Remember those stories about how it is “on the other side of the tracks” and how boy A couldn’t marry girl B because they weren’t from the same side ? Well, if you thought it was just a dramatic device, then you haven’t been to the neighborhood of Woodlake (kind of an oasis near the Royal Oaks post office) and then driven over the light rail tracks, where Royal Oaks changes into Beaumont. The difference in neighborhoods is astonishing.

On the Royal Oaks/Woodlake side, lawns are lush with shrubbery and there are trees galore. Some homes are approaching the half a million dollar mark in value. (You can check home values for specific homes on zillow.com.) Cross over to Beaumont, and you are smacked with the feel of the concrete jungle. Fenced in yards that are too small are everywhere, and many spots have no trees–rather, there’s a scattering of people who appear to have nowhere to go and nothing to do.

One thing about both sides of the tracks is the same. The residents are acutely aware of outsiders, no matter if your skin is the same tone as theirs or not. Expect to be noticed.

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