The Neighborhood: A Study of Local Life in the City of Columbus, Ohio. III.

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Abstract
Description of neighborhood. The neighborhood is located in a flood plane near the center of the city. It comprises one of the oldest sections of the city and has been subject to periodic floods for years past. It is inhabited by working-class people, chiefly of American origin. Mobility of neighborhood population. The neighborhood serves as a reservoir for the city's human wastes. Families come and go in constant succession, and there are also frequent changes of residence from street to street within the neighborhood. There is a small nucleus, however, of stable superior families. The comparative absence of secondary means of communication, such as telephones and automobiles, makes the less mobile inhabitants-old men, women, and children- completely dependent upon the neighborhood institutions for their associational life. Homes. Most of the homes are absolete both in structure and fixtures; scarcely 10 per cent have electric lights: about half of them are without baths or indoor toilets. Overcrowding is not prevalent except in alley houses. Family life. The neighborhood is a collectivity of very unlike family groups. Superior wholesome families are frequently found living next door to disorderly worthless people. Under such circumstances complete avoidance is practiced. The superior families usually represent early settlers who, on account of property ties, cannot leave their undesirable surroundings. Economic condition. This district represents the lowest economic level in the city. Home ownership is uncommon, and rents average less than fifteen dollars per month. However ther are marked differences in the comparative economic status of adjoining families. Family groups in the depth of poverty are frequently found living side by side with families having comfortable incomes. Leisure-time activities. Most of the homes are ill-equipped with facilities for the fruitful utilization of leisure time. Reading materials are scant or wanting; musical instruments are found only in a small percentage of the homes. Outdoor leisure-time activities. The movies are the most popular form of commercialized recreation for mothers and children. The elder males find their chief enjoyment in the neighborhood saloons, while the youth, for the most part, patronize the uptown poolrooms and dance halls.

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