Obscure neighorboods of the City

[EastsideAl]

With the exception of well-defined neighborhoods that are physically different from, or separated from, nearby neighborhoods [[Indian Village, Palmer Woods), those that were once separate cities [[Delray, "old" Redford), and perhaps some older ethnic/racial enclaves [[Corktown, Paradise Valley), neighborhood names have rarely been used for much of the City of Detroit. As casscorridor describes, most Detroiters just identified where they lived [[or "stayed") by nearby major cross-streets.

Part of the reason for this is that the city grew in the 20th century in 2 huge booms that covered over what had been for the most part rather thinly settled rural land. The first came in the original auto boom of the 1910s and 20s when most of the central city was built out from the historical core [[roughly the area inside Grand Blvd.) very quickly, and the second came during and just after WWII when the city was swiftly built out to its current borders, and began to spread out into the suburbs.

A lot of the names you see for city neighborhoods today really came into use relatively recently, with the increased neighborhood organization of the 1960s and/or the city planning and "urban renewal" work of the 1950s and 60s. For instance, "Cass Corridor" itself is a name that came from the city planning for the eventual make-over of that area [[which never came). Back when my parents lived there in the '50s where one lived was just named by whatever was nearby [["near Cass Park" or "near Convention Hall" or "near the Library"). "Midtown" is an even newer name for that area that just came into use in the last few years.

[Kathleen]

A lot of the names you see for city neighborhoods today really came into use relatively recently, with the increased neighborhood organization of the 1960s and/or the city planning and "urban renewal" work of the 1950s and 60s.

Or more recently. A case in point is the proliferation of neighborhood names on the far east side...names like East English Village and Morningside. I grew up in the Warren Ave.-Outer Drive area and that's how we referenced our neighborhood. In the mid-70's and into the 80's, we saw the growth of neighborhood associations and we aligned ourselves with the group names: DARE [[Detroit Area Residents East), DEAR [[Detroit East Area Residents), NEAR, ONE, etc. But no specific neighborhood names until after us kids had married and moved out of the area, and my parents moved to Arizona.

According to their website, the East English Village was named in 1990 by the local homeowners association that evolved from one of the above named neighborhood associations. http://www.eastenglishvillage.org/welcome.html

[Eastside]

Or more recently. A case in point is the proliferation of neighborhood names on the far east side...names like East English Village and Morningside. I grew up in the Warren Ave.-Outer Drive area and that's how we referenced our neighborhood. In the mid-70's and into the 80's, we saw the growth of neighborhood associations and we aligned ourselves with the group names: DARE [[Detroit Area Residents East), DEAR [[Detroit East Area Residents), NEAR, ONE, etc. But no specific neighborhood names until after us kids had married and moved out of the area, and my parents moved to Arizona.

According to their website, the East English Village was named in 1990 by the local homeowners association that evolved from one of the above named neighborhood associations. http://www.eastenglishvillage.org/welcome.html

The East English was formally DEAR. The EEV name was one of three final names submitted for consideration and voted upon by the residents. The EEV name won by a majority vote.

At that time, the DEAR organization leadership met and held brainstorming sessions with area real estate companies on ways to stabilize real estate values and create demand for the great homes found within the EEV boundaries. So it was decided to brand the neighborhood as an upscale, stable neighborhood. Shortly after the name was adopted, the boundary signs were built and installed, brochures were created touting the benefits of living in EEV and media coverage followed. It worked. Demand for the homes went up along with prices. But, unfortunately like most neighborhoods in Detroit and surrounding communities , this latest recession has taken it's toll on home values.

[Kathleen]

Thanks, Eastside, for the additional details. My point was just that the newer neighborhood names are fairly recent.

I was pretty involved with DEAR as a block representative for several years until I got married and moved. While there, I co-authored a history of churches in the area covered roughly by the East Warren Businessmen's Association. And as part of a class at Wayne State, I did an overview and analysis of the EWBA from a wide variety of demographic factors. It was interesting to look at the neighborhood I grew up in from so many different angles!!