Side community and learning about its needs, said Nicholas. But he hasn’t felt an air of urgency from the banking community to tackle the issues right now.
“I do experience banks being a little more open to figuring out what their role is, but it’s slow. It’s slow,” said Nicholas. The senior pastor of the Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church, located about a mile north from Tops, Nicholas is part of a 13-member local advisory committee for the New York arm of Local Initiatives Support Coalition, or LISC. The group is focused on mobilizing resources, including banks, to address affordable housing in Western New York, specifically in the inner city, as well as training minority developers and connecting them to potential investors, Nicholas said.
Of the 13 members, seven are from banks — one each from M&T, Bank of America, BankOnBuffalo, Evans and KeyBank, and two members from Citizens Financial Group. One of the priorities of LISC NY is health equity, and the fact that banks are becoming more engaged in looking at health disparities is promising, Nicholas said. Still, they have more work to do, he said.
“I need them to think more on how to strengthen and build the economy on the East Side and provide leadership around that, not only to provide charitable things, but using sound business and banking and community development principles to say, ‘OK, if we’re going to invest in this community, these are the types of things that need to happen in this community,’ and then encourage their partners and other people they work with … to come fully in on the East Side.”
Some bankers agree with the community activists.
“Putting a branch in is great. Having a bank on wheels is great,” said Noah of BankOnBuffalo. “But if you’re not embedded in the community, listening to the community and trying to improve it, you’re not creating that wealth and creating a better lifestyle for everyone.”
What could make a substantial difference in terms of banks’ impact on the community is a combination of collaboration and leadership, said Taylor. He supports the idea of banks leading the charge on the creation of a comprehensive redevelopment and reinvestment plan for the East Side, and then investing accordingly and collaboratively through their charitable foundations.
“All of them have these foundations,” Taylor said. “You can either spend that money in a strategic and intentional way designed to develop a community for the existing population, or you can spend that money alone in piecemeal, siloed, sectorial fashion that will look good on an annual report, but won’t generate transformational and generational changes inside a community.”
Banks might be incentivized to work together because it could mean two things for them, according to Taylor: First, they’d have an opportunity to spend money in a way that would have maximum impact on the East Side, and second, if done right, the city and the banks could become a model of the way to create high levels of diversity, equity and inclusion in an urban area.
“If you prove how to do that, all that does is open up other markets of consumption all over the country because people want to figure out how to do that same thing,” Taylor said.
Some of that is already happening, at least on a bank-by-bank case, said KeyBank’s Owunwanne. Through the KeyBank Foundation, the company is able to leverage different relationships that connect nonprofits to other entities and corporations that can provide help.
“I see this as an opportunity for us to make not just incremental changes, but monumental changes … as part of a larger group,” Owunwanne said “Again, I say that not to absolve the bank of any responsibility, but just as a larger group.”
Downstairs from Parker’s office, Golden Cup Coffee, a roastery and cafe run by a husband and wife team, and some other Jefferson Avenue businesses are trying to build up a business association for existing and potential Jefferson-area businesses. Parker imagined what the group could accomplish if one of the banks could provide someone on a part-time basis to facilitate conversations, provide administrative support and coordinate marketing efforts.
“In the grand scheme of things, when we’re talking about a multimillion dollar [bank], a part-time employee specifically dedicated to relationship-building and building out coalitions, it sounds like a small thing,” Parker said. “But that’s transformational.”
When it comes to home decor, it takes a certain level of assuredness to commit to color. Whether it is painting your walls green or investing in a bright blue couch, staying safe seems like the only option with neutrals like grays, beiges, and greiges.
But anyone can gain confidence designing their own space by adding low-stakes, vibrant touches in noncommittal ways. Here, five experts offer their best tips to brighten up your living room—each impermanent and cost-effective—sure to leave you inspired. Once you’ve got an idea in mind, head over to homedepot.com/decor to shop top trends and brands, and find your personalized pops of color.
1. Vibrant Rugs
“Look down on the ground. All you need is a new rug and voila, your space is totally transformed,” says Brad Ramsey, principal designer and founder of his own studio in Nashville. “Rugs can provide a room with texture, pattern, or color—and sometimes all three in one. Depending on your style, you can go for modern patterns, saturated solids, soft organic textures, or muted antiques to change the feel of your home.”
