Tropicana Co-op manufactured home community (ie a trailer park) Fort Myers, Fla 2016 © Paul Goldfinger photo
Tropicana Co-op. Double wide. Ft. Myers, Fla. ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
In Ocean Grove we can judge demographics by the cars we see riding around. In recent years we have seen an uptik in fine vehicles. In Jersey trailer parks we expect to see crummy broken down wrecks up on blocks with junk yard dogs running around.
But down here, those automotive socioeconomic indicators are harder to interpret.
TEDDY THOMPSON (From Brokeback Mountain, the movie)
You should have witnessed the carnage of automobiles in Ocean Grove when we arrived in 1984. Ocean Pathway, where many transits lived, was lined with junkers, awaiting a final trip to the crusher. It was difficult to sleep in the morning due to the clacking of valves and the rumble of cars with broken mufflers. Not like the BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and other high end cars that now decorate the streets. The car of choice for the urban dwelling, second homeowners, seems to be the Mini. Not to shabby!
Much of the housing has been rehabilitated in a similar fashion and is reflective of a more affluent population. We still have a long way to go but the difference between 1984 and now is striking and most welcome.