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View Winners → Arcadia Yesteryear and Today
Arcadia Weekly Dec 09, 2015
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When I arrived in Arcadia over 60 years ago we called our town a community of homes. We lived in and raised our families in single story homes which we quaintly called ranch-style. We had beautiful and well-manicured front lawns (many in Dichondra) and the door was always open to neighbors and friends. Our children played together and, in our cul-de-sac, they played ball in the street. We had block parties, we decorated our houses for the holidays, and on our street we had Christmas candles on every lawn. As a town we were well-organized. There was a group to fit any interest. We were a cohesive community. We donated our money to many charitable and civic causes. We especially favored our schools. We invested a great deal of money, both in our schools and in the infrastructure of our city resources.
Alas, the world is constantly in change. Sometimes we can see change only by looking backward, but in Arcadia we can see change on a daily basis on every street. Many of our friends and neighbors have moved away. The New Arcadians have different lifestyles. They prefer larger homes and they especially like their privacy. They plant tall hedge rows in front of their homes to ensure their privacy. We seldom see their children at play. Of course I am writing with a broad brush.
We Old Arcadians are so fortunate that these newcomers chose to invest in Arcadia. Our friends who have sold their homes got astonishingly high prices for them. The New Arcadians keep their homes looking immaculate. Many of them are involved with the Arcadia Chinese Association (ACA), which is an outstanding and civic-minded group. The ACA is a real blessing for our city. Their leaders are highly-respected and highly-regarded people. We have seen the New Arcadians taking leadership roles with the Methodist Hospital Foundation and other civic groups as well as the City Council. This is as it should be.
It troubles me that some of the Old Arcadians believe that their lifestyles should be imposed on the New Arcadians. We loved our single story homes. They prefer much larger homes. They are now the New Arcadia. Why should we try to impose our life style on them? We should not change the rules of the game in the waning years of the Old Arcadia – and after so many Old Arcadians have sold their homes (lots) and the New Arcadians have built the houses they prefer. To paraphrase the Bard Shakespeare, our time on the stage of life is brief. The time of the Old Arcadia is passing quickly. In a very few years the people who want Arcadia to remain as it was years ago, they themselves will become history.
-Jim Helms
Former Mayor, City of Arcadia
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