My Place in the City of Dublin, Research Paper Example

Like most of the inhabitants of the city of Dublin, my membership of the city is the product of an evolution of factors that are hinged around social and economic parameters. Any attempt to understand the contemporary dynamics in this thriving city will be incomplete without an understanding of the historical trends that have influenced the formation of the society of 38, 000 inhabitants. Rightly so because a comparison between the available historical evidence of the state of this area in question in the nineteenth century to what it is today, clearly points out to very interesting details of the socioeconomic factors that have worked out to elevate the city from its humble beginnings.

Indeed, a look at the demographic terrain of the city corroborates the above assertion. Much of the city’s vigor is credited to the forceful impact of corporate indulgence in the developmental process of the city. For instance, the city is home to huge corporate entities such as IGS Energy, Nationwide Insurance, and Wendy’s among others. Migration can therefore be attributed to the upsurge in the population. Consequently, the city has progressively developed a culture that is somewhat exclusive to its population (Franklin & Elanine 2004).

It is known from official estimates made in 2007 that the median income for the households in the city of Dublin is pegged at $110,310 (based on statistics taken from the United States Census Bureau). Going by this figure, there is every reason to believe that the city is clustered with a vibrant middle class in economic terms, without necessarily mentioning the upper class.  The inhabitants are adequately resourced with enough spending money, thus providing the strong foundational base of the diverse facets of the local economy. The input of local spending in keeping the economy strong enough is built on the premise that the best guarantee for the sustainability of the local economy is from the local populace. In this context the city of Dublin features highly on this indicator.

Beyond what has been said about the role of the local populace in structuring the paradigms of the city, there is also the external factor in contributing to this phenomenon. One of the prominent side attractions includes the widely known Memorial Tournament for golf; coupled with the presence of three other important active golf courses in the city. Naturally, during the peak season of the golf calendar, thousands of patrons and golf enthusiasts troop into the city. An effect of this high trooping is the fact that there is an increase in the spending parity in the city. It further explains the reason behind the buoyancy of the service sector industry in the economic structure of the city. The service sector is thus well equipped to manage the influx of foreigners into the city during the hay periods in the city. Typically, price hikes for accommodation and other necessities begin to hike in response to the increasing externally induced demand for services.

In a recent informal interaction with Mr. Brandon Brown, the GIS administrator of the city of Dublin, I was encouraged by the scope of relevant pieces of information I gathered from him about the city. Chiefly among what Mr. Brown told me during our discussion is the centrality of Irish influence on the current state of the city. According to him, the Irish people to whom Dublin owes its development migrated and even influenced the naming of the city to the one in Ireland. It is the determination of the natives of Dublin that they received good part of the wealth of the Irish people and improved the general economy. Mr. Brandon Brown quoted from John Shields, one of the Irish founding fathers of the city of Dublin. According to Brandon, Mr. Shields was quoted as saying:

If I have the honor conferred upon me to name your village, with the brightness of the morn, and the beaming of the sun on the hills and dales surrounding this beautiful valley, it would give me great pleasure to name your new town after my birthplace, Dublin, Ireland.

Prestige, opulence and extravagance is a dominant theme that permeates the social fabric of this city, expressed in the presence of lavish luxury cars cruising along the streets and expensive restaurants dotted across the city. People take themselves very seriously, and have a social class attitude. I say this only in comparison to the different places I have lived. I was born in Gary, Indiana, lived on Long Island, grew up in New Orleans, and graduated when living in a small farm town on the banks of Lake Eire.

I believe that being a part of a community is a state of mind. In many ways it will not be far fetched to contend that I have not lived long enough in this city to claim full membership of the community. This can also be translated to mean that I am steadily positioning myself in a manner that will put in a better place to understand all the structural dynamics of this city. Many people who visit the city isolate some aspects of the city and occasionally their compliments make me feel as part and parcel of its development.

There are not very many homes for sale in Dublin and chances are that most settlers or recent inhabitants to Dublin are probably living in an apartment or condo.  This phenomenon is reasonably within normalcy judging from the fact that a significant chunk of developments in the city can be traced to external influences from visitors and short term inhabitants explaining the justification behind housing accessibility through condos and apartments. (www.trulia.com para.1).

The service industry market includes restaurants, Tuttle Mall, and Dublin being the number one place in America for small business. The expensive living is shown in the median income average of $125,000, the median home value is $375,000, and every foreign and exotic car manufacturer has dealership in Dublin. The success of Dublin is also poised to ride with the success of Columbus such as Ohio State, Les Wexner and the limited brands, and Columbus being a top city for growth out of all of America.

As one would expect, we all live in surrounding that appear well known to us but the truth is that so much is taken for granted. I realized that even my presence has so much to do with the history, the way of life of Dublin and the economic situation. This is to mean that as Dublin city is developing its history to the present state, people have moved in and out of it. In the process I find myself among the community. My way of life is largely dictated by the general life situation here. I now feel even more part of Dublin where I live than before. This is something which perhaps is natural, but one would tend to note that unconsciously though, we are generally well oriented to situation less our knowledge. Therefore we all need to familiarize ourselves with our cultures and more so the history as in many times it is the dictate of our current situation.

Reference

Connolly, James. The Dublin Lock Out: On the Eve: Irish Worker. August 13, 2003.

Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Dublin, Ohio History. .22 Sep. 2009.  9 Oct. 2009.<http://www.dublinchamber.org/history.cfm>

Dublin Real Estate Overview. 30 Sep 2009.  9 Oct. 2009. http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Dublin-Ohio/

Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) 2006. Accessed on September 29, 2009 from http://www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/006328.html

Peter D. Franklin, & Elaine Kehoe. Dublin’s Journey: The City of Dublin. The Printing Network, 2004.