I recently had a new neighbour move in next door. We introduced ourselves, took over a little house warming gift and had a nice chat to get to know them.
They had moved from North Delta, where they raised their family. "So, what do you think of it down here?" I asked.
"It's not like I expected. The people here are really nice."
The perception he (and supposedly many others) had of us in South Delta was not very flattering, but once he moved here, met some people and learned more about our area, he realized this wasn't such a bad place after all. The people here are friendly, the local business owners know their customers; it's just a nice place to live. So why is our reputation so unflattering? "We don't really get much Delta news in the north," he said. The local newspapers there come from Surrey, and run only the occasional story from Delta - usually the challenges Delta council faces or a problem the Delta school board is dealing with instead of any good news.
We are lucky to have local papers, supported by local businesses, to give us local information, good and not so good. He looks forward to the days when the paper is delivered to read the local news, what people are talking about and find out what's happening.
I've started to smuggle the local paper to a co-worker from North Delta, who also said it was nice to read what's happening.
It seems that our reputation has been established by not knowing us, and making assumptions. Is it the palm trees down the street? The Christmas lights in the trees? We've got municipal hall and the business improvement association to thank in those cases. It is a lot of fun telling friends from other parts of the country that we have palm trees on our main drag. And they look amazing when we get a little snow.
Reputations usually start with a lack of information, and get fueled by ever-exaggerated perceptions. South Delta may be more affluent than some areas, but I've seen the statistics, and there are people working hard to make ends meet down here as well, in both Ladner and Tsawwassen. The streets are far from being paved with gold, but you don't realize that until you see they are paved with the same stuff as everywhere else.
What people might not understand is how tight-knit our communities are, in their own way. Coming from other areas of Vancouver, there are few places that are as connected as us. They might perceive us as whiners - we're just passionate about where we live, proud to be here and stand up for ourselves when others tell us what to do. Once others get to know us, they realize our reputation isn't necessarily deserved. So to my new neighbours, welcome to South Delta, I hope you enjoy it here as much as we have for the past 18 years.
By the way, can I borrow your ladder? Don't worry, I've got a pretty good reputation for returning stuff. I hope.
