Greensboro Daily Photo

Z is for Zero, Ground Zero (27401)

The Fisher Park neighborhood was built at the beginning of the 20th century with most of the homes erected before 1940. The actual park, in which the above Genesis Marker is situated, consists of approximately 14 acres and is billed as Greensboro's "premiere civic open space" (reference).Today's photo of the Genesis Marker in Fisher Park was selected because genesis means "beginning."  The Genesis Marker is the "Ground Zero" for Greensboro; the beginning of the city, the geographic center of the county. From the Genesis Marker, the city radiates equally in all directions. We could actually describe our Greensboro neighborhoods in terms of their distance from the Genesis Marker. The marker is so unassuming, tucked in its little spot between North and South Park Drives and Elm Street to the west and Church Street to the east. Historian Jim McLamroch erected the Genesis Marker to honor and document the city's early history.

Since this round of ABC Wednesday, we focused on the neighborhoods of Greensboro and Greensboro doesn't have a Z neighborhood, we thought it would be nice to feature the Genesis Marker as Z is for Ground ZERO.

In case you are interested, here are the A-Z neighborhoods we have featured on the wonderful ABC Wednesday meme over the last 26 weeks: Adams Farm, Brown Town, The Cardinal, Dudley Heights, Eastern Shores, Forest Oaks, Guilford Hills, Hamilton Lakes, Irving Park, Jefferson Gardens, Kings Forest, Longview Hills, McAdoo Heights, NEW Irving Park, O. Henry Oaks, Pleasant Garden, Reedy Fork, Starmount, Tammanary Forest, (the end of the alphabet is nearly neighborhood-less) University Neighborhoods, (Green) Valley, Westerwood, Xtra Xtra News and Record for all the neighborhoods, Year 5 of GDP and our featuring your neighborhoods, and today's Z for Ground Zero! We hope you enjoyed these posts. We have thououghly enjoyed driving through so many of  Greensboro's neighborhoods over the last six months. 

Y is for Year 5

Happy New Year!

Today is Day 1 of Year 5 for Greensboro Daily Photo. When we published our first post on January 2nd, 2009, we weren't sure we could sustain this effort. Posting a photo, with accompanying text/research, EVERY day is quite a commitment. Somehow, even with full time jobs, vacations, deaths in the family, and power outages, we've managed to get something posted every day. That's 1,460 photos related to Greensboro. Sometimes, we question why we have taken on this huge commitment- community service, of sorts. However, when we read your comments or attend events, like the Piedmont Interfaith Council Ecumenical Celebration and see our photos up on the giant screen, we know this effort is all worthwhile.

This whole international, city daily photo effort started with Paris Daily Photo and we are honored to be a part of this great community. If you are regular readers, you know we participate in the ABC Wednesday meme; also, we post a photo of the sky over Greensboro on Fridays; on Sundays, we post something related to religion and spirituality. The other days, we fill in with an array of scenes around town. Also, we try to feature the people of our Greensboro.  Please continue to read and to provide us with ideas, feedback and comments.

Xtra Xtra, Read All About It

In 1982, a newspaper known by the name News & Record was first delivered to the Greensboro community. However, Greensboro's print journalism history was first made in 1890 with the printing of the Daily Record. The Daily Record was owned at one time by Juilan Price, the man who at one time also owned Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company, making Mr. Price one of the most influential men in the Piedmont during his day. In 1809, the Greensboro Daily News was founded, giving our community a morning and afternoon newspaper. From 1982-1986, the Greensboro community supported two newspapers. In 1986, competing newspapers were gone and The News & Record emerged as the sole daily newspaper for the community. The above facility, a city block of newspaper history, past, present, and future, was completed in 1976, on the site of the old King Cotton Hotel.*

Today is ABC Wednesday and, for this round, we've been featuring neighbohroods. For X, in the absence of an X neighborhood, we're featuring the newspaper. Two-hundred East Market Street, at the corner of Davie St.,  is the "x marks the spot' place from which news radiates to ALL the communities of Greensboro.The newspaper is in every community- in print and digitally.  Thick or thin, the News & Record is an invaluable clearninghouse of news, information, events, and ideas. A newspaper is more than ink, paper, and coupons. It is a community's shared discourse. Papers give communities a common frame of reference and tell us what others deem important and newsworthy. Without a common source of printed information, a community struggles to define itself. As the younger generation goes digitial and seeks out their own, disparate news sources, we need to find a way to keep them informed about what is actually happening in their own community and from the perspective of people in their community- even if they disagree with the views presented. A local paper, printed or digital, grounds us to each other. The News & Record is more than the sum of its parts; it is Greensboro's ANCHOR.