BALTA, Merril Pink Geometric Area Rug
BALTA, Levine Burnt Orange Geometric Shag Area Rug
Rug Branch, Savannah Collection Modern Geometric Area Rug
2. Contrasting Textures and Elements
“Think of your upholstery like good basics in your wardrobe: You can always layer underneath or on top of those base pieces—and change the feel of a space without a substantial renovation,” says Ramsey.
For example: If you have a leather or velvet couch, opt for an oversized natural jute or sisal rug that takes up the majority of the space. Then, add a brighter and smaller rug over top. “Scale the colorful rug to ground the seating area and then let the natural rug provide more texture,” he adds. “Then you can contrast and accessorize with fun art and metal accents.”
David Tsay
3. Powerful Pillows
All of our experts could agree on this: Never underestimate the power of pillows. “I love to add a color accent to a room with throw pillows. But don’t settle for two of the exact same,” says Ramsey. “Instead opt for a collection of coordinating pillows.”
If you want to revitalize your oatmeal or charcoal sofa, “selecting a fun, colorful print fabric for pillows will bring it back to life,” says Susan Spath, principal designer of Kern & Co in San Diego.
Mina Victory, Coral Abstract Rectangle Throw Pillow
New Heights, Augustine Slope Arm Linen Blend Sofa
LR Home, Pom Pom Textured Decorative Throw Pillow
4. Lively Curtains and Blinds
“What will give you the biggest bang for your buck are colorful drapes,” says Mimi Meacham, founder and principal designer of Marian Louise Designs. “Frame your windows with a fun, colorful print, or choose a solid color fabric with a chic trim.” Meacham prefers darker, heavier tones paired with velvet and wool textures, which “add a soft, yet impactful statement to the space.” If you prefer something more open, linen or sheer fabrics can create a light and airy feel.
5. Natural Accents
“A natural way to liven up any room is to incorporate plants,” says Ramsey. “If you get great light, try a fiddle-leaf fig tree in the window. They love to sunbathe and cast gorgeous shadows from their large, waxy leaves.” Colorful planters can also infuse a joyful atmosphere in any space. In an area where sunlight isn’t abundant, try something lower maintenance, like a snake plant, or add dried or faux flowers to empty shelves, bookcases, stairwells, and entryways.
Litton Lane, Yellow Metal Modern Planter
Pure Garden, Artificial Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree
CosmoLiving, Blue Metal Geometric Vase
6. Subtle Lamps and Lights
Whether you’re adding decorative lighting over a piece of artwork or a stand-alone lamp for added ambiance, seize the opportunity to shake things up. “A lamp or sconce with a white lampshade is boring,” says Meacham. “Invest in some fun, colorful lampshades” that project their hues around the room.
7. Bold Bookcases
Adding wallpaper to built-in or freestanding bookcases “will add depth, layering and interest to the living room. Plus, it’s much simpler and a more minimal investment than covering your walls,” says Mindy O’Connor of Melinda Kelson O’Connor Architecture & Interiors in Philadelphia.
Alternatively, add a coat of fresh paint to your shelves. “If your living room is mostly neutral, changing the color of your customized built-in or freestanding shelves to a darker tone, such as navy, black, chocolate brown, or forest green creates a striking visual contrast against white walls,” says the principal designer at Miss Alice Designs, Alice Chiu. “Your eye will be drawn to the visual weight of the contrast, which presents a nice focal point.”
David Tsay
8. Refreshed Knickknacks
Ramsey recommends swapping outdated tchotchkes for items that feel more current. “We can get stuck with the same decorative items in our homes for years out of fear that it’s wasteful to discard them. But I say donate those items and look for new ones that speak to you! Would you wear the same shoes for 10 years and expect to still like them? In most cases, no! So don’t treat your decor like it’s too precious,” he says. “As styles and trends change, you can update along with them.”
Teal Elephant Book Ends, Carved Gorara Soapstone
“Enclosed Circles” by Marmont Hill Framed Abstract Art Print
A & B Home, Effra Rectangular Blue Trays
Feeling inspired? Find colorful accents for your home at homedepot.com/decor.
Photographer: David Tsay; Art Direction and Production: Armine Altiparmakian and Sabrina Contratti; Prop Stylist: Olga Grigorenko; Merch Team: Two Coast Productions; Local Production: Right Arm Productions
Minimalism is the pursuit of perfection through subtraction.
