Memphis Airport Control Tower in the distance

You have probably driven past the stretches of land on the west side of Airways Blvd., running the length of the airport’s runways – subdivisions with the houses removed decades ago because of the noise from the airport.  Subdivision with trimmed yards, mature trees, well maintained streets, but no sign of homes except driveway cuts.  I had friends who lived on these streets back in the ’60s.   The  streets are quiet now, except for the frequent take offs from the airport’s 3 north-south runways.

There is a sense that children should be here, playing in the snow, enjoying the day off from school, but nothing, except for an occasional drive through.

Aerial views of the strip that runs along airways where middle-class subdivisions flourished in the Whitehaven building boom of the 1950s.

The picture above shows ghost burb blocks south of Raines Road and the the extremely close proximity to some of the busiest runways in the world.

The kind of street you would expect to see Memphis’ version of Wally and the Beaver walking home on in the 1950s.   Maybe the blocks could be used for parks, or urban gardens, or public art, but the been sitting like this for many years now.