We've gone to Little Leb a handful of times. Should really make it more frequent. Alternate between there, Huong Viet, Sauce and Newcastle pub one would never go hungry or thirsty...you might look like Trump, but it would be worth it.
I've lived in the Shaganappi community since the late 90s. I would say there are more bottle pickers and such over the past few years but I haven't noticed more visible crime really. I'm definitely not nervous walking around at night or having Mrs Furnace coming home late on her own. I'm also not sure if you can attribute the more "seedy" activities solely to the train line as the economic downturn followed soon after and I'd say has a contributing factor. I would agree there are some sketchy characters at the Westbrook station and I can imagine the library does have issues. I also agree the old library was far superior.
As for the mall I don't think it's changed much in the almost 20 years I've been there. It's a standard grocery store on one end, department store on the other. In between are some useful stores and services. It isn't meant to be anything else. The addition of Marks and SportChek was welcome.
The area demographics have gone through some change over the years and the community development plans will bring more density which could bring additional problems and also opportunities. I think it's a tough area to beat though given the proximity to downtown and access to the necessities of life (like Vietnamese food).
It was affordable back when I first moved there and values have certainly increased. The population has turned over a bit since we first moved there and I've seen more families over the years. There is still a good population of retirees but the mix is maybe more balanced now and going more urban with the new condo developments around the edges.
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