As our air conditioned van crawled towards the rim of the San Fernando Valley there wasn't much excitement building for the great map of suburbia that was about to come to life before us. The majority of the tour was spent looking through the windows of the van, trying to catch gimpses of the landmarks and history that flew by at top speeds of 15mph. Our suburban safari took us from the bastion of the white middle class to a neighborhood peppered with street vendors and fliers and is home to the Valley's only public housing project, the aptly named 'Gardens'.
The valley was full of non-surprises with neighborhoods segregated by spanish billboards and public transportation. Though it wasn't new, I think there are few people that haven't at least driven through this category of suburbia, there was something different about this cluster of neighborhoods all fighting to hold onto their identities during the rapidly changing face of the LA suburbs. It's easy to pass through 'less desirable' parts of town without really giving a second thought as to why the neighborhood is on the lower end of the economic rope. Has it always been this way? The city commissioners offices we visited gave me a lot more insight into the individual struggles of each particular region. It was extremely eye opening and saddening to learn that this particular section of town was actually once a thriving middle class neighborhood where residents held secure jobs in the industry that flooded the Valley after WWII. Pensions, healthcare and stable wages left when companies such as GM closed up shop and moved out. The city has had a difficult time handling this instant economic devastation and many of the residents now find themselves without jobs or, as we learned, with jobs that take them off of the unemployment list but are less lucrative, stable and satisfying than the industry positions they once held. This new information made my view back through the Valley onto the awaiting clogged artery of the 110 freeway a little different. The daytime streets packed with people seemed stronger, prouder and more eager for a new change to sweep through and help repair their broken economy.