Finding peace and simplicity within your apartment is a universal aspiration for renters, especially in today’s fast-paced world. As the central hub of most apartments, the living room stands out as the perfect area to embrace the minimalist lifestyle and carve out your own niche of tranquility. From decluttering tips to stylish furniture and more, the ideas below will help you create a minimalist haven in your apartment.
What is minimalism?
Minimalism is not simply about reducing clutter or using fewer items. It’s about removing the non-essential in order to allow the essential to speak. It’s about understanding the profound elegance of simplicity as well as the power of space, light and proportion.
In a minimalist design, each element in the space must be meticulously considered for its individual merit and its relation to the whole. Materials are chosen for their inherent beauty, not disguised with ornamentation. Through this meticulous process of reduction, a certain purity of form and function is achieved. The result is a space that exudes calm, serenity and a timeless quality. That is the essence of minimalism in apartment design.
15 minimalist living room decor ideas
If you’re interested in cutting the clutter and creating a sleek living room, minimalism is for you. Transforming your space into a simplistic state is easy with these minimalist-friendly decor ideas.
1. Neutral wall color
Monochromatic color schemes are found in almost all minimalistic spaces. By using varying shades of a single color throughout the room, you add depth and elegance to the space.
2. Simple furniture
The easiest way to fit into a monochromatic color scheme is by choosing simple furniture. Look for couches, chairs and other large decor items in neutral colors that have clean lines and minimal embellishments.
3. Curated bookshelf
Minimalist spaces are well known for being clutter-free. This is often attained through functional storage solutions with intentional fillings. Bookshelves are great minimalist storage solutions that display a select collection of books and cherished items, adding a touch of personal style to your living space.
4. Natural material rug
Rugs often serve as statement pieces or focal points. In minimalism, textured rugs can tie a monochromatic space together while adding visual interest with a pattern. Examples of natural materials that make for great rugs include bamboo, hemp, jute and leather.
5. Sheer curtains
To help a minimalist space feel less dull, opt for sheer curtains that allow some light into the room. Linen or other less opaque curtains, still offer the privacy of curtains while bringing in natural light to brighten a monochromatic space. For more visual interest, look for a curtain with a texture or simple pattern.
6. Recessed lighting
Minimalist lighting fixtures with clean lines, like pendant lights or recessed lighting, fit the desired clean aesthetic. If you’re unable to change ceiling fixtures, floor lamps also have clean lines and can be placed strategically to leave the room feeling airy.
7. Geometric mirror
Mirrors are great decor pieces. Wall mirrors, floor mirrors and framed accent mirrors can fill space without feeling overwhelming to the design. Plus, mirrors reflect light often making the room feel bigger.
8. Indoor plants
Worried about your minimalist space feeling lifeless? Indoor plants or succulents bring life into the space while remaining tasteful. Plants are mostly muted in color and small in stature, perfect for minimalistic decor.
9. Cohesive gallery wall
Gallery walls are a great way to set the tone of a minimalist living room while adding your own personal touch. Ensure your gallery wall stays within minimalist design principles by using simple frames so the space doesn’t feel overcrowded.
10. Negative space
Negative space refers to the empty areas in a room. It’s tempting to fill any space in a living room that feels barren, however, in minimalist fashion, allowing negative space is encouraged. It improves visual clarity and makes the overall design more aesthetically pleasing.
11. Neutral geometric patterned pillows
Sticking to a monochromatic scheme is difficult if you want a visually interesting space that is still minimalist. Geometric patterned throw pillows are a great solution to feel like you’re adding a pop without throwing off the minimalist vibe.
12. Transparent coffee table
The sleek, modern look of transparent furniture pieces is unmatched in the minimalist decor world. A transparent coffee table is a great option for fitting the theme of the room without having to worry about finding something within the decided color scheme.
13. Corkboard wall decor
Apartment living rooms often bleed into entryways, making cohesive decor for these meeting spaces tricky. Corkboard walls serve as a neutral middle-man for any spaces that meet your minimalist living room.
14. Scandanavian-inspired accent chair
Minimalism stems from Scandinavian-style decor. The clean lines and modern design of Scandinavian interiors have heavily influenced the minimalist movement and their designers are known for creating breathtaking spaces with limited resources.
15. Decorative ladder
Wooden ladders are popular decor pieces for living rooms and match up with minimalist decor style guidelines. These ladders are good for holding neutral blankets or stand-alone pieces to match your monochromatic color scheme.
