Wouldn't You like to Know What Goes on in Cloverdale?

Back in 1970, Alexandria was a relatively small but growing City. The nearby military installation, England Air Force Base, brought a great need for additional housing in the area and Voila! Cloverdale was born.

Many of the families that purchased homes in this subdivision were either in the Air Force or just departed from the Air Force and decided they wanted to stay in the area. Alexandria was a nice place to live. It was surrounded by lakes, and rivers, and bayous which made it an ideal location for avid bass anglers and water skiers. The surrounding areas held much adventure for those who enjoyed hunting and outdoor hobbies. Many of the military families who were assigned to England Air Force Base fell in love with the City and the suburbs and all of the recreational areas around. They developed a love of the land and didn't want to move on.

As for me, I was born, raised and grew up in Alexandria. I married one of those Air Force guys and we settled here for good. After he fufilled his obligation to the United States Air Force, and our first child was born, we purchased our first home right here in Cloverdale subdivision. There were so many neighbors who, like us, were newly married and beginning a family. The neighborhood grew fast.

Neighbors became friends and socializing with neighbors became wonderful pasttimes. Some of the best socializing was done in the late afternoon during the summer months. It seemed that "lawn mowing" was a twice a week chore that almost everyone engaged in on the same days of the week. After the mowing and edging, and raking, and sweeping was finished, the neightbors would gather on one of the freshly manicured lawns and relax for a few minutes with some friendly conversation and some refreshing drinks.

Our neighborhood would gather once a week to play cards and enjoy refreshments. The children would enjoy playing with each other and it was a family oriented night of fun.

What happened to the "Cloverdale Click"? As the years passed, and the children grew up, the adults became very busy with all of the school activities, and summer sports. There was no time left for socializing with the neighbors. Everything began to change. The City of Alexandria burst into a growth spurt and an interstate highway was built. This interstate highway went right through the poorer areas of the city. This forced the minority sector to find housing elsewhere and Cloverdale, along with a couple of other subdivisions, was a focal point for the movement of the low income. The government bought up houses in Cloverdale and the other nearby subdivisions to move the now homeless, low income sectors into.

The neighborhood was never the same. After the influx of these families into the neighborhood, problems began to arise. Theft was fastly becoming a daily concern. The friendly neighbors that used to manicure their lawns twice a week were becoming non-existant. The friends began to sell out and move away.
It was just not possible for them to stay in an area that was becoming troublesome. Some of us had no choice but to stay. Finding housing at an affordable price was almost impossible. Some of us didn't want to move our children from our neighborhood school. Some of us just didn't want to give up our homes that we worked hard to purchase and maintain.

The neighborhood started to become run down. Old, broken down cars began to litter the lawns and the "curb appeal" of the neighborhood was gone.
The quiet, friendly, atmosphere had vanished and was replaced by honking horns at all hours of the day and night. Door slamming, ugly shouting, and unkempt houses became the norm. What could be done to get the beauty and pride back into the neighborhood? Nothing! Neighbors stopped visiting one another. Everyone seemed to keep to themselves.

Within a few years, these new neighbors began to go bankrupt and loose their homes. They just couldn't keep up the payments on the homes that the government moved them into. We began to see government forclosures on these homes and then homes sitting vacant for years while the forclosures were processed. Young couples began to once again buy homes in the neighborhood. Young families began to flourish and fill the vacated houses. Small children began to play in the yards once again and laughter returned to the neighborhood. Friendships were formed, and lawnmowing and yard and home maintainence became priorities once more. It is so nice to see neighbors talking with neighbors once again.

The one thing that probably will never happen again is the closeness of neighbors and the twice weekly lawnmowing and friendly converstations and sharing of refreshing beverages between good friends on one of the fresh mowed lawns. It is just not the same. We are older now and the younger/newer residents on the block don't care to be that friendly.

Good old "Cloverdale" will never be again what it once was. We miss our old friends!