History of Carver
Early Development 1767-1866
Carver began as a tract of land owned by William Byrd III. He inherited his family's estate of
approximately 179,000 acres of land around the mid 1700s.
It began
attracting investors in 1800s when the Richmond Turnpike was constructed.
Those who began to build houses is in this area during this
time tended to be European American immigrants and some free slaves
Annexation and Growth 1867-1919
During this time period people referred to this neighborhood as Sheep
Hill. It was to become the most densely populated section of the city.
The presence of the railroad drove development of large-scale
industries such as the Peter Srumpf Brewing company. This industrial growth was accompanied by a high demand for workers,
which was a dominant factor contributing to residential growth.
Carver was a working class neighborhood predominantly
segregated between African Americans and European American immigrants. The first
schools, churches and colleges were established in the late nineteenth century.
Early City Planning 1920-1949
Unhealthy housing conditions were starting to arise due to
dense housing conditions, older and deteriorating housing stock, and little
private housing reinvestment.
Carver was then known as Uptown and became significantly
impacted by the cities new efforts in city planning. This was the beginning of Richmond city councils zoning. Throughout the 30s and 40s the city
grappled with the problem of affordable housing and in carver the threat of
wholesale housing clearance.
Daily life in carver however during this time was vibrant
and supportive
In 1938 the opening of new better schools one of which was
the George Washington Carver Elementary School gave the neighborhood its name –
Carver.
Urban Renewal 1950-1985
The city began to develop plans to address the needs of the
city and in Carver that was transportation and housing problems.
Carver, along with Jackson Ward, became part of the Richmond
Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s new housing study. They confirmed the deterioration of housing conditions, so the
first of many Carver Plans was created. RRHA and the community itself had
different views on how to improve the city but they moved foreword with RRHA
plan of razing over 400 dwellings to make way for a turnpike and the extension
and widening of Belvidere and allocation of land for industrial reuse.
During the 1930s to 60s Carver was known as “Negro
neighborhood”, one where African Americans were permitted to live during
segregation. There was dense
population and in spite of mixed living conditions it was a thriving community.
Neighborhood Revitalization 1986-1999
The Carver Area Civic Improvement League (CACIL), RRHA and carver residents worked together in creating a redevelopment plan. It centered around five efforts: low interest loans and grants to home owners for property renovation; urban homesteading- acquisition of vacant homes for low – moderate income persons willing to repair; rehabilitation loans to rental property owners; removal of dilapidated and abandoned buildings; clearing specific areas for redevelopment.
The Carver Area Civic Improvement League (CACIL), RRHA and carver residents worked together in creating a redevelopment plan. It centered around five efforts: low interest loans and grants to home owners for property renovation; urban homesteading- acquisition of vacant homes for low – moderate income persons willing to repair; rehabilitation loans to rental property owners; removal of dilapidated and abandoned buildings; clearing specific areas for redevelopment.
Carver Today
Population:
The last time the population of Carver was officially recorded was back in 2000, when they determined there were 903 people living there at the time. Out of those 903 people the male to female ration was 0.9:1meaning that there were just a few more women than men. Looking at how the neighborhood was separated in terms of race, I found the following table.
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| http://www.areavibes.com/richmond-va/carver/demographics/ |
Income & Unemployment:
In 1990 the unemployment rate was 12.6%, which was twice as high as the cities rate of 6.4. Over half or about 54 percent of those who did work were working at low skilled, low paying occupations. The current unemployment rate in carver is 10.3%. Where as richmond's is 8% and and the nation's rate is 2.3% So over the course of twenty years the unemployment rate has dropped 2.3%.
The median household income in 1990 was 18,438, which was about 5000 less than median of Richmond and 11,700 less than the U.S. Today the household income is 27,356. In 1990 41% of housholds make less than 15,000 a year and only 25% earned. Where as today about 50% make less than 35,000
Crime:
Redlining is a system created to evaluate different areas in cities to see how much they should charge for financial services such as banking, insurance, health care or even just to deny jobs. The HOLC (Home Owner's Loan Corporation) takes many factors in account when making this decision such as land, income, inhabitants and more. They then classify each area from A-D, A being the safe area going to D being the least safe area. Below is the map showing the redlining in each neighborhood in Richmond.
As seen, Carver is located in the red zone (D1) which means that it is not considered as a safe option. Therefore they have a lot more trouble receiving mortgages and so on than other neighborhoods do which makes it harder for them to develop as a neighborhood.
Crime is a big problem in Carver. Crime is an effect that results from poverty and inequality. Carver has a very high crime rate, which puts children at risk and can possible lead children on a path of life filled with crime. In the table below you can see some data collected observing crime in Carver.
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| http://www.areavibes.com/richmond-va/carver/crime |
As you see above, in Carver there is a lot more property crime than violent crime, which means that there is a lot of robberies. This is a scary statistics because it means that even in your home, where you are supposed to feel safe, you don't feel the security you should since the property crime rate is so high.
Redlining:
Redlining is a system created to evaluate different areas in cities to see how much they should charge for financial services such as banking, insurance, health care or even just to deny jobs. The HOLC (Home Owner's Loan Corporation) takes many factors in account when making this decision such as land, income, inhabitants and more. They then classify each area from A-D, A being the safe area going to D being the least safe area. Below is the map showing the redlining in each neighborhood in Richmond.
As seen, Carver is located in the red zone (D1) which means that it is not considered as a safe option. Therefore they have a lot more trouble receiving mortgages and so on than other neighborhoods do which makes it harder for them to develop as a neighborhood.
Urban Redevelopment:
In 1999, Carver was chosen as one of six neighborhoods in Richmond to be part of the NIB. The NIB is a neighborhood investment program, which was created to create a positive change in the state of the neighborhood. The NIB encourages community and private investments and Carver was given two million dollars for community development. This is very important for Carver, as investments are crucial to improve the neighborhood. The VCU partnership also contribute to the redevelopment of Carver.
Together they were working on 5 main goals:
1) Low interest loans and grants to homeowners for property renovation
2) Urban homesteading, acquisition and provision of vacant houses to low and moderate income individuals willing to repair and occupy them
3) Rehabilitation loans to rental property owners
4) Removal of abandoned buildings
5) Clearing specific areas for redevelopment and new buildings
The VCU partnership built a Student dormitory at 1100 West Broad Street which is meant to provide student housing and a community center for carver residents.
Together they were working on 5 main goals:
1) Low interest loans and grants to homeowners for property renovation
2) Urban homesteading, acquisition and provision of vacant houses to low and moderate income individuals willing to repair and occupy them
3) Rehabilitation loans to rental property owners
4) Removal of abandoned buildings
5) Clearing specific areas for redevelopment and new buildings
The VCU partnership built a Student dormitory at 1100 West Broad Street which is meant to provide student housing and a community center for carver residents.
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