wrong side of the tracks or not: examining inequality and rural mobile home park residence kate...

Wrong Side of the Tracks or Not: Examining Inequality and Rural Mobile

Home Park Residence

Kate MacTavish,

Oregon State University

Inequality & Rural Mobile Home Park Residence

Rationale Prevalence

8.9 million nationally Characteristically rural

Implications Costs of being “outside” of community

Physical and social place Physically marginalized Socially stigmatized Structurally risky

Inequality & Rural Trailer Park Residence

Research began in 1997 Two sites

Midwestern- Prairieview, IL Southwestern- Mesa Vista, NM

Ethnographic methods Survey Intensive


Prairieview, Illinois Story of growth and change “…in just two decades the village has

been transformed into an affluent community, suburban rather than rural small-town in character, all white, and solidly Republican.” (Salamon, 2003)


“Most of Prairieview thinks the trailer court is low-income. Most free and reduced lunches in schools are served to children from the trailer court. Most police and ambulance activity comes from the trailer court. Residents there are just never going to pay their way [in taxes] and, because of that, the trailer court is the focus of the entire community’s wrath.”

-Prairieview Village Administrator


Mesa Vista, NM Story of residential consistency “If you know the area at all you know that there

are pockets of mobile homes that together really just buckshot the town. No one here is going to say anything against it. Chances are everyone knows someone that lives in a trailer.”

Mesa Vista Planning Office


“When you go into town that when it’s weird. They look down their noses at us there. It’s like we’re from the wrong side of the tracks.”

Female park resident of less than one year


“When we first moved here, the first two years were great. We couldn’t have found a safer, better environment anywhere. The biggest problem was discrimination against people that live in [trailer park] by those that live in Prairieview. They ask you where you live, and you say you live out in the country by Prairieview. But if you say you live in [trailer park] then they turn on you—they don’t want anything to do with you. Even in the middle of church this will go on. That’s why people only want to live here a few years and then move on— because of the discrimination. Especially those with children, because they know that if they get them out and move them into Prairieview, the kids will suddenly be O.K.”

Female park resident, long term


“They do consider this “The Project” in Prairieview. There’s a difference between those who live here and those who don’t in the way they treat the kids. My niece lived here. Then she moved out to a farm. She says the way they treat [them] in school is completely different.”


“I don’t like the way they treat us. It’s really bad for the older kids. They get treated like they’re from the wrong side of the track, even by the teachers, but mostly by the other kids. It not the kids’ [from town] fault—it comes from their homes—their parents.”


“It was like I was assumed to be stupid. Like when the teacher hands back papers and says there were so many A’s and so many B’s. Everyone tries to guess who the A’s are. They never think it could be me. Even when I say I got an A, they’re like, ‘No – it couldn’t be you.’ It’s not the teachers. It’s really just the kids. The parents teach them that at home. That’s how they grow up. When I walk down the hall, the way I get hailed, the kids call out ‘Hey Trailer Trash.’ I’m good at blocking things out though. I hardly hear it anymore.”


“The biggest mistake I ever made. When we lived in town, the kids were treated well. Now they have trouble.”

Park resident and father of three


Why such divergent experiences? What mechanisms work to exacerbate

inequality among rural, working-poor families is a trailer park in IL?

What mechanisms work to mitigate such processes in NM?


Residential segregation Upscale suburban development Sense of place

Residential Segregation & Inequality

“If you live in Prairieview and you live in a mobile home you live in the trailer park.”

-long time male resident


Physical distance “The kids have to go into to town

to have anything to do, there’s nothing for them to do out here [in the park]. And the buses don’t run out here after school. If your child’s going to be in sports or anything after school you have to drive them.”

-mother of two, six year resident


Tax issues “We had to offset the extra costs some

way. Since those families are outside of the village limits they don’t pay the same taxes as the families living in town.”

Prairieview village manager

Residential Integration & Inequality

“…pockets of mobile homes…chances are everyone knows someone that lives in a trailer.”

Mesa Vista Planner

Residential Integration & Inequality

“Its been a mission of mine to press the owners to come into compliance little by little.”

Mesa Vista Planner

Upscale suburban development & Inequality

Wider economic gap “Relative” poverty


“We’ve been really lucky- both kids have had great teachers, but they always assume. They assume way too much. At the beginning of last year, I went in to register both my kids. As soon as I walked in, the principal handed me a lunch waiver form. They assume that because you live in [trailer park] that you qualify for that. Our son wore an old pair of tennis shoes to school. He came home with a note saying they were giving new shoes to all the needy kids at school, and he was on that list. I sent a letter back to the school informing them that my son did not need anything. They just assume, and that’s what gets to you.”


Concentration of wealth & disadvantage

Figure 3:Income Distribution in Prairieview, IL

Residential consistency & Inequality

“You want to know why someone lives in a trailer park, there’s one reason- they’re POOR!”

Male park resident of 8 years

Figure 4:Income Distribution in Mesa Vista, NM

Sense of place & Inequality

“We don’t feel like we belong to any community here. It’s a roof over our heads and place to live and that’s all.”

Prairieview park resident

“My whole family lives here. We’ve always lived here as far back as anyone knows. This has just always been our home.”

Mesa Vista park resident


Implications Context matters Strategies to better integrate

wrong side of the tracks or not: examining inequality and rural mobile home park residence kate...

Documents

trailer court

trailer trash

year slide

risky slide

female park resident

year resident slide

long term slide

rural implications costs