The Greater Ville Neighborhood Overview

Information concerning the neighborhood history, characteristics, institutions and organizations, planning and development.

Location

The area is bounded by Marcus Avenue on the northwest, Natural Bridge on the northeast, Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and St. Louis Avenue on the south via North Taylor Avenue and Sarah Street, and North Vandeventer Avenue on the southeast

History

The Greater Ville shares much of the history of the Ville neighborhood, which nests comfortably inside the Greater Ville. By the mid 1800s it was home to a mix of African Americans, Germans, and Irish immigrants. Unlike the Ville, parts of the Greater Ville area were restricted by covenants to preserve racial inequalities through allowing only white home ownership in certain areas. Similar to the Ville, though, the Greater Ville has suffered greatly from neglect and disinvestment as both the white and black middle class have virtually disappeared in a mass exodus out of the city. As the middle class left their homes in the Greater Ville behind, many urban poor relocated to this neighborhood after they were pushed out of areas such as Mill Creek Valley during the “urban renewal” period of the 1950s.

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