Burton Heights -- The Neighborhood

Burton Heights is an urban neighborhood in the southern portion of Grand Rapids. It includes a residential area, a neighborhood business district, two elementary schools, two health clinics, several neighborhood churches, and a variety of nonprofit organizations. It is a neighborhood rich in community resources and cultural diversity.

In the last ten years Burton Heights has seen as intermingling of many different cultures. The 1990 census data showed that 61% of the neighborhood was White, 17% African American and 26% Hispanic. By 2000, only ten years later, 21% of the neighborhood was White, 12% African American, and 63% Hispanic. The growing Hispanic culture brings an additional layer of diversity as it includes people from various backgrounds and countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and more.

The Burton Heights neighborhod has a long history of community participation and neighborhood involvement. It boasts one of the oldest and largest business associations in the city where local business owners gather meet regularly to learn from each other and work together strengthen the business district. Residents also have been actively involved in shaping their community through active participation in churches and and service organizations. They have united to plan successful events such as the Drug Free Day in the Park or worked with the Garfield Park Neighborhoods Association to host events celebrating the heritage of Burton Heights.

With everything Burton Heights has to offer, rich cultural diversity, a strong and active community, healthy churches and organizations; the neighborhood is still faced with challenges and needs. The significant demographic shifts of the past decade have brought new challenges as the neighborhood adjusts to language barriers and fresh cultural differences. A good example is Buchanan Elementary School, which hosts approximately 500 students. For 65% of the student body English is a second language. Most of these students speak Spanish as their primary language and are faced with the challenge of learning a new language on top of mastering their academic subjects.

Burton Heights is also faced with an aging infrastructure and a pattern of disinvestment. The neighborhood grapples with a cariety of absentee landlord/rental property neglect and problems with homeowners who neglect maintenance on their homes and yards. In the business district, although 85% of the building inventory is occupied, the vacency rate for the retail, restaurant/bar, and convenience store space stands at 24%. This is changing, however, with assistance from the City of Grand Rapids and organizations such as Garfield Development Corporation and the Garfield Park Neighborhoods Association, the people of Burton Heights are reinvesting in the physical layout of the neighborhood.

Altogether Burton Heights is full of opportunity and possibility. With a growing number of resources available, community members are eagerly shaping the neighborhood to realize its full potential. It's a great opportunity for Calvin students to be involved in shaping the Grand Rapids community and to gain wisdom and knowledge through experience.