Rose Park, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Rose Park is a neighborhood on the west side of Salt Lake City, Utah. Rose Park is one of the poorest sections of Salt Lake City, and among the most ethnically diverse areas in Utah.
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[edit] Boundaries
The Rose Park Community Council district boundaries encompass the area west of I-15, north of 600 North (More on Salt Lake City's coordinate system), and east of Redwood Road (approximately 1750 West). Rose Park extends north to the city limits, which is the boundary between Salt Lake and Davis counties.
Rose Park lies north of the Poplar Grove and Glendale neighborhoods and west of the northwest slope of Capitol Hill. The entire neighborhood falls within the boundaries of West High School, one of Utah's largest and oldest high schools.
[edit] History
In the early 20th century, Rose Park was marketed as a reasonably priced division with larger plots than older Salt Lake City neighborhoods like the Avenues. After World War II, population and growth in the area grew as vacant plots were bought up and homes built. Many trees were planted in the neighborhood during this period, and Rose Park now boasts some of the city's largest and most densely spaced trees.
For the last several decades, Rose Park has suffered from a negative reputation. The neighborhood is one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse areas of Utah. Like the early residents of Murray, many of the turn-of-the-century settlers were non-Mormon blue-collar workers, although Rose Park's workers worked for railroads instead of smelters.
[edit] Superfund cleanup site
In the early 1980s a hazardous site existed in Rose Park near Rosewood Park and south of the Rose Park Golf Course. The state of Utah petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to add it to their list of Superfund cleanup sites. The agency agreed and in 1982 it was added to the superfund list as "Rose Park Sludge Pit."
Local refineries dumped waste products in the sludge pit from the 1930s until 1957. The acidic sludge contained carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide posing a threat to groundwater and surrounding organisms. This was particularly unnerving because much of the municipal water in Rose Park comes from scattered wells.
Amoco oil company was potentially liable for the site, so agreed to clean it up in 1985. The solution entailed the construction of a slurry wall around and under the slugde pit to avoid groundwater contamination. A clay cap was also placed on top of the sludge pit and topped with grass.
Since these improvements, the site has passed all of its five-year reviews with the solution deemed "protective of human health and the environment."
[edit] Population shifts and redistricting
In the 1980s through the 1990s Rose Park became home to increasing numbers of non-European immigrants due to modest house prices.[1] These immigrants came chiefly from Polynesia and Latin America. Poverty in the area led to increased crime, including gang violence. Although crime has since subsided, Rose Park still has a reputation of being among the worst places to live in Salt Lake County.
After redistricting following the 1990 Census, Rose Park found itself in a different congressional district, the 1st district, than the rest of Salt Lake County, which was in 2nd district. Some Democrats, a minority in the legislature then and now, claimed that this partition had racist motivations.[2] Democrats claimed that Rose Park, a historically liberal area, had few interests in common with the mostly rural 1st district which included St. George, Utah far to the south.
However, after redistricting following the 2000 Census, all three of Utah's US Congressional districts took a form similar to the 1990s 1st district. Salt Lake City is divided among the three districts so that each has a mix of urban and rural areas as the Republican-controlled state legislature desired. Rose Park remains in the 1st district, which now includes most of northern Utah.
Many homes are being renovated by builders and sold to couples and small families.[1] It is one of the only neighborhoods still affordable to first time home buyers (estimated $140,000-$190,000), but close to downtown.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Joe Baird and Tim Sullivan, "Here Comes the Neighborhood; Growing diversity brings pains, hopes to SLC community; Rose Park Is Changing Too Fast for Some," The Salt Lake Tribune, February 1, 2003, pg. A1
- ^ Greag Burton, "Rose Park Demands Return to 2nd District; Residents say reapportionment in 1990 disenfranchised them," The Salt Lake Tribune, May 17, 2001, pg. C2
[edit] External links
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