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[[Image:Dallas Population Density 2000.png|225px|right|thumb|Population density map per Census 2000. Vickery Meadows is the darkest green, northwest of [[White Rock Lake]].]]
{{Infobox Hurricane
'''Vickery Meadows''' (also known as '''Vickery Meadow''') is a neighborhood of high-density apartments in [[North Dallas|north]] [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]], [[United States]]. The area is the densest part of Dallas and is home to many immigrants and refugees.<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery">Young, Michael E. "[http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/010806dnmetvickery.2a4bd98.html Hope blooms in Vickery Meadow]." ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]''. Saturday January 7, 2006.</ref> The Vickery Meadow Improvement District (VMID), a coalition of fifty area organizations, serves the Vickery Meadow area.<ref name="LoweBrochure">"[http://www.dallasisd.org/bond/bulletins/lowe_es_brochure_eng_std.pdf Jack Lowe, Sr. Elementary School]." Brochure. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>
| Name=Hurricane Donna
| Type=hurricane
| Year=1960
| Basin=Atl
| Image location=Hurricane_Donna.jpg
| Image name=Donna over the Florida Keys
| Formed=[[August 29]], [[1960]]
| Dissipated=[[September 14]], [[1960]]
| 1-min winds=140
| Pressure=930
| Damages=900
| Inflated=0
| Fatalities=364 direct
| Areas=[[Leeward Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Haiti]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Cuba]], [[Bahamas]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[South Carolina]], [[North Carolina]], [[Virginia]], [[Maryland]], [[Delaware]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[Connecticut]], [[Rhode Island]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Vermont]], [[Maine]], [[Atlantic Canada]] (Most land areas ever affected by an Atlantic hurricane)
| Hurricane season=[[1960 Atlantic hurricane season]]
}}
'''Hurricane Donna''' in the [[1960 Atlantic hurricane season]] was a [[Cape Verde-type hurricane|Cape Verde-type]] [[tropical cyclone|hurricane]] which moved across the [[Leeward Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Hispanola]], [[Cuba]], [[The Bahamas]], and every state on the [[East Coast of the United States]]. Hurricane Donna holds the record for retaining "major hurricane" status (Category&nbsp;3 or greater on the [[Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale]]) in the Atlantic Basin for the longest period of time on record. For nine days, [[September 2]] to [[September 11]], when Donna consistently had [[maximum sustained wind]]s of at least {{convert|115|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. From the moment it became a [[tropical depression]] to when it dissipated after becoming an [[extratropical storm]], Donna roamed the Atlantic from [[August 29]] to [[September 14]], a total of 17&nbsp;days. While crossing the Atlantic Donna briefly achieved [[Category 5]] strength.
The [[cyclone]] caused billions of [[US dollars]] in damages and killed an estimated 364 people.


==History==
==Meteorological history==
The apartments opened to provide housing for singles and couples who arrived to Dallas to look for jobs. In 1988 the U.S. federal government passed the [[Fair Housing Act]], which, under most circumstances, prohibits apartment complexes from refusing children. This and a rental market recession caused a decrease in rent prices. Vickery Meadows's demographics changed throughout the 1990s as immigrants and refugees from [[Central America]], [[Bosnia]], and parts of [[Africa]] moved into Vickery Meadows apartment complexes. Vickery Meadows did not have very much infrastructure intended for the new families.<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery"/> In 1993 the Vickery Meadow Improvement District opened.<ref>[http://www.vickerymeadow.org/ Home page]." ''Vickery Meadow Improvement District''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>
{{storm path|Donna 1960 track.png}}
The precursor to this storm was a well-organized tropical disturbance which moved offshore Africa on August 28 and 29th. The crash of an airliner at Dakar on the 29th was attributed to this disturbance.<ref name="mwr">Gordon E. Dunn. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1960.pdf The 1960 Atlantic Hurricane Season.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> Before reaching the Cape Verde Islands, the system was well enough organized to be considered a tropical depression on the 29th. On the 30th, Donna had strengthened into a tropical storm. Moving westward, intensification continued, bringing the cyclone to hurricane strength on September 1. For nine days, September 2 to 11, Donna consistently had [[maximum sustained wind]]s of at least {{convert|115|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} as it moved west-northwest, briefly briefly achieving [[Category 5]] strength.<ref name="HURDAT">[[National Hurricane Center]]. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1851to2007_atl_reanal.txt Atlantic Hurricane Database.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> Donna passed through the northeasternmost Leeward Islands, subsequently missing Puerto Rico by {{convert|70|mi|km}} to the north.<ref name="NCDC2">National Climatic Data Center. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1960/donna/prenhc/climo02.gif Climatological Data: Florida - September 1960, pp. 2.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> The hurricane then skirted the Cuban coast on the 9th before heading for the Florida Keys.<ref name="mwr">Gordon E. Dunn. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1960.pdf The 1960 Atlantic Hurricane Season.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref>


