Run Down Towns: A Tale of Two Cities
Town A: Deodar cedars on White Oak. Remember the scene in ET when they fly over trees on their bikes? This is the street.
The Deodar cedars line the sleepy street of White Oak to the north of where I live. The trees tower many feet over the well-manicured homes, set back far from the street. The wide avenue, built to handle plenty of cars, sees but only a few with one single stop sign at the end of the block. A couple walks their small, white toy poodle down a quiet residential sidewalk covered in a blanket of pine needles.
Five miles south on the same block renowned for its cedar trees (yet are predominately lacking), I look out my window and see a beater van parked indefinitely outside of my home. A group of five men from the nearby wayside house, quietly disguised behind a large, black fence, saunter down the sidewalk. The alley where I enter and exit from my garage is riddled with graffiti of the unattractive kind.
Though only five miles apart, the scenes from my current neighborhood and the one I grew up in are worlds apart. The “Valley”, once known as a rustic get-away for the celebrities of yester-year, has grown into a hodge-podge of seedy neighborhoods intermixed with a “good” pocket every now and again. The valley is perplexing; a large, flat sprawling suburb built on a seemingly-endless grid system bordered with rolling hills and mountains. Without the obvious barriers, the cities merge into one another with barely a marker to distinguish you’ve entered into a new zip code.
But why is one town so well taken care of, while another just a few miles away without any geographic barriers, has become a dumping ground for litter, graffiti and over-grown lawns?
Due to the lack of physical barriers, cities seem to define themselves through subtle cosemetic differences: graffiti and litter,or statues, pergolas, and renovated shopping centers built to attract consumers willing to spend. Since I’m not a city counsel member, I can only assume a city’s budget and income are dependent on property tax, and the concept that the community will continue to generate income within its own city.
A few things I’ve noticed that may be directly related to the differences between these two towns (I’ll call them town A and town B) are:
Town A:
- A small, well-maintained business center reminiscent of the 1950’s. Though many stores have closed due to the recession, the landlords haven’t allowed strip clubs or Triple-X stores to open in their place. The town recently built a statue and seating area at the beginning of the 4-block district under a giant Deodar Oak to show their dedication to their small, yet clean business area. One can tell the residents pride themselves on these four blocks – very rarely do you see graffiti.
- Well maintained lawns. During the real estate boom, this area increased in price by a near 4-fold. Even though this area has been hit hard by the drop in prices, there aren’t very many homes for sale or overgrown lawns. Either people have lived in these homes a long time, or the people able to afford these homes are doing okay financially. I assume this area is financially stable.
- Renovated shopping center. Over the past few years, the city took a very old, vacant shopping center and completely renovated it making it the center shopping district complete with grocery store, home store, and plenty of fast-food restaurants. (The high school kids love it.)
- A renowned high school. It’s funny, I graduated from this very same high school many, many years ago. However, it has since turned into a well-respected charter school that is the envy of all who can’t get their kids into it.
- Movies filmed: E.T. was filmed all over Town A from the trees you see in the photo above to the homes being built in the surrounding hills in the late 1970’s early 1980’s. Fast Times at Ridgemont High car scenes were filmed in Town A’s business district.
Town B:
- A run-down business district. Back in the 1950’s, the area near my house was one of the first bustling business districts of the valley. Unfortunately, time has not been very good to this center. Riddled with graffiti, burned out buildings, and corner payday loan offices, the business district lacks a cohesive purpose.
- Over-grown lawns and vacant homes. During the bubble, prices in my area peaked over $500,000. I feel terrible for the people who purchased homes at these prices considering the area really isn’t deserving of those prices. I’m beginning to think they feel bad for themselves as well, as many have walked away from their homes.
- Corner Mini-Marts. Sprinkled at almost every busy intersection is a mini-mart. Great for a quick soda. Not so good for a community. How many liquor stores does one city need?
- Low-income apartment buildings for blocks on end. People from every economic level need a place to live. Unfortunately landlords often associate low income with low maintenance; uncared for properties quickly become the target for graffiti, broken windows, and littered lawns only further depressing an already depressed area.
- Movies Filmed: Boogie Nights was filmed on a busy street in Town B. The television show My Name is Earl was filmed extensively around my neighborhood as well. (Note the glaring difference?!)
What are the solutions for town B? Obviously, the economy picking up steam would help; fewer people leaving the area would fill the vacant homes. Home owners tending to their lawns and cleaning up the graffiti would also be a positive movement. I’ve found that if graffiti is painted over immediately in an area, the tagger usually moves on to another area that doesn’t seem to care as much.
Perhaps I need to make it a point of walking up and down my alley painting over graffiti-covered walls. Maybe I need to begin picking up litter within a 1-mile block range; my initiative alone could cause a much larger change by encouraging my neighbors to do the same. This may be my Labor Day Weekend goal.
What changes have you seen in your town? What is the solution? Is there anything you could do to help?
