Carolyn C. Smith
The first thing that we need to establish in this unit is a good definition of the terms community and neighborhood. Due to the increase of our vocabulary and knowledge the two words have become synonymous of each other.
A
community
is defined as the people who reside in one locality and are subject to the same laws and share similar interests. It is also defined as common ownership, possession, or enjoyment of property. When we broaden the definition, we find that community is used when we refer to a group of people joined together by common concerns. If we were to use the word community when referring to a town it means a center, a colony, or a hamlet. When we speak of a community in reference to a society, it means the public, the people, or the nation. When the term community is used to show similarity it means likeness, sameness, or identity.
A
neighborhood
is defined as a small area or section of a city or town, often having a distinctive quality or character. Some synonyms for neighborhood are district, locality, vicinage, block, precinct, ward, community, region, section, and zone.
We can readily see how confusion over the definition of community makes it so difficult for us to communicate with each other. Hundreds of years ago the basic definition of these two words were well defined and we had no trouble distinguishing the two. Due to the fact that we have such a mixture of groups of people living in the same neighborhoods today, the two words are almost always being used interchangeably to express the meaning of a topic or situation being addressed.
The City of Elms
The city of New Haven has an interesting history which is far beyond its size. Through the years New Haven has been referred to as “The City of Elms” because of the stately elm trees lining its streets. It has also been called “The Cathedral City” because of its many cathedral architectural designs of buildings. The Indians called this beautiful city Quinnipiac which means long-water place.
Most cities were not planned in the meaning of today. They were founded in location where natural resources such as minerals, existed near trade routes or bodies of water. Cities were also planned near rural areas which the people could use the land to grow their food. Many cities of long ago were developed around forts and temples. Some early cities were planned mostly with public areas as their centers and with two main streets, one running north and south and the other running east and west. Other streets divided the cities into what has come to be called the grid plan. The grid plan showed the blocks of the city formed by squares or rectangles bounded by streets on all four sides. This plan was used for hundreds of years and can still be seen in many American cities today. This is the case in the design of New Haven. The early plans of this city depict a square in the center of town with nine large squares. The center square was referred to as the town common. It contained a public meeting house where all political decisions were discussed. Today the center of town is called “The Green” (See Diagram Below).
(figure available in print form)
“The Green” has and will probably always be known as the heart of New Haven. It is only a simple grassy square surrounded by trees. Temple Street divides “The Green” into two parts. There are many paths or walkways for the convenience of the many busy people to get to the stores and buildings located near the area. The three churches which are located at the edge of “The Green” add to the history of “The City of Elms”.
New Haven was founded in 1638 and was originally the largest area in Connecticut. From the year 1701 until 1873 New Haven was the joint capital along with Hartford of Connecticut. The following towns or communities grew out of this prosperous “City of Elms”.
Name of Town Year Founded
Branford 1685
Wallingford 1670
Cheshire 1780
Woodbridge 1784
East Haven 1785
North Haven 1785
Hamden 1785
Meriden 1806
Orange 1822
Prospect 1827
Bethany 1832
North Branford 1851
Beacon Falls 1871
West Haven 1922
As New Haven began to prosper the citizens found it necessary to separate themselves into even smaller groups. Since the surrounding land had already been designated as towns a new concept had to be developed. Thus the neighborhood was born. During the earlier years of this concept, most of the people of the same ethnic background were living in the same general area. These neighborhoods were named for a noteworthy person or the topography of the land. Below is a map identifying those neighborhoods as well as downtown where the center of New Haven or “The Green” is located. (See Diagram Below)
(figure available in print form)
NEIGHBORHOODS OF NEW HAVEN
Although each neighborhood began to take note of their individual needs, they were still under the same governmental rules and regulations of the city. The population increase caused each neighborhood to choose a representative to speak for them at town meetings. The increase in population as well as the influx of groups of people to the area caused many problems for the various neighborhoods. Most of these problems were of the social, economic, academic, housing, and political nature. Some neighborhoods had more serious problems than others. We would like to feel that we are still one big community with different backgrounds but society warrants a big discrepancy with its view on unity.