==Government and infrastructure==
[[Image:donna navy radar.jpg|thumb|right|Hurricane Donna approaching the Florida Keys]]
Vickery Meadow is within the Northeast Division of the [[Dallas Police Department]], which is headquartered at 9915 East Northwest Highway; sectors 210 and 240 cover portions of Vickery Meadow.<ref>"[http://www.dallaspolice.net/content/11/73/uploads/NORTHEAST.jpg Northeast Division Sectors Beats Streets]." ''[[Dallas Police Department]]''. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref><ref>"[http://northeast.dallaspolice.net/index.cfm?page_ID=5966&CFID=558109&CFTOKEN=27492755 Northeast Division]." ''[[Dallas Police Department]]''. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref>
The storm made its first Florida landfall in the community of [[Marathon, Florida|Marathon]], centered on [[Key Vaca, Florida|Key Vaca]] in the middle [[Florida Keys]]. At the time, Donna was a [[Category 4]] hurricane with estimated maximum sustained winds of {{convert|140|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} and gusts of up to {{convert|180|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}, with a minimum central pressure of 27.46&nbsp;inHg (930&nbsp;mbar). A storm surge of {{convert|13|ft|m}} was also reported.


==Demographics==
The storm crossed into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and its course shifted northward. Donna paralleled the southwest coast of [[Florida]] until it made a second Florida landfall between [[Naples, Florida|Naples]] and [[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]], again as a Category&nbsp;4 hurricane.<ref name="HURDAT">[[National Hurricane Center]]. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1851to2007_atl_reanal.txt Atlantic Hurricane Database.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref>
Around 2004 the Vickery Meadows area, consisting of 5.3 square miles of land, including open parkland, had around 53,000 by 2006. The core Vickery Meadows area, known as the Vickery Meadows Improvement District and consisting of 2.86 square miles, had 40,646 people. Of the population, 5,303 were under 6 years old, 3,932 were ages 6 through 13, 1,670 were ages 14-17, 27,555 were ages 18-64, and 2,186 were 65 or older. 39% of the people were considered to be in poverty. The average residency period was less than five years. Of the population about 40% were Hispanic or Latino, 32% were White, 22% were African-American, and 6% were other groups, mostly including immigrants from [[sub-Saharan Africa]]. The Vickery Meadow Improvement District said that the true Hispanic and Latino population may be higher due to [[illegal immigration]].<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery"/>


In 2004 Vickery Meadows had 14,860 housing units, including 12,558 apartment units, 2,300 condominium units, and two single family houses. A total of 102 multi-family properties existed in Vickery Meadows, with the smallest having six housing units and the largest having 1,084 housing units.<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery"/>
After crossing the Florida peninsula, it continued and moved back out into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] near [[Daytona Beach]]. Donna headed up the East Coast, and made another landfall at [[Topsail Beach, North Carolina]]. It then finished its trip by heading into [[New England]], with a final landfall across [[Long Island]], [[New York]].
{{Highest ACE Atlantic hurricanes}}
Donna, unlike [[Hurricane Charley]] which followed a similar track in 2004,<ref name="charleytcr">{{cite web|author=National Hurricane Center|year=2004|title=Hurricane Charley Tropical Cyclone Report|accessdate=2006-05-24|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2004charley.shtml}}</ref> was a slow-moving storm. Donna dumped {{convert|10|in|mm}} to {{convert|12|in|mm}} of rain in the southern half of Florida, along with about seven inches in the northern half. The three weeks prior to Donna's landfall produced a {{convert|6|in|mm}} to {{convert|7|in|mm}} surplus in rain before the hurricane hit, exacerbating the problem. From the moment it became a [[tropical depression]] to when it dissipated after becoming an [[extratropical storm]], Donna roamed the Atlantic from August 29 to September 14, a total of 17&nbsp;days.<ref name="HURDAT">[[National Hurricane Center]]. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1851to2007_atl_reanal.txt Atlantic Hurricane Database.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref>
{{clear}}


