The Price of Progress: Aberdeen’s Early Water Fight
A $65,000 bond for a new water works sparks a real estate boom on Highland Hill, pushing the dream of homeownership as the ultimate solution to the city's housing crunch.
The story, cleaned up
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Following the recent $65,000 bond vote for the new municipal water works, development has shifted toward Highland Hill. Lots measuring 50x130 are currently available adjacent to the planned site, ranging in price from $75 to $150. Terms are set at one-third cash, with the balance payable in one and two years at six percent interest for those planning to build. A 100-foot-wide planked street will run the entire length of the addition. Now is the time for workingmen to secure a stake in the city and stop paying rent. Acreage suitable for platting and individual lots are available on easy terms, with special incentives offered for those interested in the potential street car line.
“Now is the time for workingmen to secure a stake in the city. Stop paying rent.”
The promise of Highland Hill as an affordable refuge for working-class families captures a familiar cycle in Aberdeen: municipal infrastructure improvements driving immediate land speculation. The pitch to 'stop paying rent' remains a central, unresolved refrain in the city's ongoing struggle for housing affordability.
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