Holy Cross is like a small town within a big city.

We have the advantage of living within walking distance of urban amenities, yet we feel as though we live in a quite, beautiful town.

When someone asks where Holy Cross is located, we tell them we are the first neighborhood East of downtown, with a great view of the skyline and one of the highest elevations in the city - always an advantage when watching fireworks.

Many of us like living here because we are close to our jobs downtown. With today's gasoline prices, that's a real advantage. But it's a great place to play and celebrate, too, and we get together a lot. A couple times a year we plan elaborate parties with barbeques and live music. We have simple pitch-ins preceding quarterly meetings attended by an average of 70 to 80 neighbors. And, it is not unusual to see groups of neighbors getting together in each other's back yards to share food, conversation and games of cornhole, poker, horseshoes, or just to watch their children play together.

Holy Cross is a diverse neighborhood full of homes distinguished by skilled craftsmanship. Historically, its center was a farm owned by the family of Governor Noble, now beautiful Highland Park. Later, the community was settled by families of German, Irish and Italian descent. And, in the last half century, the diversity increased to include African American and Hispanic families. Today, the skills and care of all kinds of hard-working families remain evident in the closely-knit neighborhood.

The historic strengths of the neighborhood have been individual responsibility coupled with community activism. Long-time neighbors provide a strong foundation that encourages new people to move into the neighborhood. Many rehab older homes and build new ones on vacant lots. Sustainability has been a long-time goal and it is more of a neighborhood watchword even today. A lot of newcomers are transplants from the suburbs who want to live downtown without giving up community. They feel right at home in Holy Cross.

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