Today is ABC Wednesday and, X is for X-tra X-tra read all about it. We're asking you for a one day moratirium on saying "I saw on FACEBOOK...," and  to use as your conversation starter, "I read in the News & Record, that......"

* reference, here.

See our ABC Wednesday A-W neighborhoods of Greensboro, here.

W is for Westerwood

Westerwood is a Greensboro neighborhood that extends from West Friendly Avenue at the First Baptist Church to Benjamin Parkway in the north. The east/west streets are Smith Street and South Aycock. The neighborhood is less than a half of a square mile; however, it gets a lot of publicity due to its proximity to downtown, its diversity of architecture, the tree lined streets, and cozy front porches. The artists, living in the neighborhood, have started an annual art walk, held in the fall. Westerwood is one of Greensboro's early 20th century neighbohroods. While some homes are painted and decorated conservatively, others express individualism by way of paint color and yard decorations. Unfortunately, Westerwood has been in the news lately because Duke Power has been agressively trimming trees- to protect houses and power lines in times of storms. Neighbors are not happy about this situation. 

The above purple and pink house (built in 1922), located at 405 North Mendenhall, is the home of local artist Kathy Reese, who sells metal/sculpture work out of her home. Some of her sculptures are visible in this photo. Nearly a decade ago, we were at Kathy's admiring her artwork and our then-young daughter admired one of Kathy's spiders, welded out of flathead nails and washers. Kathy gave it to her as a gift and our daughter has been hooked on art ever since. Those are the kind of neighborly memories that are made in Westerwood. Today is ABC Wednesday and W is for Westerwood.  See this post from a year and a half ago of another Westerwood home. Enjoy our A-V selections, here. Stop back on ABC Wednesday next week for the dreaded X week!

V is for Valley, Greensboro's Green Valley

This house on Hobbs Road is located in the Green Valley neighborhood. As we struggled to find a "V" neighborhood for our ABC Wednesday series, we realized that it would be nice to feature Green Valley. It is such a nice neighborhood with a great location; it has a wonderful swim and tennis club (The Swamp) and a great sense of community. Green Valley is a diamond shaped neighborhood extending from Westridge in the northwest corner to Green Valley in the southeast. It covers a little over a square mile and encompasses the Bog Garden and Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden. Green Valley backs up to Friendly Center and the majority of the homes were built in the 1960's and 1970's, after Friendly Center opened.

Driving around the Green Valley neighborhood, you do notice Greensboro's hills and valleys . From the top of Cascade to where it becomes Cornwalis, to Hobbs Road, you reach a low elevation near the Bog Garden.

The above brick cape home- 1410 Hobbs Road-  at the corner of Alderman Drive, was built in 1966. The home has an understated simplicity, from its rectangular shape and dormerless roof to the unadorned holiday greenery. The home evokes the concept of discernment, something that is important in our Quaker community. Discernment is the ability to judge well, to get at that which really matters. To the builders of this home, it was important to be efficient with space (5 bedrooms 2.5 baths) while providing a good roof over a family's head and without unnecessary embellishments. 1410 Hobbs represents the neighborhood well.

Today is ABC Wednesday and V is for Valley, Green Valley. See Greensboro A-U neighborhoods, here.

U is for University Neighborhoods

Well, it took us until "U" to hit a snag with our A,B,C Neighborhoods of Greensboro theme for ABC Wednesday. That we can think of, Greensboro has no "U" neighborhood. As a matter of fact, Greensboro only has 8 streets that start with the letter "U" (Ulster, Underwood, Union, United, University, Upland, Urban, and Utah). However, between Greensboro and High Point, we do have three universities, three community college campuses, and four colleges. So, with ten institutions of higher education, and a law school, not to mention satellite campuses from as far away as the University of Phoenix, we hereby dub today "university neighborhood" day. Colleges and universities are a vital part of our Greensboro community and their surrounding neighborhoods give students and faculty a place to work, live, and study that minimizes commuting time.

