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May 11, 2005

Welcome to (Generic)!

One problem with sprawl is it gives the illusion that one community is indistinguishable from another. Put photos of jam-packed housing developments side by side, and you'd be hard-pressed to determine that one was taken in north High Point and one was taken in southeast Toledo or northwest Walla Walla.

Is there anything about north High Point that makes it distinctive, that sets is apart from any other large suburban area in the Triad?

Here are some of my thoughts...

The Piedmont Center (nature trails winding around the lake, a bit of the pastoral just a stone's throw from mega-supermarkets)
The Greenway
Deep River Friends Meeting (a bit of history square in the center of urban development; note that nearby shopping centers have been built to resemble the meeting house)

Anything else?

Posted by at May 11, 2005 8:53 AM

Comments

First off, Justin, I have to tell you I like the new photo of you in the paper. If I could grow my 'fro out to be nearly as big as Ben Wallace's, I'd do it, too.

Secondly, you're absolutely right that there is a cookie-cutter sameness to most suburbs. It doesn't matter if you pull off Interstate exit 30 or 130 in most places, you'll find the same things, a McDonald's, a Chick-Fil-A, a Lowe's and a Home Depot along with a bunch of ticky-tacky tract homes built around cul d' sacs.

People in the suburbs are fleeing all the things that make-up real neighborhoods--loud bars, locally owned restaurants, tattoo parlors and poor people. But, the truth of it is that those things, added all together, add character and vibrancy to a community.

Now, you sugggested a couple of things that make North High Point unique.. A park and a walking trail. I think what you really meant to say are those elements make your community unique from all of those places that don't have either parks or walking trails, though I'd guess that most places do.

Far be it for me to say, but I'd say that North High Point is going to remain pretty staid and dull until people there wake up and realize that things like soccer fields aren't a threat. They're what make up a real community.

Posted by: Norskar at May 11, 2005 1:17 PM

Norskar: You know what...you're right. Immediately after posting this I realized walking trails and stuff like that aren't exactly unique. And the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that there's nothing particularly unique about north High Point. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's still a nice place to live.

If you know of something unique, folks, please let us know!

And b/t/w thanks for noticing the white 'fro. I worked very hard on it. But just days after that picture was taken, I couldn't stand it anymore and got a nice, conservative haircut again.

Posted by: Justin Hayes at May 11, 2005 2:00 PM

That would be no neighborhood schools and all the yellow and black signs you see that say SOS.

Posted by: Sue at May 11, 2005 5:57 PM