I spent last week with my daughter and her family in Kissimmee, just outside all the theme parks of Orlando. Our condo was a comfortable town house in a development that featured hundreds of the same townhouses. I remember this from years ago, when I visited my parents after they retired to Sarasota. There is a sameness to these developments; it’s easy to get disoriented because they all look alike.
While the men were golfing, my daughter and I took the girls to see the Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida. The gardens and the 205 foot carillon were part of Edward Bok’s legacy: “Wherever your lives may be cast, make the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.” The air was filled with all kinds of pollinators flitting from flower to flower, and the tall trees provided shade. It was both serene and calming—a quiet refuge among new developments being built nearby.
Because the Orlando area is such a draw for tourist dollars, we saw development after development being built. As we drove to the gardens, I noticed a large swath of land had been cleared of the scrub pines and brush. It was a wound in the landscape, where the nearby land is used to raise cattle. Because so much of Florida is flat, these developments really stand out, especially the new ones that have tiny scraggly trees planted. Bernard and I figured it would be at least 20 years before the trees grew to a sufficient height to provide shade and to soften the harshness of the houses, most of which are in monotone shades of beige. A Joni Mitchell once sang, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”
When I taught my class on US History Since World War II, one of our topics was the huge demographic shift that occurred after the end of the war, as Baby Boomers increasingly moved to the suburbs. Bill Levitt was a Seabee in the European theater during World War II; he was tasked with rebuilding bridges blown up by the Nazis quickly to enable Allied forces to continue their campaign. He applied construction techniques he learned during the war to house construction back in the US. If you are interested in the first suburb, Levittown, check out the video below.
For millions, these cookie-cutter developments represented the American Dream of home ownership. For critics, however, the suburbs represented conformity and banality—the homogenization of America for the masses.
We rented a cottage in West Palm Beach for a month. Our little house is in an established neighborhood. Every house is different; Florida style ranches, Spanish-style haciendas built of stucco, Colonial-style houses with wooden siding. Each has tall trees and palms providing shade. All of the homes appear to be well-maintained and landscaped.
I went for a little bike ride on Sunday morning. Our house is located one block from the Intercoastal Waterway. As I rode along the bike path, the houses built overlooking the water became grander and grander—immense houses in every conceivable style, tall palms lining the road on both sides. It is aesthetically pleasing.
I went for another ride this morning, exploring S. Flagler Drive, a road that runs along the waterway. Our little cottage is the house at the top left of the collage below, the rest are photos of older homes and newer construction. It happened to be garbage collection day and there were lawn maintenance crews working alongside the construction crews. I heard no one speaking anything but Spanish. Out of curiosity, I googled houses for sale in the immediate area. The prices at one website ranged from $2 million at the low end to more than $22 million. West Palm Beach and Palm Beach are among the fastest growing areas in the country for attracting millionaire residents.
Granted, the new development in rural Lake Wales and the established neighborhoods of West Palm are completely different; but that is the point. There are two different worlds here. The new developments are not for the poor, but rather for the middle class while the homes in West Palm are for the 1%, perhaps for even less than the 1%.
Since 1980, the income gap between low and middle income households and higher income households has increased dramatically.
As I ride past these mega mansions in all their diversity, I feel like a person on the outside looking in. I am still mulling over what these two different kinds of neighborhoods signify. Perhaps I am exaggerating by focusing on the two extremes. I do think, however, that it is noteworthy and representative of larger changes occurring in our country.
Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you again.
Margaret
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