
Presidential heroes of urbanism

Since the weekend that just ended was Presidents' weekend, I thought now would be a good time to acknowledge some especially pro-urban Presidents. I don't plan to focus on their actual policies (a complicated topic, and one not very relevant to most pre-New Deal presidencies) but on their post-White House personal lives. The majority of Presidents have retired to resorts, estate-home suburbia, or (in the 18th and 19th century) country plantations.
However, I would like to honor a few exceptions to this rule:
*Harry Truman, who spent his retirement years in the heart of small-town Main Street America, a street in Independence, Mo. seven blocks from City Hall with a Walkscore of 75.
*Chester Alan Arthur, who grew up in Vermont but moved to 127 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan (between E. 28th and E. 29th) after his Presidency. (By the way, if you are in Manhattan and notice a wonderful little grocery store called Kalyustan's, be aware that Arthur's townhouse was almost right above it!)
More details about Presidential residences can be found this Zillow site.
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