Running head: TWO NEIGHTBORHOODS
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An Ethnographic Study of Two Neighborhoods
Casey L. Leonards and Melissa A. Hamel
Louisiana State University
Author’s Note
Melissa A. Hamel, Studying Child and Family Studies, Louisiana State University. Casey L.
Leonards, Studying Child and Family Studies, Louisiana State University. Correspondence in
reflection to this paper should be directed to Melissa A. Hamel. Email: mhamel1@tigers.lsu.edu
or Casey L. Leonards. Email: cleona8@tigers.lsu.edu.
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TWO NEIGHBORHOODS
Method
Procedure
The observers drove around in their car discovering details of the neighborhood that Polk
Elementary is located, which is called Old South Baton Rouge, and Kenilworth Subdivision.
While the observers remained in their car they examined and logged on paper or a computer the
qualities of two different neighborhoods. The Polk Elementary boundaries included Highland
Road, between E. Roosevelt and E. Washington Street, between Tennessee and Caroline Street,
and between Highland Road and Maryland Street. The boundaries for Kenilworth Subdivision
are Kenilworth Parkway and Staring Lane and between Highland Creek Subdivision and
Highland Road. The observers spent the same amount of time in each place and recorded
specific areas of interest to complete the ethnographic study.
Results
1. Description of Both Neighborhoods
The neighborhood, in which Polk Elementary is located, is within the heart of “Old South
Baton Rouge.” The neighborhood is perceived to be in a low-income area just as in any other
city. Among the houses located, there is a considerable amount with blue, green and purple tarps
on the roofs and even on the sides of the houses. Of the houses observed, all are constructed
with vinyl siding raised off the ground. Although most of the houses had peeling, all were
painted in an assortment of colors. A couple of houses were leaning to the side and many of the
porches were falling apart. Located on some of the houses were pieces of wood or eviction
signs, signifying no one lives in these houses. Two of the houses stood out in particular with
graffiti on the sides stating an initial. In front of most of the houses on the porch, there were beat
up couches and chairs. A variety of new, old, and destroyed cars including Toyotas, Hondas,
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and Cadillac’s were also found dispersed around the perimeter of several houses. In addition,
there were many adults and kids seen using their bicycles as a main mode of transportation. The
condition of the lawns appeared tremendously un-kept with broken items remaining in a vast
amount of yards. In many of the yards was trash, such as oranges, food from the trashcans,
trampolines, old rustic grills, and children’s toys all in one pile. Of the houses observed, many
of them have incomplete gardens that have yet to be completed. Within the neighborhood,
several businesses were observed including grocery stores, two schools, multiple Baptist
churches, a fellowship center, and thrift store. All of the buildings were within walking distance
or biking distance for the community members. Most of the businesses observed had bars on
each of the windows and doors and some even had wood on the windows.
Kenilworth Subdivision appeared more prosperous than the neighborhood located near
Polk Elementary. The neighborhood welcomes its residents with a brick sign entrance with a
beautiful garden surrounding it. On the main avenue, there is a landscaped median with trees
and light posts lighting the roads. There was a bike lane on the main boulevard for bikers.
Kenilworth Subdivision consists of older Acadian Style homes made of brick. None of the
houses had boards, tarps, or eviction signs on the exterior. The cars in this affluent
neighborhood were of better quality and included newer Toyotas, BMWs, Trucks, and motor
homes. The cars were neither wrecked nor damaged as well as kept in somewhat pristine
condition. The lawns were well manicured with trees and gardens. There was a diversity of
people mowing their lawns, racking the leaves out of the gardens, and some were blowing off the
driveway. Of the houses observed, there was no trash to be found in the yards and no cars were
parked on the lawns. The institutions in Kenilworth Subdivision include Pennington Biomedical
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Research center, Kenilworth Science and Technology, Kenilworth’s BREC Skate Park, a
recreational sports center and park, a walking path, and a rock-climbing wall.
