Urban Sociology - Sonoma County - Essay Example

Urban Sociology - Sonoma County The Bay area is ethnically diverse areas in the United States. Sonoma County is a county in the bay area. People in Sonoma County are a mix of race, social status and ethnic composition. As one goes through the streets, one finds different people of different social permutations. Most of the people are busy, hardly paying attention to other people around them. Everyone seems to mind their own business. Most of the people here are not necessarily working class and that means that most of the time there are people moving about. On my field visit, most of the people around were older people, or young parents with their children. People visit public parks for relaxation. One thing that strikes any visitor in the area is the infrastructure. Houses are generally big homes, with most of them either owned by the occupants or rented out to people. The place is not very busy and there is enough space for everyone. Businesses of all types and manners are seen in every place. Most of the people here are mostly white Caucasian. Many things here seem to indicate that the place is made of mostly people who are of high economic classes. Going around the place indicates that the place has a number of various social amenities. These include the number of hospitals and hospices. The hospitals seem to be frequently visited as one can see people going in and out of them. This could mean that either the people in this area have more medical problems and thus they have to visit the hospital frequently, or it could mean that the people in this place are more aware of their health needs thus feeling the urge to consult medical professionals. My guess goes with the later one. This is because, given the fact that this area has shown signs of economic affluence, it can be argued that the people in this area are more likely to consult the doctor even for minor ailments. Poorer people have a tendency to avoid hospitals unless it is a serious disease. This is basically because they are afraid of the cost of seeing a doctor. Richer people on the other hand, are willing to spend a few dollars to consult the doctor even in the cases where the ailment is not that serious. A further walk down the avenues brings into site a rehabilitation centre, not the first one in this region. This may indicate a social problem. A rehabilitation center is an indication of the fact that people in this area are having issues with substance abuse. This may be an indication that the social life here may not be that good. According to Lecture 3 (2014, Jan 27) urbanization deflates social life, and this can lead to people having to use drugs in order to replace the social life they would be having in a rural area. However, according to (Fischer, 543-577) in his article in the American Journal of Sociology, there is no ecological evidence that urbanization declines social and religious values. In fact, according to him, urbanism has been seen to promote social and religious institutions in the past. However, as Venkatesh (59) says, there is a connection between the number of people in an urban area and the levels of crime. The increasing cost of living in the area is also likely to increase crime rates in the area which would in turn depreciate the value of the place. In this regard, this can be seen as part of the cultural and societal development in the region. A rehab centre is also an indication that people in this area are having some economic problems. The Bay area is one of the places in the United States which is most affected by over expensive housing. Over 50% of the residents in this region have to part with over fifty percent of their income just to pay rent. Part II Census economic data The Sonoma County in the Bay Area is one of the richest areas in San Francisco. The median household income in this area is about $63848, according to the New York census data. However, the income levels have changed over the last fourteen years, since 2000 by -7%. While the average income in the region declined by seven percent, the cost of renting a house in the region increased by10% while the value of home increased by 71%. This is an indication of housing issues in the region. Mortgage values also increased between the year 2000 and 2010. The number of people spending over a third of their income on paying mortgages increased by 18% since 2000. This is a big increase considering that the number was at 54% in 2000. This shows that the cost of homes in the place is rapidly increasing. The region is a coastal region and the economic data revealed what I expected in terms of the economic status of the region. However, there are some issues which came up. For instance, I expected most of the people in the region to live comfortable lives, especially considering that this is a beach region where life is expected to be glamorous. However, with the economic data and information gathered, it is clear that most of the people in this region are barely surviving and they have to give up most of their income for rent. The costs of mortgage is prohibitive for most of the people living in this area, while the renting a house is also very expensive and continues to get even more expensive. As already indicated, the cost of renting a home in the region has increased by about 10% in the last ten years, yet in the same period, the average income in the region has reduced by about the same percentage. This is an indication that people in this region have to go through harder times than they had ten years ago. The levels of unemployment are also rising and this, as Anderson (89) argues, means that most of the people in the regional have to struggle for survival. The economic data collected by the New York census data is a clear indication that live in the bay area and especially in Sonoma County has been deteriorating in the last fifty years. For example, during the time of the World War II, the level