==Impact==
==Education==
===Primary and secondary schools===
{|class="wikitable" align="right"
[[Image:Hillcrest HS Dallas front.jpg|thumb|[[Hillcrest High School (Dallas, Texas)|Hillcrest High School]] serves a small section of Vickery Meadow]]
|+ Storm deaths by region<br /><small>(incomplete)</small>
[[Dallas Independent School District]] operates schools serving Vickery Meadows.<ref>"[http://www.vickerymeadow.org/docs/Aerial%20Map.pdf Aerial Map]." ''Vickery Meadow Improvement District." Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>
|-
! Region || Deaths
|-
| [[Saint Martin]] || 7<ref>HurricaneCity. [http://www.hurricanecity.com/city/saintmartin.htm Saint Martin / Maarten's history with tropical systems.] Retrieved on 2008-10-10]].</ref>
|-
| [[Puerto Rico]] || 107<ref name="NHCHUhistory"> [[National Hurricane Center]].[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml#donna Hurricane History.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref>
|-
| [[United States]] || 50<ref name="NHCHUhistory"/>
|-
! Total || 364
|}
[[Image:Donna1960rainpr.gif|thumb|left|Donna's Rainfall around Puerto Rico]]
Hurricane Donna was a very destructive storm given that it affected numerous countries and island groups. About 364 people were killed by the hurricane, 148 direct and 216 indirect.
===Leeward Islands===
A weather station in [[St. Maarten]] reported wind gusts up to {{convert|110|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} and a 952 pressure reading while [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]] reported a 66&nbsp;mph (52&nbsp;knot) gust as the center of Donna passed {{convert|35|mi|km}} north of the island. In [[Puerto Rico]], Donna produced storm tides between four to six feet. <ref name="mwr" />


Elementary schools serving the Vickery Meadows area include L. L. Hotchkiss Elementary School, Jack Lowe, Sr. Elementary School, Lee A. McShan, Jr. Elementary School, Dan D. Rogers Elementary School, and Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow.<ref name="Conrad2008">[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/highzones2008/Conrad2008.pdf Fall 2008 Conrad High School Attendance Zone Grades 9-12]." ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''.</ref><ref name="Hillcrest2008">[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/highzones2008/Hillcrest2008.pdf Fall 2008 Hillcrest High School Attendance Zone Grades 9-12]." ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''.</ref> Sam Tasby Middle School and [[Emmett J. Conrad High School]] serve most of Vickery Meadows.<ref name="Conrad2008"/> A small portion of Vickery Meadows is zoned to Benjamin Franklin Middle School and [[Hillcrest High School (Dallas, Texas)|Hillcrest High School]].<ref name="Hillcrest2008"/>
Donna killed seven people and caused minimal damage when it passed though the [[Virgin Islands]], in [[Puerto Rico]], although the center of the storm was {{convert|85|mi|km}} offshore, the outer rain bands brought heavy rains that caused serious flashflooding which killed 107 people (85 of them in [[Humacao]]). <ref name="mwr" />


