Mandy Gajeski & Abbie Bourgeois
Ethnographic Study of Two Neighborhoods
HUEC 4065
Describe a detailed description of both neighborhoods.
The neighborhood surrounding Polk Elementary visibly looked un-kept and run down.
Majority of the houses had boarded up windows, broken glass windows, and looked as if they
had not been maintained for many years. One of the houses became very noticeable quickly. It
was painted pink and purple with chipped paint covering the outside. Another house in the
neighborhood had a portable toilet located on the side. There were many cars located in the
driveway, on the street, and even in the yards. Similar to the houses, most of these cars were
older models which were run down with maintenance being neglected. For example, the paint
on the cars was chipping off, and many of the windows were busted out with trash bags tapped to
the car to replace the glass. There were some cars posted on blocks which appeared to be broken
down. Most of the lawns in Polk subdivision lacked maintenance and attention. It was obvious
that the lawns did not have sprinkler systems to maintain the grass because most lawns in the
subdivision were brown and dead. The lawns were not only withered and dead, but they were
also covered in trash and rubbish. For example, there were many dilapidated televisions,
bicycles, and basketball goals in the yards. One backyard had what seemed to be a tent made out
of bed sheets. This neighborhood had many shut down institutions. These were also in bad
condition and were typically brick buildings. There were approximately half of a dozen
institutions.
Kenilworth subdivision appeared to be a very well maintained community. As soon as
you enter the neighborhood, there was a sign advertising a meeting held by the Kenilworth Civic
Association, which is the neighborhood committee. It encouraged the community to come to the
meeting by advertising fun games and refreshments. As you drive through Kenilworth
subdivision, it becomes noticeable that all of the houses are neutral color with shutters on the
windows rather than boards. Also, all of the lawns are maintained with no trash or rubbish in the
yard. Along with the well kept lawns, many houses had flower beds and flourish filled yards
which added color and attractiveness to the lawns. Also, many houses had Mardi-Gras
decorations on the outside of their house. The vehicles parked in the driveways in Kenilworth
subdivision were newer models and had great preservation. Kenilworth subdivision also had
many safety precautions throughout the neighborhood. For example, throughout the subdivision,
there were signs indicating that the neighborhood was secure with supervision at all times. There
were also signs that insist for by passers to slow down because there were children playing in the
subdivision and signs indicating walkways across the streets. Kenilworth subdivision also has a
bike lane for those riding a bike. There are not many buildings in Kenilworth subdivision. One
building located in the neighborhood is Kenilworth Science and Technology school. There is
also a BREC facility in Kenilworth subdivision. Although there are not many buildings in the
actual subdivision, there are many on Highland road, which is near Kenilworth. These buildings
are very well maintained with people constantly entering and exiting them. The buildings
throughout Kenilworth subdivision have a contemporary style and have obviously not been
neglected, but have had an immense amount of maintenance and up keep.
Mandy Gajeski & Abbie Bourgeois
Ethnographic Study of Two Neighborhoods
HUEC 4065
Provide a description of the people in the neighborhood.
Most of the individuals that were visible in the Polk neighborhood were of the African
American race. There were also two Caucasian individuals who were outside. The average age
that was visible was middle aged. We estimated the other individuals to be in their teenage years.
An older man we saw was walking down the street and appeared to be homeless. We saw two
teenaged boys riding their bicycles. There was a group of three girls standing outside a front
door, and also a woman standing on the corner with another middle aged man. As we passed
through the neighborhood, we also saw young children riding their bicycles or playing in their
yards or in the streets. Many individuals were visual in Polk subdivision.
There were very few individuals visual in Kenilworth subdivision. Those who were
visible were Caucasian. One individual that we came across was an older Caucasian male who
was walking his dog. As we drove through, we also saw a middle-aged woman unloading her
vehicle which was filled with groceries. We did not witness any children playing outside.
Therefore, the visible age composition of the people in Kenilworth subdivision was middle-age
to older Caucasian individuals.
Provide a detailed description of the type of business in each neighborhood.
The main institution in the neighborhood on E. Polk was Polk Elementary. The school
was an average school building, but was not a recent building. Down the street is a building,
which seems to be a store, called The Den. This store was brightly painted and had huge signs on
the windows. Right around the corner was a grocery store named Benny’s. This was a brick
building that also had huge signs on the windows, one that read “Food Stamps Accepted”.
Splash, which is a bar, is also located in this neighborhood. Splash is also an older looking
building that is made out of bricks. Right next to Splash is a police station, which looks like a
typical police station. Across the street is Connections for Life Thrift Store. This thrift store
building seemed vacant from the outside, but was still in business. Within the area of Polk
Elementary are about two different Baptist churches. Both of these churches seemed up to date
and well kept up. One of the churches had a bus with the church name on the side of it. Majority
of these institutions had no visible people outside.
As mentioned previously, there are not many businesses in the actual subdivision of
Kenilworth, but there are many within a five mile radius located on Highland road. The main
church located near Kenilworth subdivision is St. Jude Catholic Church. This church also offers
an elementary school. The church seemed well kept with an elegant, but modern style. Also,
right outside Kenilworth subdivision is Country Day Child Development Center. These are two
very high ranked schools for young children in Baton Rouge. There was a hardware store and a
gift shop located by the entrance and exit of Kenilworth subdivision. The gift shop is called
Sanctuary and is built like a small church with a miniature steeple on the top of the building.
