Sociological Tour of Indianapolis
There are many different places that one calls “home”. A certain person may consider the hospital where they spend countless hours of work home, whereas others may consider home the place where they spent their childhood. My home is a ranch-style house in southeastern Indiana that sits on 97 acres. It is where I spent the majority of my life growing up. My home is in Jennings County, Indiana. Jennings County is a small rural county with a population of roughly 28,500 people. The area consists of beautiful landscapes and a great deal of farmland. We have one main strip of fast food restaurants and a small Walmart. Jennings County does not have much diversity; 97.6 % of the county is made up of Whites.
Coming to school in Indianapolis was very contrasting from the home I was used to. Not only was I introduced to a big cultural difference, but also diverse infrastructure and industry. Although I was aware of some of these differences, this knowledge was only minimal compared to what I discovered by participating in the sociological tour of Indianapolis. The tour not only allowed me to really observe in detail the many differences from my hometown, but also the various differences within Indianapolis itself.
I started the Indianapolis tour as the sun was setting on a nice Saturday evening. The tour began by starting on IUPUI’s campus. We proceeded to turn left on Meridian. The beginning of Meridian consisted of nice big buildings that branch off from downtown. However, after driving through St. Claire there was a turning point. The sidewalks were much smaller and there was less up-keep to them. There were many businesses clumped together in a small space. Behind these businesses, you could see small neighborhoods comprised of old small homes. A various assortment of cars were parked on the street which we were driving on. Once 30th Street was met, big apartment buildings took the place of the businesses that lined the street...