Personal Narrative: The American Suburbs

I was raised in an affluent community in the North Suburbs of Chicago. My hometown Lake Forest is sometimes stereotyped for being full of “out of touch” and wealthy families. It may even be characterized as a “bubble” which surrounds us, protecting us from the harsh realities of issues that affect the urban Chicago communities like gun violence, gangs, and poor neighborhoods. Yes, we have beautiful homes that sit along the shores of Lake Michigan, a lovely community beach, and good schools; however, I would like the stereotype of Lake Forest being a suburban town that is not aware of surrounding community issues to change because I believe this is not deserved.

One of the greatest transformations to American society was the mass migration of families from the inner cities to the suburbs. This was thought to make for a better quality of life and a stronger nuclear family. The migration led to the rebirth of American religion, which was associated with suburban living. Less than fifty percent of Americans belonged to specific churches before the onset of World War II, but by the middle of the 1950, this number grew

The concept of suburbia quickly morphed into something far different from country living. Over the years, urban sprawl has created vast suburbs. Instead of local shops, the suburbs we know today have large malls full of box stores. Highways connect our suburbs to the city center instead of railways and the modern suburb doesn 't have the same sense of community that the original suburbs had. According to the documentary, "suburban life" and everything that comes with it has been packaged and sold in bulk to many Americans and Canadians. And this package we call "The American Dream", which is simply of a mockery or a satire of what the original suburbs used to be like, is

During the “Baby Boomer” era, following WWII, America underwent one of the largest demographic shifts and population growths in history. Huge amounts of home construction on the outskirts of America’s largest cities, known as “levittowns” became the new staple of the American dream, with the houses sporting two car garages, and white picket fences. These low density, predominantly middle class residential districts, were America’s first true suburbs. These suburbs were constructed mainly in response to the new postwar consumerism that enveloped the parents of the baby boomers. With the new economy, affordable housing, and most families becoming single income dependent, families grew bigger and bigger. The 1947 passing of the bill that lead to the interstate highway system, only added fuel to the fire of suburbanization. With the new interstate highway system, more affordable and fuel efficient automobiles, and the government aiding in the financing of new suburban homes, the choice seemed elementary. All of these factors pushing to the suburban movement, only spurred the baby boomers on, and between 1940-50, there was an 835% percent increase in living births with nearly 4 million children being born every year. In 1940, 19.5% of the United States population lived in what would be considered to be suburban areas outside of large metropolitan areas, however, by 1960; the number was pushing nearly 40%. The postwar suburbanization of America during the baby boomer

I thought cities had more diversity, more poverty, and low income household than suburb areas and this was supported by the above data. I learned that the increase of wealth and income in a small community hinders the rest of community where middle and low income families live. The ability to live in a “good” neighborhood is linked to income. Income can be one of the factors that determine how a region can be segregated. Even in the city, the income of the household separates the lower income families from the higher income families. High income families tend to live together and low income families tend to live in the same

Historically, many of the suburban towns and neighborhoods around the major U.S. cities served as homes to poor and minority residents, offering cheaper living spaces due to the marginalized and inconvenient geographical locations with several negative reputations. Yet, given the big cities’ overcrowded environment and expensive living cost, these suburban areas are now popular destinations for people who seek for a less-crowded and affordable neighborhood to dwell. According to statistics by Kolko (2016), in 2015, the population of overall U.S. suburban neighborhoods increased by 159 million people, while only the total of less than 80 million

In the book The Great Inversion, author Alan Ehrenhalt reveals the changes that are happing in urban and suburban areas. Alan Ehrenhalt the former editor of Governing Magazine leads us to acknowledge that there is a shift in urban and suburban areas. This revelation comes as the poorer, diverse, city dwellers opt for the cookie cutter, shanty towns at the periphery of American cities known as the suburbs. In similar fashion the suburbanites, whom are socioeconomic advantaged, are looking to migrate into the concrete jungles, of America, to live an urban lifestyle. Also, there is a comparison drawn that recognizes the similarities of cities and their newer, more affluent,

It is rare for neighbors to become friends right away in the suburbs of America. For example, in the film most people in the neighborhood tried to avoid the lady who was known as being extremely religious. She was not well liked because this lady often tried to lecture many people of the town telling them they would go to Hell. This shows how neighbors in the suburbs might have big differences and will not get along with each other. Oldenburg states, “The small town taught us that people’s best friends and favorite companions rarely lived right next door to one another” (98). This shows that people who live in the suburbs might not get along in harmony because the differences outweigh the common interests. When judgement it made amongst people, it is usually hard to get along if you cannot get past what you already think of the person. Thus making friends in the suburbs can be a hard task. We must try to be understanding of differences we have when meeting new people.