 

    The above photo, taken in the College Hill neighborhood at 1004 West McGee Street. Looking closely, you will notice that a building on the Greensboro College campus sits in the back yard of this 1922 house. When the college was established in 1838 on nearly 80 acres just west of downtown, the surrounding neighborhood was rural. UNCG was established in 1891 and by the time the house in the photo was built, College Hill was a true college neighborhood. The above home reflects that craftsman, bungalow style so ever-popular in the 1920's. So, dear readers, today is ABC Wednesday and "U" is for university neighborhoods, representing all of our many neighborhoods near our multiple campuses. 

 

    From here to the end of the alphabet on the A-Z neighborhood round, we're going to have to get pretty creative. A-T were a little more straightforward. See the houses and read about those neighborhoods featured here.

T is for Tamannary Forest

Tamannary Forest is a neighborhood that is almost a peninsula, with Lakes Townsend and Jeanette wrapping around it. Tamannary Forest is located directly across the street from Air Harbor Airport off of Air Harbor Road. One could land a plane and walk home in no time if living on the above property. This view characterizes the neighborhood.  Homes, built from the mid 1980's to mid 1990's, are graciously large.  Lots are nearly an acre in size and wooded, making the houses difficult to see from the road when leaves are on the trees. This time of year, however, views are memorable. Tree trunks and limbs cast long, reaching shadows over the forest floor- a place where fairytales look as if they could come to life.

Technically, Tamannary Forest is not within the city limits so residents escape paying city taxes on these homes, which cost upwards of half a million dollars. Tamannary must fly under the radar, literally (airport) and figuratively, as virtually nothing is published about the neighborhood and not even the origin of the word Tamannary is not clear and there doesn't appear to be a neighborhood website. Regardless, it is lovely; today is ABC Wednesday and T is for Tamannary Forest. (Quickly scroll through A-S Greensboro here).

S is for Starmount

Today's photo takes us to Madison Avenue in the heart of Starmount Forest. The scene evokes the feeling that.... all paths lead to home. Every house should have a proper entrance making it clear to the visitor where one enters and exits. There is no question about this charming cottage. Walk between the split in the stone fence, between the rose bushes, along the slate path, through the hinged, white picket fence, up to the wreathed door. Welcome! This house is so inviting and characterizes the charm of Sreensboro's Starmount Forest neighborhood. 

The Starmount Forest neighborhood bordered by West Friendly Avenue to the North and West Market Street to the South. It flows from West Wendover Avenue to Hamilton Lakes. One of its key features is the 150 acre Starmount Forest Country Club, located in the southwest quadrant of the neighborhood. The acerage is nearly 2 square miles, with a population of approximately 3,500 people. While some homes were built pre-1930's and and post-1950's; however, the bulk of the homes were constructed in the 1950's.

Starmount is the Americanization of the name Stern (star) berger (mountain). The Sternbergers were early citizens of Greensboro and responsible for many of Greensboros fine properties. While our lovely home today is in Starmount Forest, and not in Starmount Farms, this article provides some interesting insight into the philanthropy of the Sternberger family. Today is ABC Wednesday. This round, we're featuring neighborhoods of Greensboro and S is for Starmount Forest.

R is for Reedy Fork Ranch

Greensboro has a Reedy Fork Trail, that parallels Reedy Fork Creek that is not too far from Reedy Fork Ranch. Reedy Fork Ranch is part of a 1,300 acre tract of land that was annexed by the City of Greensboro in the year 2000. A drive around the northeast Greensboro neighborhood reveals beautiful houses, like the one above, surrounded by several lots yet to have been sold. Nevertheless with a Community clubhouse built, city water and sewage, and a fabulous new elementary school in the heart of the neighborhood, it is likely that as the economy improves, so will the construction in Reedy Fork. To date, only 636 of the 3,000 plus houses have been built and they seem to be a tremendous money value.

The motto for the community is "The Way Life's Supposed to Be."  Unfortunately, Starmount, the development company behind Reedy Fork, has had to put much of it up on the auction block. Starmount also donated the land for the elementary school. If you are local and near Bryan Park, you should stop out yourself and see this community.

Today is our neighborhoods of Greensboro series for ABC Wednesday, and R is for Reedy Fork Ranch.

Q is for Quaker Run

The above home, located at 3326 Quaker Run Road is a representative view of fall in Greensboro- porch lights on at dusk; a pile of leaves waiting to be jumped in and hauled away; hardwood trees without leaves; clusters of mums; a seasonal wreath; pumpkins on the porch; and gourds scattered all around. We can almost smell the mulled cider and cinnamon candles in the kitchen. The above home was built in 1990 during Greensboro's housing boom and during the time when construction in the Quaker Run neighborhood was well under way.

