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A couple weeks I attended Kenneth Jackson’s talk called The Road to Hell. Kenneth Jackson graduated from Columbia University and was here to talk about the move many of Americans are making from cities to suburbs. He talked about this trend that’s happening in most cities, but specifically the change occurring in Baltimore.
Jackson started his talk by giving the history behind Baltimore. He said, “Baltimore was once the Sin City of Eastern Coast.” It was chartered in 1729. The Baltimore-Ohio Railroad was the “first real railroad in America”. Baltimore was always diverse; in fact, the diversity has actually decreased in the recent years. The reason why it has always been diverse is because it was the second largest port of entry for immigrants, behind New York City alone. The population peaked in 1950 and has steadily declined since.
The reason for this is that more and more Americans are choosing to live in the suburbs. One reason Americans are moving out of the city and into the suburbs is for economic reasons. You get more land for less money. It’s economically wiser for a large family to move to the suburbs. Appearance is another cause for this trend. Today’s houses are built to be admired. A third reason is the government. The government has made it more appealing for Americans to live in the suburbs. The Home Owners Loan Association has made it easier for families to take out loans and afford owning a home instead of renting in the city. Also citizens receive larger tax deductions if they own a home.
There are several reasons why we choose to live this way. Many feel it is more desirable to live in the spacious suburbs. Other deterrents to a city life could be things like Baltimore’s homicide. For reasons such as the decline of racial consciousness Kenneth Jackson believes there will eventually be a return to growth of cities.
I’m not surprised to see that many Americans prefer to live in the suburbs. The suburbs are aesthetically and economically more pleasing, and for a lot of Americans the city’s living structures don’t fulfill their needs. What does concern me is that the decline in city population will cause a decline in the benefits cities provide. Cities are the heart of our country. It is in city that diversity and culture flourishes. Without the people in cities all the rewards of the city may decrease. I think that’s why it is important for people of the suburbs to take advantage of what the city has to offer and help keep cities functioning. This year at Loyola I learned there are several ways to give to the city. One way to help is to volunteer somewhere like local city schools. I also learned that even traveling into the city and just observing a city is helping. By taking public transportation, going to a museum, or buying food at a city restaurant you are helping. You don’t have to live in the city to experience what it has to offer, and it is important to preserve cities that have been the backbone of our country since the beginning.