A Shift in Communities

A Shift in Communities

Many years ago the town of Grants Pass, Oregon was small, but obviously growing. In that time it was not uncommon for neighbors and neighborhoods to come together to celebrate holidays, milestones in each others lives, or lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need. As soon as the town began to fill up with fast food franchises, large grocery store chains, and the residents began using technology in every day life the neighborhoods began to drift apart. Now most of the neighborhoods never celebrate together, offer help, or know each other’s names. As this town grew and developed the importance and role of each neighborhood community has made a drastic shift and is hardly seen.

Gerald Stull was a proud resident of Grants Pass in its “better days,” as he put it. He recalls his neighborhood throwing him a huge BBQ to celebrate the birth of his first grandchild, Bill (his neighbor) helping him build the large cedar deck around his house, and the neighborhood kids sneaking apples out of his back yard. Gerald says “my favorite was the 4th of July party we had. Tons of food, fireworks, and people.” He also remembers going fishing with the local grocery store owner, and getting vanilla ice cream cones at Pipers Drive In. When asked to describe his community in a few words he sighs and says, “Friendly and simple.”

I grew up in Grants Pass, but during a time other then the one Gerald describes. I grew up eating McDonalds (not the classic Pipers Drive In), using computers and cell phones, and going to pizza places to celebrate birthdays. Now that I am older, and on my own (I live next door to Gerald now), I make sure my car and house are always locked, and have no idea what my neighbors do for a living. I don’t even know any of my neighbor’s names (I never felt the need to reach out). The friendly local businesses Gerald told me about have been replaced with Albertsons, Wal-Mart, and Shell Stations. The words busy and congested describe the town now. It is hard to even picture the town Gerald describes because nothing is how it once was.

In Grants Pass’ “better days,” it was clear that the neighborhood communities once played a large role in its resident’s lives. They shared traditions like 4th of July parties, offered help and support, and were accepting of one another. They were solid, stable communities because the residents did not have as many opportunities to seek a sense of community else where. In those same neighborhoods today, practically none of the aspects of communities can be witnessed. Remix by Catherine G. Latterell states “When we need help, the assumption is that our community will come together to offer it” (90). In today’s times, that assumption does not hold true. People now look for help from the government and its agencies, and from strangers, instead of seeking out a familiar neighbor.

Communities of the past also offered a strong sense of friendship and lifelong relationships. With things like social networking sites, email, and cell phones residents of a neighborhood no longer have to go next door to find a friend. Simply logging in can give a person access to hundreds, even thousands of friends, which is lessening the importance of neighborhood communities. In “You Are Who You Know” Andrew Leonard says “our most important relationships and communities are no longer primarily determined by family and geography” (155). The residents of today’s communities are gaining that sense of community from places other then their physical neighborhood.

Neighborhood communities once prevalent in its resident’s lives are practically nonexistent in the neighborhoods of today. With items like cell phones and the internet people do not feel inclined to share their life with a neighbor, or simply introduce themselves and develop a bond. Technology has made access to people so simple and readily available that there is no need to develop relationships within a neighborhood. Neighborhood communities are not as important, and serve a much smaller role in its resident’s lives when compared to the neighborhoods of the past. The community Gerald remembers no longer exists today.