Quaker Run is a neighborhood filled with street names relevant to religions getting their start in the 1600-1700's : Friendsview Drive, Meeting House Drive, Shaker Drive, and Puritan Drive. The neighborhood, located between Horse Pen Creek and Battleground at the point where it dips to about its lowest elevation. It is a cozy neighborhood of largely college-educated folks who work hard to keep the neighborhood nice. On the average, homes in this neighborhood are about the size of this gray-green beauty with colonial red shutters.

Today is ABC Wednesday and Q is for Quaker Run. Most people playing Scrabble or alphabet games dread the letter Q; in Greensboro, we love it. We've got the largest enclave of Quakers outside of New England.  Quakers were some of the first settlers in North Carolina as our state had established religious freedom in the late 1600's (reference). We also have the only Quaker-founded college in the Southeast United States. We also have the Quaker Acres neighborhood off of Friendly Avenue not too far from the Friends' Meeting House at New Garden and Friendly. Quaker history abounds in our area. The neigborhoods don't have a religious affiliation, but they do remind us of our Quaker heritage. And they do start with Q! Have a quiet, quality, post-election day.

See A-P in our neighborhood series here.

P for Pleasant Garden

Today is ABC Wednesday and Pleasant Garden was chosen for the letter P. It is a 15-square mile town just southeast of Greensboro, located off of Highway 421 and just north of Hagan Stone Park. What is known as Pleasant Garden today got its start in 1786 when northerners established a Methodist Episcopal church there. This original church remains and, today, is known as Pleasant Garden United Methodist Church. Pleasant Garden is a town that thrives because of its many volunteers, one of whom has posted an informative history on the town's website.

The above farm, land and outbuildings, is located on Pleasant Garden Road, at the intersection of Davis Mill Road- a little north of Pleasant Garden's town limits. While Pleasant Garden has plenty of modern homes, this farm evokes the feel of the traditional way of life the community saught to protect when incorporating in 1997. If you want to experience this sense of community, you have two opportunities this week. On Saturday, November 3rd, they are having a holiday craft fair at the Town Hall Picnic Pavilion, located at 4920 Alliance Church Road. A Veterans Appreciation Day Event will be held on Sunday, November 11th at 2pm, at the Pleasant Garden Fire Department. With a population of just under 5,000, you can bet that you will see a majority at these upcoming events. And, if you visit in spring, you will have the opportunity to see some pretty serious community baseball events.

If you are following Greensboro neighborhoods series, see A-O here.

O is for O. Henry Oaks

Today is ABC Wednesday and O is for O. Henry Oaks. If you are local, you likely know that short story writer O. Henry is from Greensboro. The August edition of O. Henry magazine dedicated several pages to all things, locally, named in his honor. As the article points out, there is an O. Henry subdivision on Sidney Porter Drive, as well as an O. Henry Blvd. Additionally, there is a neighborhood named O. Henry Oaks.  

O. Henry Oaks is located from 16th Street to Cone Boulevard to Spry Street between N. O. Henry Blvd. and Yanceyville St. Page High School is near O. Henry Oaks. The neighborhood is one of the most racially balanced in Greensboro. Approximately 40% of the neighborhood is white; 40% black, 10% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 3% other.* Today's post takes us to 3419 Yanceville Street, the upper northwest corner of O. Henry Oaks, where a plane tail permanently dive bombs into the lawn in the front yard. Surely, were O. Henry alive today, he would write an interesting short story with one of his famous smile-with-tears endings. How did the plane land in the yard? Why is it still there? What story does it have to tell? Today is ABC Wednesday and O is for O. (gotta have the dot) Henry!

(see Greensboro's A-N  neighborhoods here)

 

*http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/O.Henry-Oaks-Greensboro-NC.html

N is for NEW Irving Park

Modeled after Pinehurst, NC, Irving Park is a Greensboro neighborhood that was built in the 1920's. The neighborhood's showcase facility is the Greensboro Country Club, where prominent families of Greensboro have been golfing, swimming, playing tennis, dining, and socializing for decades. As Irving Park became fully built up and somewhat landlocked, it was only natural for this wonderful place to be somewhat replicated and extended. New Irving Park begins at Cone Boulevard and, to the west of Elm Street, continues to Pisgah Church Road with streets named St. Andrews and St. Regis radiating off of Willoughby Boulevard. To the east of of Elm Street, New Irving Park extends to Abbotswood Senior Living Facility. 

