West Kendall: Environment and Community

Description of the Community

Overview

West Kendall is home to hundreds of people that have both been born here or have migrated from different countries through the years. As of today, Hispanics make up a big percentage of the population in Kendall. We have immigrants from all over the world who practice their religions, customs, and beliefs freely. There are now about 37,959 people currently living in West Kendall only, with about 19,000 females and about 18,000 of males.

As we interact with one another we are able to learn and teach each other. We come from different places and although we grow up with different beliefs we have found a way to come together and live happily in this area.

History and Type of Community

West Kendall is considered to be an urban community. In order to get a better understanding of West Kendall, its history should be taken into consideration. It is worth highlighting that the mortgage corporation bought the territory from the state (Florida). It happened in 1883. As a matter of fact, the title Kendall is linked to the surname of a director of the mortgage corporation, namely Henry John Broughton Kendall.

He moved to this territory in 1900 in order to manage the land of his company. First and foremost, it should be noted that West Kendal did not experience rapid development at first, and it was related to the fact that the territory was not open to homestead. In 1914 and 1929 the first post office and school were founded. It should be stressed that Kendall as well as the territories close to it, suffered from Hurricane Andrew. This natural cataclysm destroyed a lot of buildings that had to be rebuild. However, further development and the process of rebuilding was very slow.

Physical Environmental Considerations

Location, Topographical Features, Climate, Area

Kendall is located at 25°40′0″N 80°21′24″W According to the United States Census Bureau, the Kendall region has an approximate total area of 16.3 sq mi (42.3 km²); 16.1 sq mi (41.8 km²) of it is land and 0.23 sq mi (0.6 km²) of it (1.35%) is water. Hurricane season is a little scary do to the fact that many places around West Kendall tend to get flooded very easily and it creates a problem for the cars to move around and people to walk.

Is composed of a combination of apartments, townhouses, condominiums, hotels, and houses. As I walked around I can see that the structures are very modern and show barely any signs of decay. It has parks like Hammocks Parks with recreational areas for both kids as well as adults. It has a soccer field and a playground together with a track field to walk or run around. West Kendall has over 200 gas stations, restaurants like Bahamas Breeze, La Carreta, Pollo Tropical, Polo Norte, Flanigan’s, Chills, and Meal on Wheels on 88 street and 137 Ave.

A mall called Dadeland Mall composed of stores and restaurants inside of it like Cheesecake Factory and Earls Kitchen and bar. There are stores like New York and Company, Nordstrom, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Bloomingdales all around different shopping centers with the main movie theater on Kendall drive and 120ave.

Environment

There are a number of aspects that should be taken into consideration:

Sanitation: the territory is supplied with water; there are the following suppliers, namely Crystal Springs Water, Miami Water, Aqua Shop, and others. There are a number of drain services and no problems with sewage. Trash and recycling centers can be found as well.
Pollutants. The air is polluted as well as water (50 out of 100). The higher is the score the better is the air.
Air quality. According to recent research, the quality of air in West Kendall is 56 out of 100 possible (Kendall West, Florida Health, n.d.).
Food supply. There are a number of restaurants and food services as well as stores.
A potential disaster in the population. The climate peculiarities contain a potential danger of cataclysms.
An extent of disaster preparation in the population. A lot of buildings were destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, and now people take into account this experience building shelters to survive a potential disaster.

Housing

According to statistical data, 67% of citizens own a house, 33% – rent a house or apartment. The majority of the houses are private. There are shelters for people who do not have homes and centers for the elderly.

Big department stores like Walmart, Kmart, Marshalls, T-jmax,Best Buy, and grocery stores like Publix, Winndixie, Presidente Supermarket, Sedanos, Tropical Supermarket spread all throughout West Kendall. There are also a lot of fast food places like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Wendy’s that are open late into the night. With a famous night club called, Blue Martini that features different kinds of music and all sorts of exotic drinks is the highlight of the night to anyone living in Kendall.

As I walked into different dry cleaners like Westburry Cleaners& Shirt Salon and Dryclean USA Florida I noticed they were kind of empty but very clean and equipped with high-class machines. The working personal was very friendly and helpful and answered all of my questions without any problem.

Leading Industries

The leading industries in West Kendall are:

Retail trade;
Construction;
Transportation;
Health care;
Management and marketing.

The People of the Community

Population Profile

Almost 36,000 people live in West Kendall. Analyzing people in the community, the following factors should be taken into consideration:

Population density. According to the research, the population density is 14,060 (Kendall West Florida Demographics Data, n.d);
Population changes in the last 10 years. Over the past 10 years, West Kendall had developed greatly, and it is reflected in population growth;
Population per square miles: high density 14,060;
Mobility: a number of families have houses (81%); however, people are flexible and mobile;
Types of families: the majority of families consist of 4 people.

Biological Considerations

The following elements should be taken into account:

Age composition: median age (female – 43, male – 36);
Sex distribution: male – 48%; female – 52% (Kendall West Florida Demographics Data, n.d).
Race distribution: Caucasian – 94%; African-American – 3%; Asian – 3% (Kendall West Florida Demographics Data, n.d).
Ethnic groups: Hispanic or Latino – 89% (Kendall West Florida Demographics Data, n.d).
Mortality characteristics:
1. Birth and death rates. The tendency shows demographic growth, so the death rate is less than the birth rate;
2. Age-specific death rate. A lot of people die because of cancer and heart-related problems;
3. Infant mortality rate – 13 infants in 2014;
4. Maternal mortality rate – 1%.
Cause-specific death rate: a lot of people die from neglect. Obesity causes significant heart-related issues. Moreover, people die from cancer, especially smokers. Every year a lot of people dies because of these health issues:
1. Cardiovascular disease – 880;
2. Cancer – 2580;
3. Other problems – 1250.
Leading causes of morbidity: the unhealthy way of life and nutrition problems.

