Living in what is called South Arcadia, every day for the past quarter-century I drive, ride my bike, or walk past a variety of homes of varying architectural styles and size.
Scott Hettrick
More new homes continue to be built every year.
The pictures below (click photos to enlarge) are homes on a single street over only a couple of blocks that I recently rode past on my bicycle. I was struck by the sharp contrast in size and style, and wondered which ones an out-of-town visitor would think looked more eye-pleasing and contemporary when they come to town for the first time. Which would any person of any culture, including a middle-aged upper middle-class Caucasian, for example, be most attracted to?
I know some people don’t like the larger new homes because of their size or style. And I know the two-story homes can suddenly mean less backyard/pool privacy and block the view of the mountains of those who have long been in traditional one-story or ranch homes, as has happened to our small home.
But it’s not the end of the world and we’ve adapted. And I have to say that as we drive, bicycle and walk our neighborhood streets, we fnd the new homes to be extremely well landscaped and maintained, and, more often than not, they are more attractive and have more curb-appeal that most of the smaller homes they replaced.
But that is only our subjective opinion. Most of the smaller homes that remain are the ones that looked better than those that were removed, so the end result is an overall visual upgrade of the neighborhood that continues to look far less dated every year, which of course also results in higher home values.
In any case, everyone has their own opinion on this topic and everyone is entitled to their own perspective without feeling disrespected by those with a differing view. In South Arcadia these myriad styles and the people in them seem to be living in harmony. Following are more photos depicting the old and new standing side-by-side…
— By Scott Hettrick