The above house is located on the corner of Loch Ridge and Hillwind Street on the northeast corner of New Irving Park.  It is representative of the homes in the Provincetown section of the neighborhood: two-story, brick homes with modest, well-landscaped lots.  We decided to take advantage of the fact that the above  lawn was being re-landscaped and a clear view of the house was available. We were thrilled that a father-daughter running team came along as we were on the photo shoot as New Irving Park is a place where families spend time together enjoying each other's company. 

Today is ABC Wednesday and we're getting close to half way through our A-Z neighborhoods of Greensboro series. See A-M photos here.

M is for McAdoo Heights

McAdoo Heights is a neighborhood located just south of State Street, between Elm and Church Streets, on the fringe of Old Irving Park. It was developed in the early 1900's as a commercial and residential community for mill workers. The close-knit community, known as a "town within a city,"  flourished until the 1940's (reference). It had restaurants, a hardware store, grocery stores, a movie theater, a school,many churches, and its own police officer. Street names include: Golden Gate, Newlyn, Macy, Bernard, Roseland, Buffalo, Georgia, Palm, and Shelton. In earlier years, it was also known as "The Heights."

As we drove around this neighborhood last weekend, we did get a sense of the charm of McAdoo Heights. The community garden, on Golden Gate Drive, is just lovely. Many houses are decorated for Halloween and and, the day we were there, several families out enjoying the fall afternoon. The above house, at 200 East Newlyn Street is larger than many of the one-story mill houses in the neighborhood. It was built in the 1928, also a little earlier than many in the neighborhood. The high triangles of the peaked roofline at the entrance are quite welcoming and the light blue door makes it clear where one it to enter. We'd like to think it has the character of an "anchor" house for the neighborhood the way it stands, in all its glory, on the corner of Georgia and East Newlyn.

We wonder if there is a connection between McAdoo Heights and the retired, professional basketball star, Bob McAdoo who is from Greensboro. He graduated from Smith High School (in the late 1960's) and is currently an assistant coach for the Miami Heat. Maybe Coach McAdoo is the keeper of some great information about this cozy little neighborhood with his same name. Any and all pieces of information would be greatly appreciated.

Today is ABC Wednesday and M is for McAdoo Heights. For our A-L neighborhood pages, look here.

 

*informative reference here.

L is for Longview Hills

Today is ABC Wednesday and for this round, we're featuring neighborhoods of Greensboro. For "L," we have Lake Jeanette, Latham Park, and Lindley Park, and likely a few others. We selected Longview Hills because we knew very little about the area and wanted to learn more. Longview Hills is a tiny neighborhood, less than a quarter of a square mile in size with a population of almost 350 residents. The neighborhood, extensively developed between 1970-1990, is built on what seems to have been farmland in a part of town that was a large Quaker settlement. The neighborhood has residents with above-average (for Greensboro) rates of bachelor's and master's degree. The neighborhood is close to Guilford College. 

Longview Hills is located just off Ballinger Road between I-73 and New Garden Road. It is a stone's throw from Friends Home and Arcadia Drive.  Buckhorn Road, Gretchen Lane, King George Drive, and Wakefield Place are also part of this neighborhood.  We are actually cheating a little bit as the above property is located at 1100 Rustic Road and Rustic is one street beyond the perimeter of Longview Hills. However, the property, built in 1955, is such a beauty and has probably the best view in the city of Longview Hills. Rustic Road actually becomes Arcadia at the bend in the road, just after this house. Also part of Arcadia runs through Longview Hills. 

We are intrigued by how these neighborhoods of Greensboro got their names and the extent to which the residents see the neighborhood a cohesive entity. The bridge is being rebuild at the Lenord Recreation Center end of the neighborhood; so don't plan on using it as a cut-through!

K is for Kings Forest

Today's neighborhood visit takes us deep in the heart of Kings Forest of northeast Greensboro. Lord Foxley Drive, featured above, is located off of Phillips Avenue near the juncture where it becomes Huffine Mill Road. Sandwiched between Woodbriar Estates and Nealtown Farms, the boundaries of Kings Forest extend from Phillips Avenue in the south to just beyond Old Hickory Drive in the west and Sir Galahad Road to the east. Close to 3,000 people live in this .373 square miles of neighborhood. Kings Forest was developed primarily in the 1960's and 1970's with almost no houses older than 1950 or newer than the late 1990's. While the above homes may be on the newer side for the area, they are indicative of the great care that homeowners take in this neighborhood's houses and lawns.