Simplify your space
Simplicity doesn’t mean sacrificing style or comfort but rather finding the perfect balance between the essentials and extras. With these decor ideas, your living room will reflect your unique taste but also provides an escape from the maximalist outside world. Embark on a journey of peace and simplicity right in the heart of your apartment – your living room. Find your dream apartment today!
Wesley is a Charlotte-based writer with a degree in Mass Communication from the University of South Carolina. Her background includes 6 years in non-profit communication and 4 years in editorial writing. She’s passionate about traveling, volunteering, cooking and drinking her morning iced coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her relaxing with family or exploring Charlotte with her friends.
Suburban, when defined, refers to anything related to or characteristic of suburbs. That part seems intuitive enough. A suburb is a residential area or community located on the outskirts of a city or urban center. Suburbs often offer quieter and more relaxed living compared to the nearby city centers, with a greater emphasis on green spaces and recreational areas.
However, there’s still some confusion floating around about the “suburban” definition and what exactly constitutes a suburban setting. What lies beyond the white picket fence? We’ll uncover this tricky definition and show you some pros and cons of living in this vaguely defined type of area below.
Unveiling the soul of suburbia
The definition of suburban varies from person to person because of the diverse and constantly changing features of these areas. Despite the confusion over the term, more than half of Americans identify with the label “suburban,” according to a study by the American Housing Survey.
Different interpretations of what makes a suburb, well, a suburb depends on both location and experience too. Some major urban areas, like Atlanta or Nashville, endlessly sprawl to the point that the line between urban and suburban further blurs. In more compact cities like San Francisco, it’s easier to draw those lines.
Further, diverse experiences with suburbs or suburban living influence the perception of the term, too. For some, the ‘burbs connote success, “making it,” quiet and safety. For others, it brings to mind a sterile, uninspiring, narrow-minded way of living that stunts growth and self-expression. Both viewpoints are valid, further complicating the definition.
Some defining characteristics
There are, however, general defining characteristics that are traditional tale-tell signs of a suburban area.
Resident lifestyle focus: Suburbs offer a quieter and more predictable lifestyle, catering to families, individuals and young professionals seeking a peaceful living environment.
Lower population density: Suburbs have spacious areas between buildings and larger property square footage, creating a sense of openness due to their lower population density than urban centers.
Proximity to urban amenities: Located on the outskirts of larger cities, suburbs provide residents with easy access to community offerings while only a commute away from city offerings.
Embracing suburban nuances
As we’ve touched on, subjectivity is especially present when it comes to the whole suburban definition. There are some areas where residents resist being labeled as suburbs due to their distinct identities and characteristics. Some non-suburban claim examples include Cambridge, MA, Hoboken, NJ and Santa Monica, CA.
Residents of these areas often see them as a city in their own right due to numerous factors like rich history, vibrant culture and prominent landmarks like universities. However, if we reference back to our general defining traits, these areas absolutely would be considered suburbs instead of compact cities.
Pros of suburban life
Suburban life has a lot of draws, helping contribute to the ever-changing nature of these areas. The suburbs are known to create a peaceful living environment. Because of the characteristic lower population density, residents experience a quieter and calmer environment which creates a drastic contrast to the city environment. This is especially appealing to people and families seeking a more serene living experience.
As popularly depicted in modern media, suburbs have spacious housing. We’ve seen this illustrated with the white picket fence surrounding a large yard for the picturesque family home, providing a visual representation of the suburban lifestyle that we know today. Even in apartments and townhomes, you’re guaranteed larger square footage for a better price than you’d find in the city.
Suburbs often foster a strong sense of community through neighborhoods and like-minded individuals who value the calmer, quieter lifestyle. Through the local schools, parks, community centers and recreational facilities that are commonly available, opportunities for social interactions and community engagement abound.
Cons of suburban life
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Suburban life isn’t for everyone, especially depending on your preferences and future dreams and aspirations. For one, suburban life typically equates to a dependency on cars. These areas aren’t as walkable as city centers are, which means residents often rely heavily on vehicles for transportation. This also means experiencing traffic congestion, commute times and transportation costs.
We discussed some great community-building amenities suburban areas have to offer residents. These amenities are definitely not the same as city amenities, and it comes down to personal preference to determine if this is a pro or con. Suburbs typically lack cultural attractions, dining options and entertainment opportunities that are commonly found in larger cities.
