When suburbs meet farms

[jass]

This subforum seems to be getting popular, so I thought now would be a good time to show some pictures I recently took in California of a process we don't really see around Boston.

All these pictures were taken a few yards from the same intersection.

Prepare to be shocked and amazed!

A few blocks away:

Bus service

Check out the car

This

Wants to be this

 

[Ron Newman]

This is what I fear will someday happen to bucolic Lowell Street in Lexington, if the McMansions keep proliferating.

 

[tobyjug]

Looks like Lee and Collier Counties in Florida.

p.s. nice truck picture.

 

[czsz]

We don't see it very often in Massachusetts because most farms were abandoned here a century ago, leaving heavily wooded tracts in their place. The fact that most sprawl is hidden away under a thick forest canopy causes far too many people to be in denial about the reach of sprawl around Boston.

 

[Lrfox]

^Not to mention the minimum residential lot size in MA tends to be higher than most suburban areas. There's no way, especially in the historic towns on the fringe of Boston's suburbs, will homes be allowed to build that close together. The density of our suburbs and sprawl is lower, but it's still there. There are only a few areas East of Framingham that I would call rural... most of it's suburban (or Urban).

Anyway, my favorite picture of the bunch is the one with "Normal Ave"... now it doesn't get much more "generic" than that.

 

[statler]

Shh!!!

How the hell are we supposed to lord our superiority over other states if you keep introducing facts into the discussion?!?

 

[Ron Newman]

I went to an elementary school on Normal Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The street was probably called that because it was the edge of Memphis State University, historically a "normal school" (teacher's college).

 

[a630]

in case you haven't seen it
"who sprawls most"
not that it's a competition or anything brookings ...
it is useful.
http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/fulton.pdf

 

[Lrfox]

I went to an elementary school on Normal Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The street was probably called that because it was the edge of Memphis State University, historically a "normal school" (teacher's college).

That's very reasonable. I wonder if the name Normal Ave in the picture above has any real depth to it (any help, jass)?

I tend to detest suburban street names. They sound like made up towns in those cheesy romance novels. My girlfriend grew up in one called "Autumn Pond" (the only body of water nearby was a small, man-made pond that was the remnant of a gravel pit). They tend to be overly cheesed up. The reason I sort of like "Normal Ave" is that even with or without a real historic meaning, it's now a very literal street name... It's a "normal" (in the sense that it's like every other typical suburban street) avenue.

 

[Ron Newman]

So what town are these photos from? I tried going up one level on the photobucket.com URL to find captions, but that wants a password to log into jass's account.

 

[garbribre]

This subforum seems to be getting popular, so I thought now would be a good time to show some pictures I recently took in California of a process we don't really see around Boston.

All these pictures were taken a few yards from the same intersection.

Prepare to be shocked and amazed!

Niiice junkeee truuck.

One thing I like about living in CA--old vehicles, out on the road, frequently (and not under cover in the carport, ummm, I mean garage, for eight to ten months of the year).

However, I am not shocked and amazed, of course. This is par for the course. Doesn't matter what town. Hell, what state even. A majority of the rapid growth west and south looks like this, even when it's not on reclaimed farmland.
Horrible, ain't it?
I'll take a winding road of McMansions, each on an acre or more lot, set into the woods, somewhere, oh, let's say, in Lincoln anyday over this.

 

[jass]

That's very reasonable. I wonder if the name Normal Ave in the picture above has any real depth to it (any help, jass)?

I actually dont know, but if you follow it east, it does bisect a college campus (the street is not continuous but can be found at the same height).

The university reference may be correct, as slightly below normal avenue is university avenue, even way out here.

So what town are these photos from? I tried going up one level on the photobucket.com URL to find captions, but that wants a password to log into jass's account.

Sorry Ron, I lock the account because I use it for everything. Thereare no captions anyway.

The city is Fresno.

Google maps has a very old satellite image of the area (3-5 years old) which can be interesting.

Heres the intersection:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...69,-119.879417&spn=0.002028,0.004828&t=k&z=18

The street going north is where you can see the street that was widened but the old poles left in the middle.

On the southwest corner is the church

To the right is where the housing development lies. You can see the house where the modern trailer truck is parked.

Going south, above normal ave is the orange grove which is where the antique truck is parked.

Even more interesting is how close the area is to downtown. For some reason the city grew almost entirely to the northeast.

Here you can the the pictures area, the downtown region (between the three highways) and then the frowth to the north and east
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...36.747,-119.806423&spn=0.064923,0.219727&z=13


In a couple of days Ill post pictures from the easternmost border of the city.

 

[blade_bltz]

I was going to guess Fresno. I have loads of family from there. You don't know jack about fast food till you visit the Central Valley, lemme tell ya. And I've been there, all too many times, cruising Blackstone like it's 1958.

But looking at the location these pics were taken on the map, it's pretty shocking how far the sprawl has reached. This is a good deal west of 99, in what should be the hinterlands.

 

[kennedy]

I tend to detest suburban street names. They sound like made up towns in those cheesy romance novels.

Then you'll love this street near the usbdivision where I live:

Bridgeway Circle Drive

No bridge, not really a way, and no really circle. And certainly not a drive.

 

[jass]

Heres the complete other side, technically the city of Fresno and the unincorporated area of Fresno.

Google maps being old once again proves an asset.

Follow along here or via my screen caps
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...51,-119.645453&spn=0.001924,0.004828&t=h&z=18

Starting intersection

Looking east

Looking west

Looking South

Now biking west, this is the same

This intersection is also the same, except they added lane painting

3rd world pavement

Ok now biking west from the first intersection

Southwest corner

Northwest Corner

Looking back

This is what it used to be

Biking east

Now this intersection

Streetview
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...cbp=12,269.0025186514541,,0,6.801146194746431

Heading south

Im sure this is a very popular pedestrian crossing point. I felt like stealing the sign, I need one near my apartment in Boston

And finally, looking west on Shaw

Streetview
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...bp=12,269.7533189271801,,0,5.5146131984989815