2. Description of the People
Just as there are many different people who make the world go around, the same holds
true for a neighborhood. A neighborhood is comprised of many different people of all different
backgrounds and cultures. During the time spent in Old South Baton Rouge, the observers
noticed predominantly more African American’s within the boundaries of the selected
neighborhood. Several of the individuals spotted on the streets were older men and women
approximately in their mid-sixties or seventies. There were also children and young adults seen
around the neighborhood. One particular man was in his yard working on an old vehicle, while
another was sitting on his porch rocking back and forth. Young children were out riding their
bikes, or walking alongside a friend or relative. Spotted on the street were a group of guys in
their mid-twenties washing their vehicles at a local carwash. A middle-aged man was walking
back from the store carrying two bags of groceries. A post woman was seen delivering mail to
the residents of the neighborhood. Many males and females were simply taking a walk down the
streets.
The residents of the Kenilworth neighborhood were mostly Caucasian individuals and
families. The observers did spot two African American individuals while passing through. The
Kenilworth neighborhood is comprised of many young children living with their caregivers to
older adults. On the day of the observation, the residents were engaging in several different
activities. Four adults were seen outside doing yard work, such as blowing and cutting the lawn.
One older lady was seen putting out Mardi Gras decorations. A couple was walking with their
three dogs on leashes often stopping to talk with residents who were outside. One family was
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spotted at the BRECC Park riding scooters and bikes down the path that was provided. Several
families were out at the baby park letting the children play and slide down the play set. An older
woman was seen jogging down the sidewalk. The neighborhood in which the people were most
visible was the Kenilworth neighborhood. More individuals and families were out engaging in
different activities.
3. Description of the Type of Businesses
The businesses in Old South Baton Rouge community were of poor quality. Most of the
shopping included dollar and thrift stores. Two characteristics that remain common between the
stores were bars on the doors and windows and the chipped paint on each of the buildings. The
observers discovered two schools, Buchanan Elementary and Polk Elementary, in the heart of the
community, which had signs saying under surveillance and gates surrounding the school where
the children play. BREC Park, located within the community, had one swing for a baby, no
parking, dirty slides, and a baseball field without bleachers for seating. There were many
restaurants found within a five-mile radius of this neighborhood, but none of them were upscale.
This included restaurants such as, Louie’s Café, Pita Pit, Burger King, Jack in the Box, The
Chimes, Menchie’s, and Reginelli’s. The shopping that is available in the same five-mile radius
can be done at Thomas Grocery Store, CVS Pharmacy, Exon Mobile Gas Station, Family Dollar
Store, thrift store, and other stores. Churches found within a five-mile radius of this community
included Baptist churches, Christ the King church on LSU’s campus, the Baptist church on
LSU’s campus, and many other churches found in the neighborhood. Other businesses located
nearby are VIP Hand Car Wash, University Car Care, and Louisiana State University.
There are a variety of businesses located throughout Kenilworth Subdivision and outside
of Kenilworth Subdivision. The businesses in this neighborhood were well kept and in great
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TWO NEIGHBORHOODS
condition. The BREC Skate Park is found in the community. The BREC Skate Park includes
swing sets for the children, benches, skate ramps and pits, a rock wall, a black and red climbing
gym and a walking path that goes around the skate park. A football stadium was located across
from BREC Skate Park; however some of the white paint was beginning to chip off. Throughout
the park were strung lights and street lighting in the park. Pennington Biomedical Research
Facility was located in Kenilworth Subdivision across from the BREC Skate Park. The research
center has a white fence and sign at the opening of the driveway. The driveway is outlined with
trees and a metal fence encloses the facility. Within the community of Kenilworth is the
Kenilworth Science and Technology middle school. Multiple convenience stores, including
CVS and Walgreens are located within a five-mile radius of the community. Several gas stations
were also noticed in a five-mile radius, including, two Exxon’s, and two Shell Stations. Various
restaurants were observed around the five-mile radius of the neighborhood, including Sammy’s
Grill, McDonalds, Johnny’s Pizza, Izzo’s, McAllister’s, Mellow Mushroom, Walkons, New
York Bagel, and Subway. Grocery stores that were spotted include Neighborhood Wal-Mart,
Albertsons, and Winn-Dixie. The churches surrounding the Kenilworth Subdivision were Christ
the King, Baptist churches, and Methodist churches, which were well kept. The businesses the
observers identified were not falling apart, the paint was not chipping, and there were no bars on
the windows or doors.