The street signs in Kings Forest read like the nooks and crannies of a Renaissance festival: King Arthur Place, Sir Galahad Road, Prince Charles Drive, Larchmont Drive and Lord Foxley Drive. Foxley is a village in the county of Norfolk, England, known for having an ancient woodland believed to be over 6,000 years old and dating to the end of the last ice age.* One can only imagine the trees that were in Kings Forest before the area was developed.

Kings Forest is an example of a neighborhood we wish had more written about it. "Whosoever dubbed the neighborhood Kings Forest?" beseech the keepers of Greensboro Daily Photo. We're sharing this post with our dear friends at ABC Wednesday as part of our ABC Neighborhoods of Greensboro series. Today's letter is "K" for "Kings Forest." Enjoy our featured A-J neighborhoods here. And the quest for L-Z begins now!

 

*reference.

J is for Jefferson Gardens

    Jefferson Gardens is a neighborhood located off of Jefferson Road, between Friendly Avenue and Hobbs Road. The above house is located on Hayfield Lane; perhaps there was a hayfield here before the house was built in 1972. This neighborhood backs up to Price Park and to 240-acres owned by Guilford College. The natural area behind the houses of Jefferson Gardens attracts plenty of wildlife. As you can see, on the day we were photographing the neighborhood, a wild turkey walked out of the woods and was hanging out on Hayfield Lane. Residents say the turkey thinks it is their pet. 

    Jefferson Gardens is only made up of six main streets (Hayfield Lane, Broadmoor Place, Thorncliff Drive, Elderwood Place, Ainsworth Drive, and Bennington Drive- the main artery) and a few cul-de-sacs. The small neighborhood, with one way in and out, is fairly quiet eleven months a year. Come December, Ainsworth Drive is ablaze with a multiple-home display of Christmas lights and decorations. People from miles around make an annual tradition of driving by and enjoying the festive street.

    Today is ABC Wednesday and J is for Jefferson Gardens. View our A-H neighborhoods here.

I is for Irving Park

    The Irving Park neighborhood, located just north of Downtown Greensboro, was a 350-acre project created by the Southern Real Estate Company  at the beginning of the 20th century.* From Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Bryan and Alfred M. Scales in the past, to entrepreneurs and business owners today, Irving Park has been home to some of Greensboro's most influential residents.  At the center of this prestigious neighborhood is the Greensboro Country Club. The above Irving Park house, located near the country club on Country Club Drive, overlooks the club's immaculate and spacious golf course. It has plenty of acerage, square footage and impeccable design. It exudes Irving Park charm. The residents of this home must feel like they are living in the Pantheon or some other ancient, magnificent structure.

    

    Today is ABC Wednesday and for this round, we're featuring the neighborhoods of Greensboro. I is for Irving Park, Old Irving Park. See A-H neighborhoods, here. Country Club Drive is the street featured with yesterday's walkers; exempifying the fact that even in Greensboro's neighborhoods with giant homes, people find a way to build a sense of community.

* Fripp, G.(1998)  Greensboro Neighborhoods, Volume II, p. 68.

H is for Hamilton Lakes

Today is ABC Wednesday and H is for Hamilton Lakes, a community established in 1920 and now part of the City of Greensboro. Hamilton Lakes was founded by Greensboro developer A.M. Scales, who moved from Irving Park to Hamilton Lakes. He not only developed this "streetcar suburb," he served as its first mayor. The earlier homes, like the one above [circa 1925], were built in the grand style of homes in Scales' beloved Irving Park. However, during and after World War II, new construction in the neighborhood was significantly more modest. While differences are extreme, the beauty of Hamilton Lakes is that residents in all price points take great pride in the community and collectively maintain the nature trails, lakes, and other community-use spaces. Hamilton Lakes was annexed by Greensboro in 1957; however, a strong neighborhood association helps maintain the neighborhood's identity. 

The above home at 104 Kemp Road West, built in the Mediterranean-style, likely acquired its terra cotta roof tiles from nearby Pomona Terra Cotta Works, a now-defunct, early 20th century Greensboro business. We absolutely love this house and so must its owners; because, if online records are correct, they have lived in it since 1976.

