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Old 10-18-2009, 11:54 PM
 
181 posts, read 847,819 times
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I had to drop some people off at hobby so I decided to take a newer scenic route. I went from my nice area off Kirby to Scott street on the other side of 288 and then down Scott to airport boulevard. Some areas I saw in the SW were stunning (in a bad way) to me...I had no idea that kind of poverty was in Houston. It didn't look like a city either I felt like it was Appalachia. Rural looking run down homes, really low density, and even some cows. In other cities the hoods always felt like still part of the city just more gritty and dangerous....this felt like I was in another state, or maybe rural Texas right after the Civil War. And the other rough areas I've been through in Houston (fifth and third wards, sharpstown) were still citylike and felt integrated into the city for the most part.

And I'm not making this up...I saw TWO people galloping on horseback!!!

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? How did that part of town and those people get so left behind? The people I was driving to Hobby were shocked too because they'd never been to Houston before and I'd kept them in the nice areas the whole trip before this incident.
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Old 10-19-2009, 12:18 AM
 
Location: ✶✶✶✶
15,218 posts, read 30,434,972 times
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That whole area is at best on the fringe of the city. You could think of it as a suburban slum. Yes, I know, it's in the city limits. That doesn't mean much in Texas.

Quote:
Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
Yeah, I've been through there a time or two. What you're referring to is commonly called the "black hole." Some people try to make something racial out of it but it's very "Space City" is it not? Anyway, you've got some old oilfields and Superfund sites around, there's nothing of note there (e.g. employment centers) and it's just not considered a very desirable place to live. Here and there you can find some new-ish subdivisions starting south of $100K.

olol @ "scenic route" to Hobby....that's a good one.
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Old 10-19-2009, 12:43 AM
 
Location: #
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiodude84 View Post
How did that part of town and those people get so left behind?
Not everyone wants to move forward.
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Old 10-19-2009, 01:22 AM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
2,089 posts, read 3,885,866 times
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The Scott and Airport Blvd. area is South, not Southwest - called Sunnyside:

Sunnyside, Houston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 10-19-2009, 01:47 AM
 
Location: ✶✶✶✶
15,218 posts, read 30,434,972 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Danbo1957 View Post
The Scott and Airport Blvd. area is South, not Southwest - called Sunnyside:

Sunnyside, Houston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shh. You're ruining the whole Southwest Houston -> rundown hellhole narrative.
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Old 10-19-2009, 05:29 AM
 
Location: Fondren SW Yo
2,783 posts, read 6,655,654 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jfre81 View Post
Shh. You're ruining the whole Southwest Houston -> rundown hellhole narrative.
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Old 10-19-2009, 07:20 AM
 
181 posts, read 847,819 times
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Actually I knew about sunnyside and I saw parts around airport that were really nice and charming...the houses were neat and colorful. Looked sort of like Compton in LA or something (you know it's a hood but still had character and is neat looking).

The bad stuff I was describing....that was mostly Scott north of airport that was so bad...mustve been a 5 mile stretch or so.

My favorite hood is telephone road area up near 45 and Elgin...there's actually some stuff to do arond there and the people are nice I've found.
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Old 10-19-2009, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Southeast Texas
564 posts, read 2,039,529 times
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What you're talking about is a five square-mile area located on the city's south side in an area that, as mentioned earlier, has been dominated by oil fields and designated as a superfund site for years. You are correct in that there is a high rate of poverty, very low density and is hardly representative of a traditional inner-city neighborhood, be it the north or south.

It's very similar to other poorer areas located on the urban fringe of southern cities, such as Pleasant Grove in Dallas, Bankhead in Atlanta and Edgewood in Jacksonville. Not all of it is poor, however. There is a significant amount of working-class/middle class subdivisions in the area. Unfortuantely, they're mixed in with areas that have not been developed much (if at all) and are subjected to the difficulties that those type of communities face.
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Old 10-19-2009, 11:51 AM
 
860 posts, read 1,575,729 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiodude84 View Post

My favorite hood is telephone road area up near 45 and Elgin...there's actually some stuff to do arond there and the people are nice I've found.
That's Near East End...my hood.
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Old 10-19-2009, 12:35 PM
 
7,536 posts, read 11,521,326 times
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That area is the south side just north of the beltway from Makawa to 288 the south area overall is pretty bad
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