Discussion
4. Similarities Between the Neighborhoods
In both the Kenilworth and Old South Baton Rouge neighborhood the observers noticed
that both neighborhoods had many different entrances. They were not “one way in, one way
out” neighborhoods that are typically seen around the Baton Rouge area. Both neighborhoods
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had several entrances and thoroughfares. Residents of the two neighborhoods seemed to interact
with one another; the children were playing and riding their bikes while the adults were visiting
on the streets. Each neighborhood had a school located in the heart of the neighborhood. All of
the members in the two neighborhoods appeared to be safe within their own neighborhood. Both
neighborhoods had stores and parks located within the neighborhoods.
5. Differences between Neighborhoods
As the observers discover the results of this study, it is no secret that these two
neighborhoods exhibit a significant difference. There are two apparent differences that are noted
by the observers. In Old South Baton Rouge, there were a greater number of people outside than
in Kenilworth Subdivision. Children were riding their bikes in the street and the members of the
community were always walking around and talking to one another or going to the store. In
Kenilworth Subdivision, the members of the neighborhood would use different means of
transportation, such as cars, which prevented them from stopping and talking to others in the
community. The second difference was in Old South Baton Rouge there were primarily African
Americans whereas in Kenilworth there were mainly Caucasian individuals and only a few
African Americans. The third noted difference that stood out to the observers was the churches
found in the Old South Baton Rouge community were absent in the Kenilworth Subdivision.
The Old South Baton Rouge community had many Baptist Churches on many corners in the
neighborhood. In the Old South Community, many of the children were riding their bikes in the
street or residents were walking across the street. Many of these individuals would block the
street, preventing the observers from continuing their drive through the neighborhood. This was
never encountered in the Kenilworth Subdivision.
6. Neighborhood with Most Challenges
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After observing both neighborhoods, Old South Baton Rouge seemed to present the most
challenges. It is indeed a poorer neighborhood with fewer decent homes as compared to
Kenilworth. Many of the homes in Old South Baton Rouge were boarded with tape around the
side of the house saying, “Do not enter.” This would lead one to believe that the owners could
have been evicted. The Polk Elementary School looked run down with paint chipping off the
older building. The park in Old South Baton Rouge was tattered and torn with no swings for the
children to swing on. There were also no bike paths for the children to ride their bikes on as seen
in the Kenilworth neighborhood. This makes it more difficult for the children to have a place to
play and conduct birthday parties. The stores in the Old South Baton Rouge neighborhood were
not your typical large supermarkets; they were very small convenient stores with very few
groceries. This could be a challenge for a family who needs specialty items and have to travel
across town to grocery shop. The roads in the Old South Baton Rouge were not freshly paved
and had many potholes in the road. This could be a challenge because it could wear down a car
much faster than nicely paved roads.
7. A More Close-Knit Community
The observers believe the community of Old South Baton Rouge is more close-knit than
the neighborhood of Kenilworth Subdivision. The schools, churches, businesses, grocery stores,
and houses in the Old South Baton Rouge area are in close proximity to one another. The
residents of the Old South Baton Rouge’s community can easily walk to churches, grocery
stores, restaurants, and gas stations. The children of the community can easily travel to and from
Polk Elementary. Many of the members are able to ride their bikes to certain places, which
makes them able to talk to people on the way to where they are going. In the community, there
were many children playing together, which was so different than Kenilworth Subdivision,
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which lacked social interaction between the children. Since the resources are within close reach,
this enables the members of the community to be dependent. In turn, this develops a more closeknit community.