Here is our previously-published photo of the 11,000 square ft. Scales home and the Morton House, down the street from the above home. Also, yesterday's photo was taken in Hamilton Lakes on Lake Hamilton. See another photo taken in the neighborhood. We can bring you dozens of photos; however, nothing can capture the sensation of walking the trails of Hamilton Lakes, especially once the leaves start turning color.

See our previous A-G neighborhood features here.

G is for Guilford Hills.....

    Today is ABC Wednesday. This round, we're featuring A-Z neighborhoods of Greensboro  and "G" is for Guilford Hills. Guilford Hills is the area just west of Battleground Avenue and north of Green Valley Road. Women's Hospital, Earthfare and the Elks Club are a few of the many well-known places in Guilford Hills. The northern border is David Caldwell Drive and the westernmost street is Benjamin Parkway/Bryan Boulevard. (Remember, neighborhoods have, in most cases relatively-arbitrary borders, or "logical borders" like that grand of highway known as Bryan Blvd.). Guilford Hills is actually less than one square mile and has less than 2,000 people living in it. Many of the homes in this neighborhood were built in the 1950's and 1960's. Built in 1954, the Fortune Lane home above, is no exception. It is a good example of the sensible coziness of the homes in this neighborhood.

    

    Guilford Hills is a quiet neighborhood. The houses make great starter homes as well as great "downsize" homes, as evidenced by the demographics being highest at the near-30 and near- 70-year-olds populating this neighborhood.  An older, GDP reader once told us that he used to ride horses on his friend's farm in Guilford Hills. Can you imagine that less than 70 years ago this area was farmland? What will it look like in another 70 years? A younger reader told us her family relocated there to be closer to General Greene Elementary School and because it is one of the most affordable neighborhoods districted for Grimsley High School. Cross Battleground Avenue and you are in Pirate Country (Page High School).

       

    Here is an apartment complex, a Sunday/religious photo, and a side-of-the-road garden we featured previously in Guilford Hills. A Guilford Hills home was long overdue!

F is for Forest Oaks

The above home on Belvoir Drive in Forest Oaks is an inviting beauty with meticulous landscaping. The private residence is located across from the Forest Oaks Country Club 7 miles southeast of downtown Greensboro.   With its white columns, large front porch, and second-floor faux balcony, the house exudes southern charm. There are many attractive houses near the golf course, however, this one is exceptionally inviting.

Today is ABC Wednesday and, this round we're featuring A-Z neighborhoods in the Greensboro area. F is for Forest Oaks. In the 2,000 census, Forest Oaks had a population of a little over 3,000 people and 1,200 households. However, with the current construction in the area, Forest Oaks seems is growing. From 1977-2007, Forest Oaks hosted the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship. This house and its residents have probably seen a lot of exciting golf over the years. Heck, they've probably even hosted some sweet tea and lemonade breaks on that inviting lawn.

E is for Eastern Shores

Greensboro owes the 750-acre Lake Jeanette community to the Cone family who began constructing the lake in 1940 to help meet the water needs for their denim mills.*  The Eastern Shores community, one of many on Lake Jeanette, opened in 1994. The above house is located in the exclusive, gated estates, a high-end community on the eastern part of the lake. The giant, brick colonial house is on the top of the hill at the end of Eastern Shores Drive.

Today is ABC Wednesday and this round,** we're featuring neighborhoods of Greensboro. "E" is for Eastern Shores, a neighborhood in Lake Jeanette. Eastern Shores is located just off the northernmost part of Elm Street. The community is landscaped beautifully. Walking trails and boat docks are found throughout the neighborhoods and help contribute to the sense of community.

*If you love learning about Greensboro's history, read a little more about Lake Jeanette and the Cone Family here.

**See our previous weeks here.

D is for Dudley Heights

This house at the corner of Ross Avenue & Ross Court is fairly typical of the properties in East Greensboro's Dudley Heights- located between Lee and East Florida Streets from Highway 29 to Barber Park. It is a modest, single family dwelling, on one level, owned by a family that takes great pride in maintaining a nice lawn. Several lawns in the neighborhood, including the one in the photo above, have freshly sculpted topiaries. Most of the streets in this neighborhood are short; a natural way to control agressive driving. You cannot be in a hurry and drive through streets that twist and wind around a hilly neighborhood!

Dudley High School and the Academy at Linclon are nearby and many children walk to school and play in the neighborhood when school is not in session. The fabulous Barber Park and the 11-acre Gateway Gardens provide plenty of interactive entertainment the surrounding community members and the rest of Greensboro. With the financial investment of UNCG and NC A&T in their joint Research Park near here, we're predicting that this neighborhood will see an increase in property values. One interesting statistic for the neighborhood is that 79 % of the residents were born in North Carolina. 

