Westmoreland Place:15th & 13th

On a red, orange, and yellow fall Tuesday afternoon, six freshman in college visit Westmoreland Place on 15th east and 13th south. In wandering this area, our group played the role of the observer. Through our observations, we noticed a neighborhood with a variety of homes. The design of these homes ranged from colonial to victorian to bungalow. Some homes were old as others had been refurbished. There was not a single house that had an untidy front porch or lawn, implying that this neighborhood is cared for and that there is a mutual understanding among neighbors for the importance of maintaining appearances.

This neighborhood seemed veryfamily oriented. We were able to draw this conclusion due to this neighborhood being right next to an elementary school. Another detail which added to this assumption was that there was a carved halloween pumpkin on every front porch. Granted, carving pumpkins is not limited to families, but it created a welcoming atmosphere for future trick-or-treaters. Also, we saw many driveway basketball hoops and outdoor toys for kids/teens. The houses are also further back from the road; there is a lot of space between the curb, sidewalk, lawn, and then the house. This could be due to safety for children or could just be a coincidence.

We visited in the late afternoon/early evening, so we didn't see many people out, this could be because people were in with their families (for it was chilly outside) or people were simply out. What gives the neighborhood a different feel is that itdoesn't follow the standard SLC grid system. There were many curvy roads merging into each other creating this as a separate little community. From living in Salt Lake, I know this is an expensive area to live in; however, when being in this neighborhood, my group didn't feel an elitist vibe, we were very humbled by the variety ofhomes, the many trees, and the general sense of being welcome. Even without interacting with people, my attitude towards those in this area is one of neutrality. Although, when in a welcoming neighborhood, it may be safe to assume that the people in saidneighborhood are in fact, pleasant. In wandering the neighborhood we noticed only two For Sale signs, further emphasizing this neighborhood as a community where people intend to stay for a significant amount of time. This place makes me think of settling down, where people build lives with one another, this area in no way gives off the vibe of being a transitional neighborhood for people.