A neighborhood defines who you are. Mount Laurel, a suburban town in New Jersey, has evidence to prove that. For example, quality education was provided to all the students in Mount Laurel, regardless of income. There is much more evidence to prove that your neighborhood defines who you are.

As the city 's center becomes older and less desirable, the value goes down. This then attracts people who want to be centrally located, and now in the 21st century people tend to believe that the suburbs have less “character” and that most cities are considered to be “edgy” and “urban”, which is another reason as to why young, wealthy, white workers want to be located in the inner-city. Our pop culture is heavily influenced by black culture, so young people want to live where it’s hip, as well as reasonable.

Suburbia: the go-to place for spreading out because of being a bit too cramped in the 700 square foot conurbation apartment. Haphazardly, the suburbs are a place to get away from the staunching garbage and the loud noises; but more importantly, they lack the people. Instead, the suburbs are about having that starter home, with the white picket fence, next to that cul-de-sac, in a crime-free neighborhood and within proximity of the school the child will be attending. Marry young, have daughter and son, grow old, and live happily ever after; the American Dream.

In metropolitan urban communities, plagued with economic hardships, social injustice, and violence, rising out of those communities is glorified as the greatest achievement one could earn. In fact, most of my family members and peers congratulated me for being accepted into UNC-Chapel Hill with phrases like, “you made it” and “it’s over.” But, I knew different. I was well aware that attending UNC-Chapel Hill, the first public and most prestigious university in NC would be substantially different than the conditions of my hometown. No longer was I around the likes of my melanin, socioeconomic status, or cultural background, and adjustment proved to be difficult. During my first year a UNC, I endured social isolation, homesickness, academic hardship,

The prosperity the Americans experienced throughout the 1950s resulted in suburbanization of the country, an increase in the population, and an emphasis on religion and conservatism. The growing number of wealthy Americans further stimulated the economy through consumer spending. The automobile industry greatly benefited from this increase in consumer spending; approximately 60 million cars were sold during the 1950s. As the number of Americans who owned vehicles began to rise, so did number of suburbs. Areas which were thought of as too far from job opportunities in the cities were now more accessible and desirable. Middle class and wealthy Americans fled the poverty and congestion of the cities and moved to the suburbs, which offered a clean, safe, and family centered environment; the American suburban population nearly doubled during the 1950s (Francev, Kimberly, Ph.D. "Lectures 1: Welcome to Levittown Post War America." Lecture. 11 Feb. 2013. Www.d2l.arizona.edu. 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2013).

However, in the suburb areas, they have seen a greater birthrate than before. The main reason why they are experiencing a higher birthrate is that the suburbs are more affordable than the city home areas. It's a very common thing to happen in the United States, but it's very uncommon in Europe.

The American suburbs are a valuable community for families. Some would debate that they are the best place to raise a family. They can provide a safe, loving, and nourishing place for a children but can also be a sheltered place to grow up. Suburbs are places with community and family and are a very important part of today 's society and culture. “For many Americans the word suburb conjures up an image of post-world war II single family tract homes, products of the age of automobiles and superhighways” (American Suburbs Pg1 Teaford, p. 1). Living in suburbs my whole life, I can testify to the fact that the days of the World War II, single family tract homes are gone, and in their place stand mcmansions that are built to satisfy our empty hearts. Although suburbs seem like a great place to live, there are still many problems within them and a huge lack of true Christianity. I strongly believe that many people in the suburbs are living lives without meaning and without God. People turn to suburbs to find happiness in items and people. But in the end the amenities of a suburb fail. It fails to complete us as people. As Christians we need to respond to suburbs in a respectful and effective way. walking with them through life with love and compassion.