The zip code experience was something I’ve never experienced before. It was interesting to see how different 32073 and 32207 is from mines, which is 32244. Zip codes help me illustrate society because they represent specific geographic areas based on the amount of towns, buildings, neighborhoods, etc. is in that region.
32073 is an Orange Park zip code, which is a very busy city. There are so many attractions that include places like the mall, strip malls, restaurants and recreation areas, which brings in lot of traffic. I also had to do a lot more traveling in this zip code because everything was far out.
32207 is a San Marco zip code, which is very reserved and small. Everything is within walking distance, which made it a bit easier to get pictures. San Marco is very historic and the houses are quite bigger with beautiful waterfronts. The shopping centers and restaurants are built close together in one big strip mall, like you would see in old town. Conflict theory plays a role because it illustrates inequality in a society. It labels members of a society of having more power than another.
For instance, Orange Park is convenient to those who live closer to Mandarin and the Westside because housing is more affordable. San Marco is mostly filled with upper-middle class families and the housing is a bit higher, which is what most of the people in this region can afford. Members in Orange Park expect newer homes while the homes in San Marco are more older. Also, Orange Park has more to offer than San Marco due to the amount of attractions they have and this causes a lot of competition between the two regions.
Glover 2 Symbolic interaction analyzes a society by addressing subjective meanings such as objects, ttitudes and events. It’s also socially constructed when people communicate with another and create a deviant culture by living a certain way that’s different from others. Orange Park is a very busy city and have people that think they’re better than a certain group or a certain area if they live in a nicer neighborhood, live in a big house or drive a fancy car.
Based on my own experience, I have come across quite a bit of rude people and that’s something they’re probably used to because that’s just how they are. There is some good, but that’s not an everyday thing you’ll see. San Marco is a very quiet town with less raffic and less chaos. This area has families from the upper-middle class, mostly of the Caucasian race, and lives in big houses with some including guest houses as well. Some people are friendly and some may look down on you if you’re not in their character. That’s one thing I noticed as I was visiting this zip code and some of the people stared at me as if I didn’t belong. Stratification is an unequal distribution between property, prestige and power. This helps form the division of society and categorizing people. Real estate property in 32244 is higher than the other two zip codes.
This shows that more property taxes have paid for their housing units. Also, mortgage property is higher in 32207 than the other zip codes because they have more land and housing units that cost more. San Marco has more prestige and power than the other two zip codes because they have over 1000 people employed with a health care job in a hospital, dental or doctor’s office setting, finance and/or insurance job. Argyle falls in the middle, but they don’t have a lot people with health care jobs and have more people employed with merchant wholesale jobs that include working with lumber, plywood and millwork.
People in Orange Park are kind of blended with certain types of employment. Most people are employed with a health care assistance job, working in a nursing home and dine-in restaurants. Glover 3 If I could trade places and be a part of a zip code that’s different from mine, I will probably understand the people and that society differently.
The reason for that is I have become very familiar with my zip code and I visit places that I’m use to in my zip code. I’ve realized that everyone and everything is different so having to do an adjustment to somewhere I’m not use to would be a challenge. The zip codes ymbolically impact the people that live within those regions because it affects how they greet and interact with others, their behaviors and attitudes towards others and how they do certain things.
The most meaningful thing I learned from this experience was just having the opportunity to see what goes on in different areas around Jacksonville, especially visiting places I’ve never seen or been to before. Sociologically, I understand that where I live is what I wake up to everyday. The way I communicate with the people I already know and how I normally behave around them helps me understand myself better because I know where I belong.
