Shaquille Blackstock
Staff Writer
Every area can expect to change over the years as residents move in and out, as businesses come and go, and even as roads are renamed and rerouted. No place is immune to the effects of time, but Greensboro is a special exception to this rule.
Anyone who has lived here for the last four or more years can attest to the fact that the landscape of Greensboro has changed entirely. What used to be High Point Road is now Gate City Boulevard, and UNCG seems to be sprouting like a weed.
However, is all of this new growth positive? Are all of its effects purely beneficial to the area? Some would describe what is happening here as gentrification, which has implications that extend beyond the development of a few new buildings and businesses coming to town.
The term “gentrification,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the process of renewal or rebuilding, accompanying the influx of middle-class or upper class people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.
People may argue that this is not happening around UNCG; however, the lofts and new student gym are in an area that used to be a residential neighborhood. While the project prevailed to provide more room for the influx of new, incoming students, the building plans were met with disapproval by many residents surrounding the location.
Another area that has changed significantly over the course of the past few years is Tate Street. Businesses have come and gone, like The Space and Taste Yogurt, and in its place is the new Chipotle.
There used to be a restaurant there called Thai Palace, and there are many other surrounding businesses that did not survive the times. The business ventures that failed might have been due to the economy, or, it could that they did not appeal to the newer residents like they did in the past.
Gentrification is a considerable factor in the destruction of the unique restaurants and businesses that make up communities in Greensboro. Gentrification can be understood to happen here, in the similar ways it has taken shape in Asheville.
Speaking on the new businesses and demographics in the area, an artist and former UNCA student, Ellen, spoke on what she has noticed over time.
“You can see so many people living on the streets now, and it was not always this way. People started moving in and buying up businesses on our main street, in order to bring in places like the French Broad Co-op. It brings in a really middle class hipster crowd, and that was not always how Asheville was. There’s more of a hippie community here, but we’re getting bought out. Now the rent and cost of living is so high, that people have to basically live outside in order to survive, and it’s basically because we’ve been gentrified out,” said Ellen.
She continued, “It’s not all bad, of course. We have a lot of new bars and brewery type restaurants to go to, but it’s not quite the same. So it does not surprise me that it’s happening in other places too. It’s like people are trying to fix something that was never broken. Sometimes it brings in cool new people, but like at the co-op, the crowd is almost always pretentious and insufferable. It makes you realize that Whole Foods is the Walmart of Co-op’s, which is an interesting revelation.”
Gentrification is happening in places as far away as Brooklyn and as close as the heart of Greensboro communities. But to some people, it’s not all that bad. Tate Street Coffee has been a staple on Tate Street, fittingly so, and some of the former staff there have witnessed the times change and the environment change too, and it’s not all bad or a constant threat.
One of Tate Street Coffee’s employees, Jodie, elaborates; “A lot of businesses have left over the last five years…working here, lots of people graduate, leave and start careers. New fresh faces come in, and it’s like everything’s starting over. Our business has picked up, probably because the freshman classes are bigger, which might contribute to the upturn in customers. I can’t speak for other businesses…I know East Coast Wings does pretty well. The renaming of Gate City and the construction to revamp the area is really beautiful, contributing to a new environment here. The expansion of the university is for the better, bringing more people to Greensboro is a great idea. UNCG kind of had a bad name; no one really took us seriously. Now it seems like we have a better image. Hopefully all of this improvement will add to the music and art scene…we have this as a venue for musicians and artists. Every month we welcome new artists to showcase their work here. What’s happening here is more positive than what is happening in Asheville, for sure. In five or ten years we could even be more similar to the artsy, hippie feel of Asheville.”
THE CAROLINIAN 
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the gentrification of Greensboro. However, I found the lack of diversity in the voices cited to be disheartening. To write an article on the effects of gentrification in Greensboro without quoting negatively impacted Glenwood residents seems controversial at the very least. The truth of the matter is that members of that neighborhood are having to move out of their homes and at times have become homeless because of the raise in cost of rent and living caused by gentrification. I understand your desire to bring some light to a negative situation, but there is more importance in truth and bringing awareness and action.
Best,
Sadie K.
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Gentrification has been nothing but a Negative situation for me. I live on Gillespie St. in Greensboro by NCATSU which is expanding towards my community. My mother owns her house on Gillespie St, yet she passed in Feb2022 . My mother was harassed greatly by neighbors who got together and decided she should no longer lived here after 40 yrs. The stress was to much to bare. My mother was 96 years old and experienced heavy Bullying, Chemicals sprayed in our bedroom windows, weapons flashed, red razor lights shine through our bedroom windows, IP address stolen which gave them access to our cell phones, laptops, security cameras and security systems. We were followed everywhere by city officials, police. Our mail is still being stolen, bank accounts hacked 8 times or more. I truly believe that this contribute to my mothers death. My mother never had 1 argument with 1 neighbor in 40 years. I have called police over 39 times with no police reports written. I was told when you call police over 13 times you are considered to be mentally I’ll even if you have situations going on and this is exactly the way that I am being treated. They have also taken down my social media pages and hacked all of my phones and planted devices in my home when I leave. My locks have been changed 4 times. They intercept my phone calls and have me under 100% surveillance. The traffic is heavy on Gillespie St to keep my house 309 under surveillance. On the 4th of July, they (neighbors) stood in my back yard and shot cannons, Guns, and fireworks better than the ones downtown Greensboro. I called the police and they road right by. My neighbors in the front, on each side, and the back of me have cameras, yet they have never been pulled to verify what I am saying. I have contacted My Congresswoman Kathy Manning, Major Vaughn, City Council Sharon Hightower, Goldie Wells, No response. Not even their condolences about my mother. I don’t know what to expect day by day. No response from News 2. I’m asking that someone help to solve this matter before another human being is hurt. My name is Donna Burnett of 309 Gillespie St .
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