Stone includes two main buildings, with one including the administrative offices, the media center, and several classrooms and the other including common areas and public function facilities, and modular classroom buildings with individual telephone and toilet facilities.<ref name="Spoor">Spoor, Dana L. "Facing challenges." ''[[American School & University]]'' 71.4. December 1998. 16(3).</ref> McShan, located on an 8.2 acre site, includes 89,666 square feet of space with 33 core classrooms, three special education classrooms, dedicated classrooms for art, science, and technology classes, a 400 seat auditorium, and a gymnasium.<ref name="McShanPamphlet">"[http://www.dallasisd.org/bond/bulletins/McShanPampEng.pdf Lee A. McShan, Jr. Elementary School]" Brochure. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> Lowe has 89,000 square feet of space with 34 classrooms.<ref name="LoweBrochure"/>
[[Image:Donna1960rain.gif|thumb|left|Donna's Rainfall in the United States]]
===Bahamas===
Turks Island escaped the brunt of the hurricane, receiving only {{convert|50|mph|km/h}} to {{convert|60|mph|km/h}} winds and {{convert|12|in|mm}} of rain which fell in a twelve hour period. However the rest of the [[Bahamas]] were not as lucky as the hurricane tore away the [[anemometer]] in [[Ragged Island]] and forced several people to seek shelter at a missile base. Despite the damage there were no deaths and damage estimates are not available.<ref name="mwr" />


====History of schools in Vickery Meadows====
===Florida===
In the 1990s the student population increased, requiring the building of new campuses.<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery"/> The Vickery Meadow Improvement District and Dallas ISD worked together to build new campuses.<ref name="LoweBrochure"/> In a 1998 journal article by ''[[American School & University]]'', Michael Brown, the executive director of Dallas ISD's facilities planning department said that the bond program did not have sufficient funds for a new school. The district took money from the general operating fund, which would be reimbursed after the following bond program would be passed. Vickery Meadows Elementary School opened as the first school in Vickery Meadows; in 2005 it was renamed Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow.<ref name="Spoor"/><ref name="LoweBrochure"/><ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/schools/realtor_new.cfm?id_con=155 Jill Stone At Vickery Meadow Elementary School]." ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>
{{Costliest U.S. Atlantic hurricanes by wealth normalization}}
Donna was the first hurricane to strike Miami since October 1950.<ref name="NCDC2">National Climatic Data Center. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1960/donna/prenhc/climo02.gif Climatological Data: Florida - September 1960, pp. 2.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> Highest sustained winds were {{convert|92|mph|km/h}} at Fort Myers and {{convert|65|mph|km/h}} at Key West.<ref>[[National Climatic Data Center]]. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1960/donna/prenhc/climo09.gif Climatological Data: Florida - September 1960, pp. 9.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> Florida suffered significant losses from Donna, more than any other state. Damage in the Keys at the original point of landfall was most severe, where Donna's winds and storm surge destroyed many buildings and vessels. 35% of the state's grapefruit crop was lost, 10% of the orange and tangerine crop was lost, and the avocado crop was almost completely wiped out. The day after the storm hit, President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] declared a disaster area from the Keys up to Central Florida.


