Throughout America, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard/Street/Avenues

are all lined with broken down homefronts and drug dealers.

Why do you think that is?

I'm glad to hear that.

I've yet to see one myself.

Why? Because, in the eighties (when it was renamed to honor Dr. King), it was in the "colored" part of town, and was the only area where our largely white city would accept the idea of renaming of a major street for an African-American, even Dr. King!

Now, MLK Jr. Boulevard, I'm happy to report, is having a renaissance of sorts. The neighborhood is much more diverse, and race really doesn't matter all that much. Some call it gentrification; I call it an improvement. I live less than a mile away (since 1991) and I love it here.

But yeah, it wasn't always that way.

Broken glass, gunshots, prostitutes and drug dealers are far less common now than coffee shops, cafes, grocery stores and just people walking the streets unafraid of each other.

We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

Some day, we're all going to be the same 'color'. I won't live to see it, but I hope my kids and grandkids do.

Or were when I lived there many years ago. Not swank, mind you, but nice yards and well-kept houses, just a couple of miles West of the capitol.

But yes, I get your point. Many of them are inside the city, with increased potential for urban decay. I don't associate that with his name, however. I'd love it if they made an MLK Jr. Blvd up in Cobb County. That would be soooo rich.

I feel sorry for Jimmy Carter. They named a Boulevard in Gwinnet after him, and it's the nastiest piece of traffic-congested nightmare you've ever seen. I swore like a sailor every time I had to drive on it. They should have honored him with a peaceful little tree-shaded grassy lane for walking or riding horses.

When I first moved up here I said, my god, I hate this place, it's so boring, I'm gonna move back to Atlanta!

One year later I went back to visit some friends. And I can only say, I'm so glad I don't live there anymore. It has a lot to offer, but I've become somewhat countrified. Things are peaceful here in Tennesee. And I hope to move further out into the country soon. My little town is growing up too fast.

a street like you described, MLK, Jr. Blvd. Even then I thought, why couldn't they give him a better street?