WINDCREST, Texas – As he takes a ride down street after light-strewn street, the man affectionately called “Santa Jim” looks every bit the part. He has the red suit, the long white beard (it’s real, by the way) and the recognizable “Ho, Ho, Ho.”
Santa Jim is also very familiar with the city he calls home. He has served on the Windcrest City Council, and he is very familiar with what Windcrest is known for.
“Friends tell me if you want to speed up in Windcrest, you need to hit a school zone.”
The 20-mile-per-hour zones are part of this small city’s reputation, along with the elaborate Christmas Light Displays, but it is so much more.
In this edition of “Know My Neighborhood,” we explore the “City Of Lights,” from the friendly festive competition to the vacant mall that once housed Rackspace. The roughly 6,000 residents who live just off Interstate 35 love the small-town feel, but knowing everyone in town can be a double-edged sword.
The city that lights up is under the bright glare of attention in the news lately with its police chief suspended. Not everyone here likes that kind of attention.
Bright lights, Small City: the good, the bad and the frustrating in this illuminating edition of “Know My Neighborhood.”
Also in this edition of ‘Know My Neighborhood’: