The ‘Old Valley’ Has Vanished

I often wonder what happened to the Valley, the one I used to know and love.

When my family first moved here in 1955, it seemed like the ideal place to live; for our children to grow up and attend school--and in many ways it was.

It was a rural area then. The children watched with amazement as the land was graded and asphalt was poured.

Finally, street lights were installed, the streets were named, trees and lawns were planted and we had a community.

There were a few drawbacks, but they were outweighed by the many advantages.

It was several weeks before we had telephone service and the closest markets were about three miles away. But the children could play outdoors without fear of traffic and, two short blocks away, a new elementary school was close to completion.

It wasn’t long before we had supermarkets and other amenities.

The neighbors all had small children. We had much in common and soon got to know each other. Some of us became lifelong friends.

Now as I look around the Valley, I see deterioration everywhere. I am saddened and angry to see homes that were built with love and pride defaced by graffiti. Nothing is immune from the malicious vandalism. The ugly scrawl is on stores, churches, libraries--even fire hydrants.

I wonder what it means. What kind of mentality does one have to partake in such destructive, mindless activity?

Parking lots are littered with discarded containers, beer cans and wrappers carelessly tossed to the ground. Nobody seems to be concerned by the mess. It has become part of the landscape, an eyesore that flaunts disorder.

Customers are accosted by panhandlers as they enter stores and banks. They are persistent and often hostile. Police cars that once patrolled the area with regularity have all but disappeared. One wonders if they have capitulated to the lawbreakers.

It’s not surprising to see a plethora of “for sale” signs. I wonder about the families who will be moving away.

Perhaps they, too, remember the way it was. Maybe the town to which they plan to move will be a replica of the “Old Valley.”

They may miss the Valley that once was. Or perhaps it was just an illusion--a Shangri-La that never really existed.

LILY DE LAUDER

North Hollywood