Mrs. Huffman's Math Class
Changes in the city from 1875 to 2005.
Do you think that little cities can change dramatically in 10, 20, or even 100 years? Well, now that I have studied this concept, I know that cities can change dramatically.
Our group studied seven posters of one city from the year 1875 to 1990. We each took 1/4th of each poster and studied it in more detail. The middle part of the poster, which had a major intersection, was the area that I studied. This city changed a lot during this time period. I will tell you how it changed and how I think it will look in the future.
In 1875 there were dirt roads with no cross walks and no lines in the street. Transportation was by horse and buggy or by foot. The people in the town wore dark colors such as black, brown and gray. At this time there were not very many buildings and the city was surrounded by farmlands.
By 1910 the population grew larger, and many more building were built. Stores such as jewelers, shoe store, theaters, markets and hotels were popular during this time. Banks and churches also were in town. Transportation included trolleys, ears in addition to horses and travel by foot. There was enough traffic that an intersection was built. There were also brick crosswalks. The city was changing to meet the new growth. I think the changes occurred because in the 35 years the population had grown so much and there was more money in society as a result of all the businesses.
In 1935 the population continued to grow. Many businesses were still in the city. There were many more cars and the cars came in a variety of colors not just black. Streets began to be paved. Gas stations were in business to service the cars. Electricity was available for many people and this allowed the city to put in stop lights and power lines. There were still farmlands but not nearly as much as in the early days of the city.
In 1955 there were many more businesses in the city and the population was growing even larger than before. There were some new types of transportation on hand, one of these vehicles were the bus. This vehicle could probably hold up to 20 passengers. Most of the buildings were still in the city some of which are, the hotel, bank, theater, market, and the church. This 20 year time period has made a tremendous change in this now populated city.
In 1970 the hippies broke out and along came long hair, graffiti and bright, bright colors. The city grew wildly and buildings became "groovier." They built a mall, a boutique shop, a music shop, and they still had the theater. A park replaced the intersection to the city. Billboards became popular. Restaurants and banks had a new service in the "drive through window". McDonald's is very popular. America was involved in the Vietnam War and many people didn't understand why we were fighting. They just wanted peace, so they expressed themselves in the hippie ways like long hair, flowers and Volkswagens. These were the most popular cars during this time.
The 1980's were much calmer with not as much graffiti or trash. There were many signs in the city stating, "going out of business". There was a move to preserve the land and to develop cultural centers in the city.
In 1990 some things from 1955 returned such as the Butler House Cafe and the trolley. It was also a period of time the city decided it needed an intersection because of the population and the number of cars in the city. Half of the park was removed to put the intersection back in the city. Taxis were used a lot to transport people. The bank was still in the city. There were no more power lines as these were now buried in the ground.
In 2005 1 think this city will look almost the same but I think there will be a need for more roads. I think there will be train tracks for mass transit like the Max trains in Portland. I think there will be fewer fast food restaurants but more restaurants with healthier food and the people become more concerned about their health. There will be a need for more schools and churches as the population grows. Because of older people there will need to be nursing homes and hospitals. I think the city will be a fun place to live and a good place to raise a family.
In over 100 years the city changed so much that it would be hard to tell that it was the exact same city that was started in 1875. People, money, technology and other things caused these changes through the years.
by Anna H., A-8