Boundaries Between Communities

In every state, city, and town, many different types of communities exist. Different types of people live in different parts of town and tend to live in areas where people are just like them. Although there are many factors that delineate boundaries between communities, like physical (streams, railroad tracks, parks, roads, and interstates), political (commercial districts, county borders, and municipal limits), and social (class, gender, and ethnicity) aspects, the factor that includes all of these components is reputation.

Growing up, parents would always tell their children where and when they could go out and play somewhere. Parents constantly told their children that some areas were not safe or suitable for them and that they had to be home at certain times because some areas have bad reputations at night. Basically, these parents were basing on where and when their children could play on the reputations of the given areas. Even though the parents might have never been to that certain area, the legacy and reputation of the area outshines everything.

The reputations of areas are all based on physical, political, and social aspects. People want to scope out the community and base their opinions of it on the reputation of the area. People want to know what makes this community different and more unique than a community 5 minutes away. People want to know if people that live in a certain area have lucrative/non lucrative jobs, if people of the same ethnicity and gender live in the same area, or if crime is abundant or not.

For example, people all over the world know about the Bronx’s reputation. It is a predominately lower class, African American area with a high crime rate. Due to its reputation, it is not a commonly visited area for people to go to. In comparison to the Bronx, one of the safest cities in America is Irvine, California. Irvine is a predominately upper/middle class area with a high concentration of Caucasian citizens and has a low crime rate. Needless to say, its reputation attracts many people and thus, creates a good tourist economy for that area.

In conclusion, people tend to flock to areas where people are just like them. Although there are many factors that delineate boundaries between communities, like physical (streams, railroad tracks, parks, roads, and interstates), political (commercial districts, county borders, and municipal limits), and social (class, gender, and ethnicity) aspects, the factor that includes all of these components is reputation. People judge communities on their reputations on a daily basis and sometimes do not even realize it. Basing a community on its reputation has become a part of life and it is a prime example of how tainted or society truly is.