Most of you know that I am a resident of Houston’s oldest neighborhood, the Historic Houston Heights. Not only have I lived here for more than 10 years, but both sets of grandparents lived in Timbergrove (just to the west of Heights proper) since I was born and I went to school in Oak Forest (just to the north).
I like this place both for the quality of the people who live here and for the unique nature of this inner city ‘hood. What worries me, and a lot of other Heights residents, is the erosion of this neighborhood due to a loss of tress and parks and destruction of historic bungalows in favor of giant faux Victorians and, even worse, condominiums.
Much of this is due to the fact that suburbanites, tired of traffic, are moving back into town and bringing with them some of the annoying characteristics of suburban living. Cookie-cutter houses more about location than quality as two homes are routinely crammed onto one lot. Porches (one of the very staples of friendliness among neighbors in the Heights) are being removed in favor of front-loading garages. Wrought iron fences with electronic gates are taking the place of white picket fences, smacking of fear of the very diversity the Heights embraces.
The folks at Houstonist wrote a good opinion piece about this recently and there are plenty of ways to help preserve the Heights as many others are concerned with the problems. Here are a few links to help get you started. Support our history and save our neighborhood.
Save the 11th Street Park
Save the Bungalows
Chronicle Heights Blog
Houston Heights Wikipedia Site
Official Houston Heights Website