|
:''See also South Park (disambiguation)'' South Park is a broad post-World War II development in the south-central area of Houston, Texas, a few miles south of MacGregor Park (from which it gets its name) and directly south of the 610 Loop. According to the 2000 Census, the community has a population of 22,282. 81% of the South Park population is predominately African American, compared to 25% for the city as a whole. Houston's Martin Luther King Boulevard runs through the area. Reflecting its postwar origins, many streets in South Park are named after World War II battle sites and persons. In the 1980s and 1990s crime became a major key issue for South Park. Katharine Shilcutt of the ''Houston Press'' said "South Park is an overgrown garden these days, its soil only able to be tilled by the most determined or the most desperate. It shows no sign that it will grow again any time in the near future."〔Shilcutt, Katharine. "Still Standing." ''Houston Press''. Wednesday January 12, 2011. South Park became a very large tourist attraction, and even got a lot of its fame from the popular television show "South Park" on Comedy Central.(5 ). Retrieved on January 13, 2011.〕 ==History== South Park, a post-World War II development, had mostly middle class White American families during the 1950s and early 1960s.〔Scharrer, Gary. "(Bradley boys fell far from the political tree )." ''Associated Press'' at ''The Dallas Morning News''. November 30, 2009. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.〕 Many of the homebuyers were veterans of World War II, and streets were named after battles and people that the homebuyers knew from personal experience.〔Shilcutt, Katharine. "Still Standing." ''Houston Press''. Wednesday January 12, 2011. (1 ). Retrieved on January 13, 2011.〕〔"(SN#72 )." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 13, 2010. 〕 When South Park served as a suburb, lawns were neatly trimmed and area children traveled to places by bicycle.〔 The 610 Loop opened in the 1960s. Katharine Shilcutt of the ''Houston Press'' stated that some residents believed that the opening of 610 marked the beginning of South Park's decline.〔 Ralph Gonzales, a former resident quoted by Shilcutt, said that the opening of 610 caused traffic to increase in the area and allowed residents of other sections of the city to more easily reach South Park.〔Shilcutt, Katharine. "Still Standing." ''Houston Press''. Wednesday January 12, 2011. (2 ). Retrieved on January 13, 2011.〕 Shilcutt added that the forced integration of Jones High School and nearby Sterling High School hastened demographic changes; White families began to move to newer suburbs, such as Pasadena and Pearland. Dave Straughan, a former sergeant of the Houston Police Department's robbery division who served his rookie beat in South Park, said that several factors caused South Park to decline as a neighborhood; by the 1970s crime was beginning to increase.〔 In 1977 the Houston City Council voted to honor Dr. Martin Luther King by renaming South Park Boulevard,〔"(Houston residents have a dream of improving King Street )." ''Austin American-Statesman''. December 1, 1991. B6. Retrieved on May 13, 2010. "In 1977 the Houston City Council sought to honor the Nobel Peace Prize winner by renaming South Park Boulevard after King."〕 a major area thoroughfare, to Martin Luther King Boulevard.〔Rodriguez, Lori. "(SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS / Latinos bringing change to black neighborhoods / Newcomers are finding acceptance comes gradually )." ''Houston Chronicle''. Monday May 2, 2005. A1. Retrieved on February 4, 2009.〕 The renaming was effective on April 5, 1978.〔Rust, Carol. "(Houston has street sense (and nonsense as well) )." ''Houston Chronicle''. Wednesday April 16, 1997. Houston 1. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.〕 Shilcutt said that South Park was no longer considered a suburb by the late 1980s, and that crime became a major concern. In 1987 South Park was still considered to be a mixed race neighborhood.〔Shilcutt, Katharine. "Still Standing." ''Houston Press''. Wednesday January 12, 2011. (3 ). Retrieved on January 13, 2011.〕 Schilcutt said that when the White population in South Park became insignificant in the 1990s, the City of Houston governor began to ignore the remaining residents.〔 By 1993 the infrastructure of the neighborhood had severely declined, with the sewer and water lines beginning to rust and buckle. Al Calloway, a member of the Houston City Council proposed spending a $57.5 million cash surplus on improving the sewer and water lines of South Park; Calloway said "residents in neighborhoods such as South Park or Sunnyside may die before the projects are done."〔Shilcutt, Katharine. "Still Standing." ''Houston Press''. Wednesday January 12, 2011. (4 ). Retrieved on January 13, 2011.〕 The City of Houston never spent the surplus.〔 In October 1994 of rain fell in one day, causing flooding that caused the displacement of over 10,000 people in Greater Houston. The Sims Bayou to overfilled and flooded businesses and houses in South Park. Few of the residents had flood insurance. Some businesses and houses were abandoned as a result of the flood.〔 As time passed, Hispanic residents moved into South Park.〔 Between 1990 and 2000, the Hispanic population of South Park increased by between 5 and 10 percent.〔 In 2000 82% of the neighborhood was Black, and 16% of the area population was Hispanic.〔 In 2005 Lori Rodriguez of the ''Houston Chronicle'' said that South Park was among a group of mostly African American neighborhoods that could become as much as 25% Hispanic and Latino by the end of the decade of the 2000s.〔 In 2009 almost 20% of the neighborhood was Hispanic. As of the 2010 census South Park does not have any White residents. In 2011 the projected percentages for 2016 were 81% Black and 22% Hispanic.〔 In 2007 South Park was one of several Houston neighborhoods with a high concentration of felons.〔Fehling, Dave. "(The ex-cons next door )." ''KHOU-TV''. Retrieved on January 29, 2009.〕 As of 2011 the median yearly income is $33,196, a 15% decrease from 2000's number. As of the same year the median housing price is $50,400, a 15% increase from 2000's number. In a 10-year span ending in 2011, the foreign-born population of South Park increased by almost 10%.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「South Park, Houston」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|