The American suburban dream is beyond definition
The suburban American dream has been a cornerstone of the country’s cultural fabric for decades, representing picture-perfect living for many individuals and families. The promise of suburban living includes good schools, safety, green spaces and a sense of community, in hopes of building a secure future for yourself and your family.
For many Americans, this dream was all about finding good opportunities. While this dream has evolved over time, contributing to the changing definition of suburban, it’s still a symbol of hope for a happy life, for those who yearn for this. But we also know it’s not for everyone. This telltale list of qualities determines whether it’s suburban life or city life that fits you.
Your dream life is out there, whether it be in a bustling city center or in a suburban area. Find your perfect place today!
I had lunch with my friend Cameron a few weeks ago. Over plates of Kung Pao Chicken and Mongolian Beef, the conversation drifted toward personal finance. We began to talk about the repairs and upgrades we’ve been making to our homes.
Kris and I bought our current house three years ago; Cameron and his wife bought their home two years ago. Both were big upgrades from what we had previously owned. And though neither couple spent more than they could afford, we’re now realizing that bigger isn’t always better.
Our first house was a 1365 square foot ranch-style home on a 7500 square foot lot. It was an unremarkable house, except that it was located in my home town. We could walk to the grocery store, to the barber, to our favorite restaurants. I could bike to work. If we still lived there, we would be paying off the mortgage next spring.
But I had always dreamed of a bigger place. I wanted a home with acreage. When we found a hundred-year-old farmhouse nestled close into Portland, we bought it. Our new house has 1820 square feet on two-thirds of an acre (less land than I wanted, but enough). We love the place. After three years, though, it’s clear that 1820 square feet is too much for the two of us. We have two rooms that remain essentially unused, but which we furnish, heat, and cool nonetheless.
Cameron also had a modest ranch house on an average lot. When his wife got a good job in a different part of the state, they bought a bigger place. It’s a wonderful home: huge floorplan, five acres, an amazing view. But Cameron, too, is beginning to understand that upsizing has unexpected costs.
Don’t misunderstand me: both of us love our houses, but we’ve come to realize there are trade-offs. Too much house is as much a problem as not enough. “I feel like I’m always cleaning,” Cameron told me. “I feel like I’m always doing yardwork,” I said. There are other considerations, too, some of which are obvious, others less so:
A larger house generally brings a larger mortgage.
A larger mortgage means more total interest paid over the life of the loan.
A larger home has higher utility bills.
It costs more to furnish.
And from our experience, larger homes have more things that can go wrong with them.
Cameron and I talked about remodeling projects, about long-term plans, and about what we’ve learned since moving. “We’ll never use all the space we have,” he told me. “And with two young kids, it’s all we can do to keep up with maintenance.”
“My values have changed,” I said. “I always thought I wanted a big house. I thought that was a sign of success. I don’t believe that anymore.”
That’s the crux of the problem: What was important to me three years ago is less important to me now. In Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert writes that it’s difficult for the present You to predict what will make the future You happy. You do your best, but sometimes the future You looks back and scratches his head wondering what his younger self was thinking.
Neither Cameron nor I intend to move, but we now appreciate the advantages of a smaller home, advantages we didn’t recognize when we had them!
Related Reading
Last year, NPR had a story on the ever-expanding American dream house, which looked at the pros and cons of large homes. Though this piece actually discusses very large homes, it still explores issues like the reasons large houses have become so prevalent.
Architect Sarah Susanka has a series of books (and a web site) that explore the concept of what she calls The Not So Big House. She writes:
The inspiration for The Not So Big House came from a growing awareness that new houses were getting bigger and bigger but with little redeeming design merit. The problem is that comfort has almost nothing to do with how big a space is. It is attained, rather, by tailoring our houses to fit the way we really live, and to the scale and proportions of our human form. Two must-read articles about this topic include Cultural Creatives: The Rise of Integral Culture, by Dr. Paul Ray and a recent interview with William McDonough in Newsweek magazine entitled Designing The Future.
Finally, for years I’ve been fascinated by people who choose to live in ultra-small houses. How small? The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has plans for homes as small as 40 square feet! Really, though, I’m more interested in their 392 square foot glass house, or the 100 square foot EPU (which you can build for just $19,000 plus labor). You can find more homes like this at The Small House Society.