Sanctuary had a digital advertisement board on the outside which indicates that the building is
very modern. The very well known and popular bank, Chase, is also near Kenilworth
subdivision.
Mandy Gajeski & Abbie Bourgeois
Ethnographic Study of Two Neighborhoods
HUEC 4065
What similarities did you notice both neighborhoods?
Although Kenilworth and Polk subdivision are two different neighborhoods, there were
some similarities that were noticeable as we drove through both neighborhoods. One similarity
is that both neighborhoods had a school that was within walking distance. Therefore, this means
that both neighborhoods had the same age range of people, elementary aged children and their
parents. Also, both neighborhoods had bicycles and basketball goals which indicated that both
neighborhoods were filled with children. Another similarity is that it seemed as though both
neighborhoods promoted community bonding. Although the neighborhoods promoted this
differently, both seemed to promote a close community.
What differences did you notice between both neighborhoods?
There were many differences between Polk subdivision and Kenilworth subdivision. The
physical appearance of both neighborhoods was the most predominant difference between each
subdivision. The neighborhood of Polk Elementary has more houses that are neglected and in
bad condition, lawns that have not been maintained, and had numerous cars that were older
models, rusted, and damaged. Along with the maintenance of the houses, the colors of the
houses were also different in both subdivisions. Polk subdivision had bright and colorful houses
such a pink, purple, blue, and yellow, but Kenilworth subdivision had more neutral color houses
such as beige, dark green, dark blue, white, or brown. The lawns in each subdivision were also
different. Kenilworth subdivision had well kept yards with flowers planted along their house,
while Polk subdivision had withered grass and weeds in their yards with trash and rubbish
covering the lawns in some areas.
Polk subdivision had more people visible in the neighborhood. Most of these individuals
were African-American; whereas Kenilworth subdivision seemed to have more individuals of the
Caucasian race. Also, the activities that the people were doing in each neighborhood were
different. In Polk subdivision there were more individuals lurking in the street and talking to one
another, but in Kenilworth subdivision, most individuals were completing a task or doing an
activity. Also, Kenilworth subdivision had much more safety promoters and precautions
throughout the neighborhood, such as signs asking by passers to slow down, speed signs, and
neighborhood watch signs. Polk subdivision did not have any of these signs in their
neighborhood except for the one near the school.
The businesses were also very different in each neighborhood. One difference that was
noticeable is the difference in the type of churches. Polk subdivision had Baptist churches
nearby, whereas Kenilworth subdivision had Catholic churches nearby. Also, the businesses in
Kenilworth subdivision were more well-known having a more modern and contemporary look to
them. The businesses in Polk subdivision were rundown and are not as popular or well-known.
The placement of the businesses in each neighborhood is also different. Businesses surrounding
Polk’s subdivision are randomly placed throughout the neighborhood, but the businesses near
Kenilworth subdivision are located on the outside of the neighborhood and placed near other
businesses.
Mandy Gajeski & Abbie Bourgeois
Ethnographic Study of Two Neighborhoods
HUEC 4065
In your opinion, which neighborhood has the most challenges, and why? Describe these
challenges.
The neighborhood of Polk Elementary would seem to be more apt to challenges. This
neighborhood appears to have fewer resources. One resource that Kenilworth subdivision had
which was not advertised in Polk subdivision was a neighborhood committee. There is a
committee in Kenilworth’s subdivision which required for the people in the community to pay
fees to which would possibly go towards making improvements or maintaining the
neighborhood. Therefore, Kenilworth subdivision had a fund that the neighborhood could rely
on, whereas Polk subdivision does not. With that said, Polk subdivision is faced with the
challenge to locate these resources and to do that the community will need a way to raise money
to start this committee. The income level of the residents in the neighborhood is not suitable for
providing the monthly or annual fees needed to have a committee. Also, Polk subdivision is
faced with a safety hazard. With all the individuals lurking in the streets, it makes it more
difficult to keep the children safe. There should be more supervision within this neighborhood.
Another safety hazard that Polk residents may face is the negligence of the houses. This may
cause the children and the residents to become ill more often or to be in danger living in these
houses that are not being maintained.
In your opinion, which neighborhood is more close-knit, and why?
As we drove through both neighborhoods, it is obvious that both Polk subdivision and
Kenilworth subdivision are close-knit. Polk’s residents make this closeness obvious through the
way they interact with one another as you drive through the neighborhood, but Kenilworth made
it obvious by promoting their neighborhood committee. Ultimately, I believe that Polk
subdivision rely closely on one another and are more close-knit than the residents of Kenilworth
subdivision. We came to this conclusion, simply because Polk subdivision lacks a lot of
resources so they have to depend on one another. This is an extremely admirable aspect of this
subdivision and is a resource that the residents have to overcome some of the challenges they are
faced with. Also, while driving through Polk neighborhood we witnessed many residents
communicating with one another, but when we drove through Kenilworth we did not see any
communication. Although, Kenilworth’s subdivision has a neighborhood committee, we do not
know how much the residents participate in it. Therefore, using the information gathered solely
on our observations studied as we drove through each neighborhood, it appeared as though the
residents of Polk subdivision seemed to communicate more and be more close-knit.