Parramore

For the rock band, see Paramore. For the academic and historian, see Thomas C. Parramore.

Parramore is a neighborhood in west-central Orlando, Florida. It is a historical neighborhood for Orlando residents of African descent, and suffered greatly during the Jim Crow era of institutionalized racism. [1] In 2015, the unemployment rate was reported as 23.8% and median household income was $15,493.[1]

The area was developed as a segregated African-American community.[2] It was built in the 1880s by Orlando's fourteenth mayor, James B. Parramore, as a development "to house the blacks employed in the households of white Orlandoans."[2]

While the historic east border of Parramore was Division Street (which marked the line where African-American residents living in the west could not cross into the east after sundown), Interstate 4 was constructed directly between Parramore and the prosperous and mostly white neighborhoods of central downtown, just east of Division Street and just west of the railroad tracks. Parramore's "official" boundaries (according to the city of Orlando) extend to Interstate 4, but the regions in between Division and the interstate are generally not residential, hosting such facilities as the Amway Center and the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. Smaller businesses are, of course, located on the west side of Division Street and include grocery stores, barber shops, and soul food restaurants.

Many of the issues facing Parramore historically and currently can be traced to institutionalized or even unintentional neglect from the city and county governments, exacerbated by the fact that the city limits of Orlando do not extend all the way through, and therefore one block might be dependent on city services while being bordered on three sides by blocks that depend on county services. The western border of Parramore is Orange Blossom Trail, a thoroughfare where violence and other crimes are common.

Orlando officially considers Parramore to be three separate neighborhoods: Lake Dot (between Colonial Drive and Amelia Street), Callahan (between Amelia Street and Central Boulevard), and Holden/Parramore (between Central Boulevard and Gore Street). All three are bounded on the east by Interstate 4 and on the west by Orange Blossom Trail.

A soccer stadium, Orlando City Stadium, is currently being built in Parramore along West Church Street between Glenn Lane and Terry Avenue.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Hudak, Stephen (February 14, 2015). "Parramore plan seeks to improve city's poorest neighborhood". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 Fyotek, Cassandra (2009). Historic Orange County:The Story of Orlando and Orange County. Historic Publishing Network. pp. 54–57. ISBN 9781893619999.
  3. ↑ Hudak, Stephen (February 9, 2015). "Part of Parramore Avenue to close for soccer stadium". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 16, 2016.

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