Zona

El Barrio, originally uploaded by Dan Lilly.

One of the oldest neighborhoods in Tucson is simply called El Barrio. Just south of downtown, El Barrio used to be filled with various generations of the original Mexican inhabitants of Tucson. Sometime in the 70's the yuppies started moving in. They bought houses cheap and "restored" then to their idea of what "quaint" should be. Bright colors and word spread and before you know it, prices started to creep up.

Old Fords and Chevys are now replaced by beemers and SUV's with animal right and liberal causes plastered on the bumpers. Now most of the "quaint" barrio are white yuppies probably trying to figure out how to keep Starbucks out.

One of my favorite restaurants, El Minuto, is on the edge of El Barrio. It's been open since 1936 but the people who used to line up for menudo on Sundays have mostly moved on after either selling for a good price, or moved farther south where house values, and property taxes, are lower.

// posted by sinner @ 10:02 PM