ironically-named subdivisions

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Revision as of 15:09, 15 April 2010 by Woozle (talk | contribs) (Everwood now has its own page; added Forest @ Duke)
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About

Developers of new suburban subdivisions seem to have a habit of naming their developments after some feature (usually natural) which was removed in order to make way for the development. This probably unintentional, but certainly ironic.

Examples

  • Everwood subdivision (in Durham, NC):
    • the site had indeed been "ever wooded" -- until the developer's clearcutting to make room for houses and roads (currently mostly vacant due to the 2009 recession)
    • the web site name (everwoodatlast.com) is doubly ironic -- it implies that the area was unwooded until the developer finally arrived (at last!) to put trees there, now safe for all future generations to walk through and enjoy; this of course is the reverse of the truth.
  • The Forest at Duke, a Durham, NC retirement community built in the 1990s
    • The naming here isn't as intensely ironic, as this community was built on a lot which had already been cleared by a different developer for a commercial project (something like "Chesterfield") which failed with a few houses built. By the time TFaD began construction, the lot was thickly covered with new growth (mostly pine) well on its way to foresthood.

need more examples!