Dennis Weaver

Professor Ornelas

Humanities 1301

17 October 2007

Good Hood

In this writing assignment I have been asked to give a general description of where I live. I will explore various topics that serve in providing you with an adequate mental picture of where I call home. The ones I have chosen are: what the general location is in the city, what the socio-economic status is, what the major features are, what the weaknesses and strengths might be, where I work and study in relation to where I live, where I spend my recreational time, and lastly what kind of association do I claim with my neighborhood.

My “HOOD” is on the south side of San Antonio. San Antonio is on the south side of Texas, which is on the south side of the United States. I am a true “south sider”. Its bordering streets are Pleasanton road (to its west), East Ansley (to its north), and East Ashley (to its south). As for its east border, there is no distinct street. All that exist east of my neighborhood is a heavily wooded area. The name of my hood is not relevant simply because it has no name. It is a collection of about three streets which are alienated from there peers. Due to this setting, neighbors seem to only associate with those on there street and don’t tend to wonder very far. Overall the general location of my hood is within highway 410. We are only about a quarter of a mile from this main highway.

The socio-economic status of my hood is working class. Our homes are quite modest, but very well maintained. The houses are all about thirty to forty years of age and are in good condition. Since many of the people who live there are “working class citizens”, they seem to be more prone to working with their own two hands. It is not uncommon to see someone outside working on renovating their home or improving their lawn. Those who live in this neighborhood are often middle aged people, but recently there has been a sudden surge in younger newly wed couples moving in. The elderly couples who once lived there are either moving out to a better side of town, or passing on to the next life. Even now there still are some retired couples who still reside in the neighborhood, and they are mostly well educated individuals. They are unlike their younger replacements that seem to be lacking in that area. As for the racial make-up of the group, it is largely Hispanic.

There are not many distinctive establishments in my neighborhood, but we have a few important ones. Goodwill has a large establishment to the north of my hood. It is a full service station that functions as a store, donation zone, and refurbishing site. To the west developers are building a bank, which hopefully will not bring in to much development. The choice of location is quite strange, but I assume that they are trying to expand the city southward. South of my neighborhood there is a thirty foot storm drain, which has only overflowed once. That was truly a frightening day during the flood of nineteen-ninety-eight. Thankfully, the water never did reach past our back fence line. East of my neighborhood there is a densely vegetated field which separates us from the other neighborhoods. It has only been cut and cleared about four times in the past sixteen years.

All neighborhoods have weaknesses and strengths, and mine is no exception. We are about four and a half away from the nearest quality grocery store (H-E-B), and only a mile away from Handy-Andy. South Park Mall is about ten miles away and the Mayan Palace Movie Theater is only eight miles. We are a mile from McCollum High School, Kingsborough Middle School, and Carroll Bell Elementary School. My barber shop, Anna Maria’s Salon is two miles from my home. Even with all these institutions close by, we are just far enough out of the way that we do not have any trouble. There are no problems with gangs in my neighborhood, and most people are very respectful. These are all strengths of my hood, but there are a few weaknesses. We do have some moderately sharp bends in our roads. This factor ties into the next problem which is speeding drivers. They like to race through our streets late at night and have impacted with cars parked on the side of the road. Most importantly it is a wonderful place to live.

I live about four miles from Palo Alto College where I am presently enrolled. It only takes me about seven minutes to drive from my home to school. I also work on campus so I do not have to worry about spending money on additional gas. Most of my recreational time is spent downtown which is seven miles away, and my church which is located about twelve miles from my home. I am hardly home, but when I finally have time to slow down, I enjoy the peace and quiet. I have lived there all my life, and will not be moving out until I transfer to the University of Texas in Austin. I hope my parents never sell the house, but if they do I will most likely buy it from them. Over time I have come to appreciate the safe environment in which I live. Home will always be where my heart is, but I think we should always hold on to a rare find.