Neighborhood Tour
The neighborhood has a simple layout; the road is paved, most residents appear to be within median income. There is no sidewalk on either side of the road. Most houses are well kept with mown lawns. The majority of residents owns, or is in the process of buying while a small percent, roughly fifteen percent, rent to an individual who lives on in the neighborhood. Seventy-five percent of the residents are Caucasian, with the remainder being African American. There is one home that is Spanish-only speaking household, as well. Most members of the neighborhood were employed. On average, at least one adult member in every household had full-time employment, though many homes had two adult members who were employed full-time. One home consisted of a business owner who was able to work part-time, as well as her partner, who also worked part-time based on their supplemented income. Crime is low in the neighborhood, and would ne non-existent if it had not been for a break-in that occurred three years ago. Otherwise, residents feel safe and look out for one another.
There are three food markets and six churches within walking distance of the residences. One of the food markets is a Wal-Mart, making all varieties of foods available. The other food market is a farmer’s market, making foods one may never have heard of or thought to be around also available. For example, bee pollen was available at the farmer’s market. If these markets were not available, however, the food sources would be very limited. There are three bus stops within relative walking distance of the neighborhood, and the nearest food source after that are four bus stops away which averages about forty minutes. It is another Wal-Mart, which would allow for a relatively wide selection, though it does not account for the health provided by the farmer’s market. A Lowe’s Food is thirty-five minute bus ride away, which offers more variety, but it sits near a dangerous side of town that many people avoid. However, it offers a more healthy variety than a Wal-Mart. The only farmer’s market that is nearby is the one within walking distance.
As stated, there are six churches within walking distance and another nine only one bus ride away. There is no shortage of places to worship in or around the neighborhood. One local center of worship, First Baptist, was the nearest to the neighborhood, and the congregation was primarily African American. There were a few Caucasian occupants and seven Hispanics. One family of Haitians attended, as well. Nearly all of the African Americans were from the neighborhood being observed, while the other occupants in the congregation were from surrounding neighborhoods. The following Sunday, the occupants of the congregations were almost exactly the same. Some occupants from the observed neighborhood were missing, and there were a few more members from the Hispanic family. When asked which neighborhood they lived in, it turned out they were only one neighborhood over from the one being observed, making this an easy place for them to come worship. The Caucasian family, as well, lived in a neighborhood near to the one being observed, and knew several members who resided there. The individual renting to many of the individuals in said neighborhood was the congregation’s pastor, and the congregation had many pleasant things to say about him binding his own community, as well as attempting to reach out to others.
