By Catherine Reagor | Arizona Republic
When I moved into the historic Willo neighborhood on the edge of downtown Phoenix in 1994, police helicopters hovering over our alleys wasn’t an uncommon sight.
The exodus of residents to newer Valley suburbs had left the historic neighborhood and central Phoenix a bit neglected and deserted.
Some of my friends and family were concerned about my move downtown. My brother bought me a cellphone — and that was back when they still cost a lot.
The closest store to my house was a Circle K, and the few restaurants nearby were closed early in the evenings and on the weekends when the office crowd from central Phoenix was home in the suburbs.
