Blog Post #2

As I read from chapter one from Sampson's Great American city, I found that when comparing to my city and all of the various places I have lived, there are similarities to what he describes in chapter one. I was born in Salt Lake City and spent much of my life right here in Utah. After starting a career and family I found opportunity and moved my family to Vermont where I lived for five years. After that I really needed to get back to the west were I could be closer to family and to my communities, so I was able to find work in Boise, Idaho. Before I speak about what my communities are I wanted to address the similarities I found in comparison to Sampson's writings. Here in St. George I live in on Sun Brook golf course in a nice middle class neighborhood, just a few miles away are neighborhoods consisting of apartments, low income housing, and trailer parks. I often drive past these places and see the diversity that resides there in comparison to my neighborhood. Where I live is predominately white, if I had to guess in the 95% range, and the residents are also much older than the other neighborhoods I mentioned (including me). There is a sense of safety, security, and commonalty where we live, and I feel that it is a better place than the others I have mentioned. While there is little interaction between myself and my neighbors, we are all strangers for the most part, there is a feeling of collective efficacy. We share the friendly smile and head nods as we roll by each other in our cars, or the pleasant how are you today as we pass each other on the sidewalk. Everyone takes pride in their yard and there exists not only a written code of conduct by way of a homeowner association, but more importantly the unwritten expectation to behave and be compliant in certain areas. While I have reached out and helped neighbors from time to time, we all seem to like our individuality and privacy. My perception is that we all share a location with certain expectations, without any personal connections to anyone else. Many of us have the same religious beliefs, kids in the same schools, and many other things in common; but no other connection that brings us closer to each other. Speaking for myself and my family, there is just simply no time for anyone else. In chapter one Sampson speaks of the diversity of the different areas of Chicago and I suppose that most places have this type of checker board neighborhoods to some degree. Speaking of my communities I would have to include my personal spiritual and religious beliefs. The time I spent in Vermont was as exciting as it was different; however, after a few years into the move I realized the values and culture was not a good fit for me or my family. Vermont did not meet my personal religious and spiritual needs, so I packed up and moved back to my place, the West. Work is another community for me as well as my wife. She is a speech pathologists and has networked into the community of others in her professional field. I find that I have done the same thing. I travel quite a bit for work and associate with others in my field and have made many friends who I confide in and trust. I believe we do this because it provides a common ground and more opportunity for growth and the acquisition of cultural currency.