Logical Boundaries in my neighborhood

I reside in a charming area. I live off of Maryland Pkwy, which is a busy area due of the college, but there is a street called Spencer Street that I use as a shortcut getting to and from my apartment and Harmon Avenue since it reduces my travel time. Spencer Street is about three blocks away (UNLV). Maryland Pkwy and Tropicana Ave are the two main intersections near where I reside, and the Clark County School District is where my neighborhood is located. Since I moved here, my neighborhood hasn't undergone any big changes. The surrounding conditions in the confines of my neighborhood are kept up quite nicely. I live in decent apartments in a neighborhood of duplexes. The duplexes look like houses, but in real sense, they are smaller interconnected condos. The lawns of my neighborhood are kept up weekly, and my apartment’s properties are maintained as well. I live in a small gated courtyard of about 16 apartment units, and the streets, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks are also maintained on a regular basis. However, the streetlights toward the back of the neighborhood are out and need replacements. Sometimes it becomes difficult to drive through the neighborhood at night the road is dark, and a lot of people walk their dogs or ride their bikes in the neighborhood. Therefore, I feel like people need to be extra cautious now that there is no lighting.

There are street trees planted along the roads and in the lawns. In my neighborhood, there is no litter because every property has a dustbin which is emptied twice in a week. There are no vacant lots, and there are about two abandoned cars although they seem not to have stayed there for a long time. I see no signs of vandalism or graffiti in my neighborhood. No new homes are being built currently, and my neighborhood was established in the mid 60’s according to the address on Google.

The proximity of essential services

My school, UNLV, is few meters from the main street of Maryland Pkwy so I just walk to reach there. I have a car but it is paid off and old, and I don’t want to have a car payment while attending school and therefore I rarely use it. There is RTC bus transportation a block from my address as well as a Starbucks, three gas stations at the crossroads of Maryland Pkwy and Tropicana. I don’t eat out very often, but there are lots of restaurants within walking distance from my home as they are right at UNLV. There is an Einstein’s bagels, a Stephano’s Greek & Mediterranean grill, a Chipotle, a Sinful Subs, and a great Pho place called Mr. Sandwich. I don’t have a washer and dryer in my apartment, so I drive a few blocks down the road to Rebel Laundromat to do my laundry.

Recreational centers in my neighborhood

The UNLV recreational center is about half a mile from my apartment. I usually try to go there after my classes while on campus or ride my bike at night to get there as a form of workout. There is a little dog park in my neighborhood about which is three streets over but you have to have a special key to get into the gate. The residents that live in the duplexes outside of my apartment building use the dog park. If I am lucky enough and arrive at the right time, there is usually a resident with their dog who will let me and Stella, (My dog) in. We don’t visit the dog park in the neighborhood in the summer because it is usually hot.

Safety in my neighborhood

For the most part, I feel pretty safe in my neighborhood. It is not the best area in security matters in my town, but I am always vigilant of my surroundings, and I carry a mace whenever I walk at night. In case it is dark at the time I get out of class in the fall, I use situational awareness as I walk home and avoid doing silly things like listening to music through headphones. During the day there is so much foot traffic as other kids are walking to school or homeless people savage for food and cans in the bins. Therefore no one pays attention to me during the day. If I see someone walking their dog or making eye contact with me, I might exchange a smile and pleasantries. That will depend on my moods though.

Social interactions in my neighborhood

I live very amicably with the neighbors who live in the courtyard of my apartment complex. I have lived here for a while since I began school at UNLV, so my neighbors know my dog, Stella, and I, as very friendly and outgoing.

Feelings towards my neighborhood

Within the courtyard of my apartment complex, there are a few single mothers and older adults that live near me. If I was a child, a single mother of one child or a senior citizen I don’t think I would have a different feeling about the neighborhood from how I do now. I do wish I could afford an apartment with a washer and dryer machines near my apartment on campus and a cute little courtyard to make my stay here worthwhile while I finish school.

Ethnicity and social classes in my neighborhood

My neighborhood is very ethnically diverse. I see people from all ethnic and racial backgrounds in my neighborhood, and this is one thing that makes me like it here. As of social classes, there are different classes. I would say there is middle and lower middle class. I don’t see a large number of people driving luxury cars in my neighborhood, and therefore I think there are no people who belong to the high social class.

What I would redesign in my neighborhood

Given a chance, I really wouldn’t change anything about my neighborhood except enforcing the law of speed limit. Some small children like playing in the front yards of the duplexes and many people walk like walking their dogs in the front yards, especially in the evening. I get irritated by how some drivers speed down the street in the night or during morning hours as I walk to school. Enforcement of speed limit would ensure that there are no accidents and people are safe from being hit by cars.

Assessment of my neighborhood

My neighborhood is very fluid. There are whites, blacks, and immigrants. People have become used to one another, and there are very few cases of racial discrimination. The two major social classes in our neighborhood are middle and lower middle. This was not the case a long time ago because the neighborhood has grown and changed with time. About ten years ago the dominant social class was the lower middle class. However, people are advancing, and because of increased opportunities and improvement of living standards, many people have become more financially stable.

There is a lot of interaction within my neighborhood. I meet with several of my neighbors in the dog park and the recreational centers. Regarding identity, my neighborhood’s score is low. There are people from varied places, of different races and languages. However, there are only two major religions; Christianity and Islam. Despite these differences, we are bound together by the same living standards. There is no much financial disparity amongst us hence we face the same problems. The neighborhood identifies itself in terms of living standards without focusing majorly on the racial disparities. Another thing that binds us is people respect each other regardless of skin color, language or origin. There are no many people with linkages to people in high posts of governments.

Most of my neighbors are the ordinary citizens. If there are people who have government linkages, I don’t think they occupy the big influential posts.Therefore, there are no people who feel as if they are special then the rest. The political development in the neighborhood is in the middle. I cannot say there is no political development and I cannot say there is a lot of political development.