Today is ABC Wednesday and, for this round, we're featuring neighborhoods of Greensboro. D is for Dudley Heights. See A-C here and suggest your neighborhood for E-Z in the comments below.

C is for Cardinal

Today is ABC Wednesday and for Round 11, we're featuring A-Z neighborhoods of Greensboro.*  "C" is for "Cardinal. The Cardinal neighborhood is located in Northwest Greensboro, very near the airport. Before the Cardinal neighborhood was developed in the late 1980's- 1990's, this was just a rural neighborhood in northwest Greensboro. In 1972, the first phase of construction began for the Cardinal Golf and Country Club. The 18-hole golf course became an anchor around which the Cardinal neighborhood was developed.  Today, it is member-owned and is one of North Carolina's finest courses. Driving by the golf course and through the neighborhood, you will quickly get a feel for the neighborliness of the Cardinal. Residents greet each other while out walking. They wave to cars as they drive by.

For today's photo, we chose this lovely home at the corner of Murfield Drive and Lytham Court. Murfield is the key anchor street in the Cardina,l stretching from Fleming to Old Oak Ridge Road. This teal green gem is superbly landscaped with the owners making an effort to replace grass with plantings. It looks like a cozy oasis with the back yard tucked into a cul-de-sac. It is one of many examples of how the Cardinal feels like home.

The community has a very informative community newsletter online.

 

" See previous weeks for our A-Z streets here.

B is for Brown Town

Today is ABC Wednesday and "B" is for "Brown Town."  The Brown Town neighborhood is located at North Elm at Cone Boulevard and backs up to Kirkwood and Irving Park.*  This part of town is called Brown Town because it was developed by the Brown Corporation- in the 1950's. Recently, there was momentum for Brown Town to pursue a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NCO) designation. ** The purpose of an NCO is to ensure that a neighborhood maintains its unique characteristics and that structures built are compatible with the character of the neighborhood. While the designation is less restrictive than "historic district" , NCO's can help build a sense of communty in a neighborhood. This drive was partly due to the controversy over what would be (torn down and) built at the northwest corner of Cornwalis & Elm. Now that the former structure has been removed and the new one is in place, the momentum for the overlay seems to be diminished.

Did you know that, unless there is some designation that affects zoning, the city doesn't determine or outline the boundaries of a neighborhood. Some properties are clearly in a given neighborhood and others are more ambiguous. 

The above house, located at 2304 Danbury Road, is a real gem and the recent landscaping and renovations give it real curb appeal (see before here). It has a more modern look than many of the houses in the neighborhood. It is one of the few houses in Brown Town that isn't hidden by mature bushes and trees and, therefore, it is easy to photograph. Follow our ABC Neighborhoods series here. We're hoping that O. Henry Magazine or the News & Record or Our State Magazine will research and write about Brown Town. As a matter of fact, we still need to settle the issue of whether this house on Danbury is in Brown Town or Browntown!

*see map here.

** see information and data collected for Brown Town's possible NCO here &  here.

A is for Adams Farm

Today starts a new round of ABC Wednesday (Round 11) and a faithful reader has convinced us to feature A-Z neighborhoods of Greensboro.

Well, surprise.... "A" is for "Adams Farm." Adams Farm is a 728-acre, planned community between Wendover Avenue and High Point Road, near Jamestown. The community has many amenities, including a pool with an active swim team, a tennis club, a 17 acre pond, and five miles of walking trails. Adams Farm was developed in the late 1980's- early 1990's with houses still being added late in the 1990's. Naming consultants were brought in to help name the 20- plus neighborhoods and the streets within the given neighborhoods to help forge their identities- Country Walk, Autumn Woods, Revere's Run (as in Paul), Cedar Valley to name a few . When orignially built, neighborhoods had slightly different characteristics (brick veneer, hardy plank, combination; apartment complexes; higher-end/first homes), but with equal access to amenities. As they move into their their decade, variability has increased somewhat in neighborhoods as people paint their homes in colors different from the original neutral palate, as landscaping matures, and other features are added. However, the community has an active homeowner's association and sense of community remains strong.

 The houses in the above photo are located in Poplar Hill Court, on the Hilltop Road side of Adams Farm.