In the 2000s four apartment complexes were demolished to make room for four schools.<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery"/> In 2005 Lee McShan Elementary School, built with $12 million [[U.S. dollar]]s as part of a 2002 bond program, opened with pre-Kindergarten through [[Grade 6|sixth grade]] students; the sixth grade would be transferred to the middle school the following year.<ref name="McShanPamphlet"/> In August 2006 Lowe Elementary, built with 12 million U.S. dollars, opened with kindergarten through [[Grade 5|fifth grade]], relieving L.L. Hotchkiss, Robert E. Lee, [[Preston Hollow Elementary School|Preston Hollow]], and Dan D. Rogers elementary schools.<ref name="LoweBrochure"/> During the same year Tasby and Conrad opened.<ref name="MichaelYoungHopeVickery"/> Prior to Tasby's and Conrad's openings, Benjamin Franklin Middle School and [[Hillcrest High School (Dallas, Texas)|Hillcrest High School]] had the zoning for most of Vickery Meadows.<ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/midzones/franklin2005.pdf Franklin Middle School]" 2005-2006 Map. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>
===Elsewhere in the East===
<ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/highzones/hillcrest2005.pdf Hillcrest High School]" 2005-2006 Map. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> Other portions were zoned to Adams High School and Hill Middle School.<ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/highzones/adams2005.pdf Bryan Adams High School]" 2005-2006 Map. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>
Although weaker, it caused considerable and widespread damage in [[North Carolina]] and [[New York]]. Donna was one of the few hurricanes to affect every state along the East Coast. Wind gusts of {{convert|105|mph|km/h}} were reported from the Eastern Shore of [[Chesapeake Bay]]. Long Island reported maximum sustained winds of {{convert|105|mph|kmh}} with gusts of {{convert|115|mph|km/h}} reported from Long Island and Rhode Island. [[Blue Hill Observatory]] in [[Massachusetts]] reported gusts to over {{convert|145|mph|km/h}}.<ref name="mwr">Gordon E. Dunn. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/mwreviews/1960.pdf The 1960 Atlantic Hurricane Season.] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> Fifty people were reported dead in the [[United States]], with damages totalling to $3.04&nbsp;billion (2004 [[United States dollar|USD]]).<ref>Eric S. Blake, Jerry D. Jarrell(retired), Max Mayfield, and Edward N. Rappaport. [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastcost2.shtml Costliest U.S. Hurricanes 1900-2004 (adjusted).] Retrieved on [[2008-10-10]].</ref> Donna crossed directly over [[Texas Tower #4]], causing severe damage to the structure; the tower was used for radar surveillance of the western [[Atlantic Ocean]] during the [[Cold War]].{{fact}}
<ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/midzones/hill2005.pdf Hill High School]" 2005-2006 Map. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> Prior to the opening of Lowe, Hexter and [[Lakewood Elementary School (Dallas, Texas)|Lakewood]] elementary schools served sections of Vickery Meadows.<ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/eszones/hexter2005.pdf Hexter Elementary School]" 2005-2006 Map. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref><ref>"[http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/schoolinfo/eszones/lakewood2005.pdf Lakewood Elementary School]" 2005-2006 Map. ''[[Dallas Independent School District]]''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref>


===Retirement===
===Public libraries===
The Skillman Southwestern Branch Library of the [[Dallas Public Library]] opened in 1996 at 5707 Skillman Street at Southwestern Boulevard, is south of and serves Vickery Meadow.<ref>"[http://dallaslibrary.org/skillman.htm Skillman Southwestern Branch Library]." ''[[Dallas Public Library]]''. Accessed October 10, 2008.</ref>
{{seealso|List of retired Atlantic hurricane names}}
Because of its devastating impacts and high mortalities, the name Donna was retired and will never be used for an [[Atlantic hurricane]] again; the name was replaced by [[Hurricane Dora|Dora]] in 1964.
{{clear}}


===Miscellaneous education===
==See also==
In 1997 Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church started the Vickery Meadow Learning Center (VMLC) as a 501(c)3 [[non-profit organization]].<ref>"[http://www.phpc.org/templates/cusprestonhollow/details.asp?id=29712&PID=242860&Style= Vickery Meadow Learning Center]." ''Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> The program gained its own property in 1999 and established early education classes in 2002.<ref>"[http://www.vmlc.org/about.asp About Us]." ''Vickery Meadow Learning Center''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref> As of 2008 the learning center, open to Vickery Meadow residents, offers English classes for adults and pre-Kindergarten children and citizenship classes for no charge.<ref>"[http://www.vmlc.org/classes.asp Classes]." ''Vickery Meadow Learning Center''. Accessed October 8, 2008.</ref><ref>"[http://www.ascdallas.com/forms/PressReleaseVMLC.pdf Attorneys Serving the Community Benefits Vickery Meadow Learning Center in 2008]." ''Attorneys Serving the Community''. Accessed October 9, 2008.</ref>
{{tcportal}}
*[[List of retired Atlantic hurricane names]]
*[[List of Florida hurricanes (1950-1974)]]
*[[List_of_wettest_tropical_cyclones_in_the_United_States#Massachusetts|List of wettest tropical cyclones in Massachusetts]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |last=Tabb |first=Durbin C. |authorlink= |coauthors=Jones, Albert C. |year=1962 |month= |title=Effect of Hurricane Donna on the Aquatic Fauna of North Florida Bay |journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=375&ndash;378 |doi=10.1577/1548-8659(1962)91[375:EOHDOT]2.0.CO;2 |url= |accessdate= |quote= }}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.vickerymeadow.org/ Vickery Meadow Improvement District]
*[http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/photo_exhibits/hurricanes.cfm Historic Images of Florida Hurricanes (Florida State Archives)]
*[http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_pages/donna1960/ NOAA Hurricane Research Division Donna page]
*[http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/donna1960.html HPC Rainfall Page on Donna]


