How Your Neighborhood Affects You

There is not a plethora of research available to show that the neighborhood you live in has a direct effect on you and your family. However, it is a known that people who live in neighborhoods we deem affluent certainly have more opportunities to live a quiet, peaceful life in opposition to those who are forced, by circumstance or choice, to live in neighborhoods notorious for crime, drugs, and illegal activities. Realtors, when showing houses to prospective buyers stress the positives about buying a house in what we call an upgrade area rather than purchasing in an area where the market value of a house is deteriorating because of the activities associated near or around it. I lived in San Bernardino, California. A resident there had a lovely home, but it was right across from a housing project. She was often bothered by young men who crossed the street to sell drugs right in front of her home. Although her house was in excellent condition, she feared she would never be able to sell it because of its location. In another city in which I lived, all towing companies refused to come to a certain area in that city after 9:00 p.m. We saw a man stranded, and try as he did to get help with his car, he got the same answer, "We don't come down there after dark." Even pizza delivery requests were not honored in that section of town after dark. If you will notice, police service is often limited after dark in certain areas.

I have taken a look at police response time in poorer areas of my town, versus more upscale sections. In the poorer districts, the response time varies from 5 to 15 minutes, in comparison to 3 to 5 minutes in the better neighborhoods. Even though both are paying about the same amount of money for police protection, good service is only available based on where you live. Neighborhoods have personalities. How one talks, walks, relates to others, and the choices one makes speak volumes in reflecting where they live. Children, the great imitators of society, will pick up their behaviors often from being around people in their neighborhood. I am a northern born citizen, however, I was raised around people who had southern accents. All of my life I have spoken with my southern accent. It flows naturally from me.

Most people, assume I am from the South, and there is nothing wrong with that. Parents, therefore, must decide how they want to raise their children, and select a neighborhood which reflects their decision. Howbeit, many better neighborhoods come with a price. The school systems available in poorer neighborhoods are often lacking in equipment, decent buildings, and enrichment programs. In better neighborhoods, children are able to feel safer. In such neighborhoods there is generally more cooperation between parents to help out in the schools and provide materials and equipment which the school may need. Children who go to schools in more affluent neighborhoods generally fare better because they are not taunted with gang violence and fear on a daily basis. People should be proud of their neighborhood, but how can anyone be proud when their neighborhood is synonymous with violence, break-ins, and homicides?

It goes without saything that a population raised under these threats must rise to the occasion by being tough, mean mouthed, and defensive, always having to watch their backs coming in and going out. This is not to say that poorer neighborhoods have not been the homes of famous people, even leaders in our society. Somehow, these people have risen above the fray and excelled despite the odds, but it does say, that a neighborhood is a determining faction in its citizens' behavior and sometimes their ultimate destinies. It would be a great research piece if someone could take the time and trace at least 20 - 30 families from both a poor neighborhood and a more upscale one for a period of 20 years to conclude ultimate outcomes. I would hope that this kind of data would give conclusive proof that neighborhoods do overwhelmingly effect who we are and who we will be.