My Neighborhood of Duluth

Hello, my name is Sarah Chang. It’s hard to say I was raised in a specific place because I’ve lost count to all the times I’ve moved. On the other hand, if I had to call one place home, I would call Duluth, Georgia it. Duluth prides itself on its ability to accommodate a growing, diverse population in Metropolitan Atlanta while maintaining its small-town charm and sense of community. It was a traditional neighborhood where everything was a walking distance and this is still apparent through the Historic Downtown of Duluth. However as time passed, the town became a victim of urbanization and sprawl. The mass development throughout the city resulted in the widening of city borders and construction of newer and wider roads.

The new development attracted more people, increasing the population. This resulted in building more homes and shopping centers throughout the city. (pictured below – construction of the Asian market Hmart)

In fact, brand new condos were built last year, down the street from my neighborhood. With all the construction of buildings and new roads, things didn’t seem of walking distance anymore. As Suburban Nation stated, the code requirements for walls, ditches, and other buffers even nearby shopping is not reachable on foot.

An automobile is the primary transportation in Duluth. It is a necessity, on the contrary, the county Duluth lies in – Gwinnett – has a public transportation system called the Gwinnett Transit that goes from office buildings to shopping malls. It is more of like a bus or trolley than the Portland streetcar shown in the Blueprint America documentary.

All the homes in Duluth’s neighborhoods are completely divided by income. My specific neighborhood consists of middle class families. Outside of my neighborhood, there are houses of “lower-status”. Suburban Nation commented on the repulsion many citizens feel toward such communities, that the problem with gated communities is not the gate itself but what the gate encloses. The unity of society is threatened not by the use of gates but by the uniformity and exclusivity of the people behind them. Living in such a diverse community, I wouldn’t say there were any disputes over the topic specifically. However, in school, a variety of cliques would form according to the status of their families.

Though the city overall may be in sprawl, certain areas still have qualities of a traditional neighborhood, such like mine. My specific neighborhood, fairly new – maybe eight years old, can be traditional in that we have a community park which includes tennis courts and a swimming pool for families to spend their leisure time.

People can go to the historic downtown Duluth for a more traditional neighborhood. There are various restaurants, shopping stores, and a giant fountain and grassy land (pictured below) for a nice sunny day all within walking distance of each other.

And these shopping stores and restaurants…. are all lined on Main Street! (pictured below)

The sprawling of Duluth has its pros and cons. The wider roads and development of more shopping centers make it more convenient for the consistent growing of the population. Historic downtown Duluth gives the people a more comforting traditional neighborhood atmosphere. Overall, I agree with the claims made by the authors of Suburban Nation. Sprawl has taken over America’s cities, but even so, there is part of a traditional neighborhood in any community.