Psychological Considerations

Significant Historical Events

West Kendall played an important role in historical context because of geographical location, good climate, and appropriate conditions for living. However, West Kendall experienced slow development, and only nowadays shows a stable growth index.

Future Economic Prospects

The primary economic perspective is considered to be the development of a tourist segment.

Formal and Informal Communication Networks

One of the most significant elements in shaping a future economic success of West Kendall is the establishment of relationships and communication between officials, companies, organizations, and citizens. It is essential to react to problems and create comfortable conditions for life. Informal communication relates to the development of social media and the establishment of a friendly atmosphere.

Rates of Suicide

A criminal situation in West Kendall is related to suicide and homicide. A lot of people commit suicide because of some issues with alcohol, drugs, and poverty. Criminal elements contribute to the popularity of drugs. Thus, fight with criminal elements is the fundamental approach on the way to the reduction of suicide and homicide rates. Crime rate – 4,263, suicide – 75 (Kendall West, FL Crime, n. d.).

Adequacy of Protective Services

Protective services aim to reduce the index of criminality, however, the situation remains difficult.

Sociocultural Considerations: The Community As a Social System

In order to analyze sociocultural system, it should be noted that some elements should be taken into account:

Socioeconomic status

The income of family – $39,600;
Major occupations:
1. Management – 14%;
2. Sales – 13%;
3. Administrative support – 11%;
4. Transportation – 9%;
5. Construction – 7%;
6. Installation and maintenance – 7% (Kendall West, Florida, n.d.).
Estimated level of unemployment – 8%;
Percent below the poverty level – 18,4%;
People retired – 15%.

Educational level

Religious distribution: people who are religious – 40%
1. Baptist – 5%;
2. Catholics – 22%;
3. Jewish – 2%;
4. Other religions – 11%.
Marriage and divorce rate:
1. Never married – 30%;
2. Married – 50%;
3. Divorced – 14%;
4. Widowed – 7%.
Language:
1. Spanish – 85%;
2. English – 13%;
3. Portuguese, Creole – 2%.

Government and Leadership

West Kendall does not have municipal authorities and is managed by higher authorities. Hotlines are available 24 hours a day. However, other services were created for the citizens to address:

Miami Dade County Intergovernmental Affairs;
Center for Violence Prevention.

Education

All throughout it creates a comfortable environment for families from all over the world to live in. The streets remain clean at all times, surrounded by beautiful flowers and palm trees. There are thirty-five schools that include elementary schools like Hammocks Middle school and Howard A. Doolin Middle School. High schools like Felix Varela Senior High, John A. Ferguson Senior High School, and G Holmes Braddock Senior High School. Private schools like Florida Christian School, and colleges and universities like Keiser and Kaplan.

Services for Special Population

Pregnant teens – 4%;
Adults with special problems – 13;
Children and adults who are developmentally disabled – 5%;
Children and adults who are blind or deaf – 2%.

Transportation

Throughout West Kendall, it is common the use of buses and Metrobus. Buses go until late at night and throughout the weekend. Traffic is very hectic at all times composed of cars, motorcycles, school buses, and regular service buses. It has 1 police station and 9 fire stations( station numbers 13, 17, 2, 23, 29, 3, 30, 35, 36). Although West Kendall is not too big it is the home of rehabilitation centers like The Palace, West Kendall Rehab Center Inc, and Medi Max Rehabilitation Center.

They provide a place for the elderly to be comfortable at all times with health staff supervision, they have activities and field trips to entertain them. There are also domestic violence centers like Abuse Counseling & Treatment and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse. These places provide support to people who have gone through some problems in their life and need some help and guidance. They not only give support to the patients but also to the family members. There are also over ten churches like, Christ Fellowship and King Jesus Ministry in which everyone can express their religious beliefs freely.

Consumption Patterns

According to recent statistics, many people in West Kendall have health-related issues because of nutrition problems:

Preschool obesity – 16%;
Overweight – 36% (Kendall West, Florida Health, n. d.).

Leisure Pursuit

People in West Kendall have an opportunity to visit football games, restaurants, cafes, and cinemas.

Health-Related Behaviors

49% of people have issues with teeth;
8% have diabetes.

Healthcare

West Kendall has five main hospitals with other smaller clinics. Some examples are Kendall Regional Medical Center, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Baptist Health Urgent Care, Baptist Hospital of Miami, and West Kendall Animal Hospital. There are dentist clinics like West Kendall Associates, A New Smile Dental Care, and Miami West Kendall. They have high degree doctors that not only just treat you like a patient but also as a family. They take their time to get to know you and when you come back they remember who you are and they don’t just treat you like another customer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, West Kendall is a great place to live in. It has all sorts of restaurants, stores, recreation centers, clinics, hospitals, and fast food places. At the time it does seem like it is overcrowded and traffic in the morning is horrible but somehow it works out. Restaurants are open till late and nightclubs bring an end to the night.