of employment was at about a hundred percent and everyone who was able bodied could easily get a job. Owning a home or renting one was much affordable to most of the people. Household income in the bay area The household income in Sonoma County stands at about 22% for households earning less than $30,000 annually, 17% for households earning between $30 and $50 annually, 19% for households earning between $50 and $74,000 annually, 14% of the households earning $75,000 and $99000 annually and 6% earning over $200,000 annually. This economic data is interesting in a number of ways. To begin with, the fact that the average cost of renting a home is over $1,000 means that over 19 percent to the households are not able to comfortably rent a good home. This is because 19% of the population in the region earns less than $30,000 annually and this is about only less than $2500 per month. It is also paramount to note that the rates of rent and mortgage are getting higher even after the collapse of the mortgage bubble in the United States of America (Jacob & Douglas). At the same time, the levels of employment are declining and more young people are finding it harder to get employment. This is an indication of a bleak future. The other interesting fact to consider with regard to the Sonoma County is the fact that the rates of mortgage have increased by about 18 percent since the year 2000. The reason that this is important is the fact that housing is one of the most important economic indicators. When the cost of housing is too high, not only does the economy find it harder to grow, it also means that most of the people in the region will have issues with their finances. The Sonoma County shows that there is a housing issue in the region which makes living standards for most of the people in the region to be high. Part III (a) In the Sonoma County region, one of the biggest contributing factors in the shaping of the social structures is the immigration. California as a whole and Sonoma County has received the most immigrants in the past fifty years. This increase in immigrants has made it possible for the area to increase its population at a very high rate. High rates of population increase, especially from migration also mean that the area has been affected by declining job opportunities. The bay area in the United States is one of the most prime areas to reside in because that it is close to the coast. Cultural attitudes towards such geographical areas may also determine other factors such as the value of housing in an area ad this can be seen in the case for the bay area and Sonoma County in particular. A close look at the Sonoma County shows that the average home value is much higher as compared to the neighboring areas which are not next to the beach such as the Lake County. For instance, while the Lake County average home value is $295,000, the average home value in Sonoma County is $564,500. However, in comparison, the average home value in the Lake County has grown almost twice as much (124%) as in the Sonoma County (71%) since the year 2000. This is an indication that people looking for housing are moving towards the interior parts of USA as such as the lake county. In line with this, it can be said that the main factor affecting the social structures in the Sonoma County is social attitudes and culture. However, other factors such as economics also affect this. The Sonoma County, due to its proximity to the sea has always been a great employer in California. During the World War II, the ship building industry employed people and anyone could get employment. Thus massive employment led to a lot of people from various areas such as South America coming to the area and residing there. Even after the World War II, the bay area was still a major attraction for immigrants and this increased the number of people in the area. Apart from these migrations making the bay area’s to be racially and ethnically diverse, it also led to the development of the social structures as seen in the modern Sonoma County. Part III (b) According to Chapple (2) gentrification is a major aspect of urban development. A closer look at the Sonoma County neighborhood indicates that the value of wealth in the area has improved a lot in the last ten years. For instance, as already discussed, the average value of a home has increased by over 70% since the year 2000. However, this increase is less when compared to the surrounding areas. As the value of homes increase, this has a positive effect on the home owners and a negative impact on tenants who have to pay much higher rents. For instance, the rents have increased in the last ten years by 10 percent since the year 2000. This increase in rent has been caused by the increase in the value of homes, among other factors. By extension, this would mean that those who cannot afford a home are likely to pay much higher rents and their income is not increasing at the same rate as the rent. In terms of the age gentrification in the Sonoma country, it is evident that there is an increase in the number of younger people in the area. As new economic times have come, younger people can buy or rent homes in the area and this has increased the number of younger people there. Works Cited Anderson, Elijah. (2011). The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life. New Chapple, Karen. Mapping Susceptibility to Gentrification: The Early Warning Toolkit. Research. Berkely, CA: Center for Community Innovation, 2009. Fischer, Claude. "The Subcultural Theory of Urbanism: A Twentieth-Year Assessment." American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 101, (3) (1995): pp. 543-577. Lecture3. What is urban Sociology? How do we study ci4es? 27 Jan 2014. Rugha, Jacob & Massey, Douglas. "Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis." American Sociological Review, Vol 75 (5) (2010): pp. 629–651. Venkatesh, Sudhir. (2008). Gang Leader for A Day. New York: Penguin York: Norton Read More