{{Dallas Neighborhoods|selected=northdallas}}
{{Retired Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{Dallas}}
{{1960 Atlantic hurricane season buttons}}


{{Dallas-stub}}
[[Category:1960 Atlantic hurricane season|Donna]]
{{Texas-geo-stub}}
[[Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:Retired Atlantic hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:Florida hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:South Carolina hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:North Carolina hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:Virginia hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:New Jersey hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:New York hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:New England hurricanes|Donna]]
[[Category:1960 meteorology]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in the United States|Donna, Hurricane]]
[[Category:1960 in the United States]]


{{coord missing|United States}}
[[de:Hurrikan Donna]]

Revision as of 20:57, 10 October 2008

Population density map per Census 2000. Vickery Meadows is the darkest green, northwest of White Rock Lake.

Vickery Meadows (also known as Vickery Meadow) is a neighborhood of high-density apartments in north Dallas, Texas, United States. The area is the densest part of Dallas and is home to many immigrants and refugees.[1] The Vickery Meadow Improvement District (VMID), a coalition of fifty area organizations, serves the Vickery Meadow area.[2]

History

The apartments opened to provide housing for singles and couples who arrived to Dallas to look for jobs. In 1988 the U.S. federal government passed the Fair Housing Act, which, under most circumstances, prohibits apartment complexes from refusing children. This and a rental market recession caused a decrease in rent prices. Vickery Meadows's demographics changed throughout the 1990s as immigrants and refugees from Central America, Bosnia, and parts of Africa moved into Vickery Meadows apartment complexes. Vickery Meadows did not have very much infrastructure intended for the new families.[1] In 1993 the Vickery Meadow Improvement District opened.[3]

Government and infrastructure

Vickery Meadow is within the Northeast Division of the Dallas Police Department, which is headquartered at 9915 East Northwest Highway; sectors 210 and 240 cover portions of Vickery Meadow.[4][5]

Demographics

Around 2004 the Vickery Meadows area, consisting of 5.3 square miles of land, including open parkland, had around 53,000 by 2006. The core Vickery Meadows area, known as the Vickery Meadows Improvement District and consisting of 2.86 square miles, had 40,646 people. Of the population, 5,303 were under 6 years old, 3,932 were ages 6 through 13, 1,670 were ages 14-17, 27,555 were ages 18-64, and 2,186 were 65 or older. 39% of the people were considered to be in poverty. The average residency period was less than five years. Of the population about 40% were Hispanic or Latino, 32% were White, 22% were African-American, and 6% were other groups, mostly including immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The Vickery Meadow Improvement District said that the true Hispanic and Latino population may be higher due to illegal immigration.[1]

In 2004 Vickery Meadows had 14,860 housing units, including 12,558 apartment units, 2,300 condominium units, and two single family houses. A total of 102 multi-family properties existed in Vickery Meadows, with the smallest having six housing units and the largest having 1,084 housing units.[1]

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Hillcrest High School serves a small section of Vickery Meadow

Dallas Independent School District operates schools serving Vickery Meadows.[6]

Elementary schools serving the Vickery Meadows area include L. L. Hotchkiss Elementary School, Jack Lowe, Sr. Elementary School, Lee A. McShan, Jr. Elementary School, Dan D. Rogers Elementary School, and Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow.[7][8] Sam Tasby Middle School and Emmett J. Conrad High School serve most of Vickery Meadows.[7] A small portion of Vickery Meadows is zoned to Benjamin Franklin Middle School and Hillcrest High School.[8]

Stone includes two main buildings, with one including the administrative offices, the media center, and several classrooms and the other including common areas and public function facilities, and modular classroom buildings with individual telephone and toilet facilities.[9] McShan, located on an 8.2 acre site, includes 89,666 square feet of space with 33 core classrooms, three special education classrooms, dedicated classrooms for art, science, and technology classes, a 400 seat auditorium, and a gymnasium.[10] Lowe has 89,000 square feet of space with 34 classrooms.[2]

History of schools in Vickery Meadows

In the 1990s the student population increased, requiring the building of new campuses.[1] The Vickery Meadow Improvement District and Dallas ISD worked together to build new campuses.[2] In a 1998 journal article by American School & University, Michael Brown, the executive director of Dallas ISD's facilities planning department said that the bond program did not have sufficient funds for a new school. The district took money from the general operating fund, which would be reimbursed after the following bond program would be passed. Vickery Meadows Elementary School opened as the first school in Vickery Meadows; in 2005 it was renamed Jill Stone Elementary School at Vickery Meadow.[9][2][11]

In the 2000s four apartment complexes were demolished to make room for four schools.[1] In 2005 Lee McShan Elementary School, built with $12 million U.S. dollars as part of a 2002 bond program, opened with pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students; the sixth grade would be transferred to the middle school the following year.[10] In August 2006 Lowe Elementary, built with 12 million U.S. dollars, opened with kindergarten through fifth grade, relieving L.L. Hotchkiss, Robert E. Lee, Preston Hollow, and Dan D. Rogers elementary schools.[2] During the same year Tasby and Conrad opened.[1] Prior to Tasby's and Conrad's openings, Benjamin Franklin Middle School and Hillcrest High School had the zoning for most of Vickery Meadows.[12] [13] Other portions were zoned to Adams High School and Hill Middle School.[14] [15] Prior to the opening of Lowe, Hexter and Lakewood elementary schools served sections of Vickery Meadows.[16][17]

Public libraries

The Skillman Southwestern Branch Library of the Dallas Public Library opened in 1996 at 5707 Skillman Street at Southwestern Boulevard, is south of and serves Vickery Meadow.[18]

Miscellaneous education

In 1997 Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church started the Vickery Meadow Learning Center (VMLC) as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.[19] The program gained its own property in 1999 and established early education classes in 2002.[20] As of 2008 the learning center, open to Vickery Meadow residents, offers English classes for adults and pre-Kindergarten children and citizenship classes for no charge.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Young, Michael E. "Hope blooms in Vickery Meadow." The Dallas Morning News. Saturday January 7, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Jack Lowe, Sr. Elementary School." Brochure. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  3. ^ Home page." Vickery Meadow Improvement District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  4. ^ "Northeast Division Sectors Beats Streets." Dallas Police Department. Accessed October 10, 2008.
  5. ^ "Northeast Division." Dallas Police Department. Accessed October 10, 2008.
  6. ^ "Aerial Map." Vickery Meadow Improvement District." Accessed October 8, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Fall 2008 Conrad High School Attendance Zone Grades 9-12." Dallas Independent School District.
  8. ^ a b Fall 2008 Hillcrest High School Attendance Zone Grades 9-12." Dallas Independent School District.
  9. ^ a b Spoor, Dana L. "Facing challenges." American School & University 71.4. December 1998. 16(3).
  10. ^ a b "Lee A. McShan, Jr. Elementary School" Brochure. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  11. ^ "Jill Stone At Vickery Meadow Elementary School." Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  12. ^ "Franklin Middle School" 2005-2006 Map. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  13. ^ "Hillcrest High School" 2005-2006 Map. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  14. ^ "Bryan Adams High School" 2005-2006 Map. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  15. ^ "Hill High School" 2005-2006 Map. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  16. ^ "Hexter Elementary School" 2005-2006 Map. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  17. ^ "Lakewood Elementary School" 2005-2006 Map. Dallas Independent School District. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  18. ^ "Skillman Southwestern Branch Library." Dallas Public Library. Accessed October 10, 2008.
  19. ^ "Vickery Meadow Learning Center." Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  20. ^ "About Us." Vickery Meadow Learning Center. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  21. ^ "Classes." Vickery Meadow Learning Center. Accessed October 8, 2008.
  22. ^ "Attorneys Serving the Community Benefits Vickery Meadow Learning Center in 2008." Attorneys Serving the Community. Accessed October 9, 2008.

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