Neighborhoods of Albany, New York
Arbor Hill is an historic neighborhood in northeastern Albany near the Hudson River. Arbor Hill encompasses the area from Clinton Avenue (formerly called Patroon Street) north to the Livingston Avenue Railroad Bridge (where North Albany begins) and from the Hudson River west to Henry Johnson Boulevard. Arbor Hill was outside Albany's first boundaries as set up in the Dongan Charter of 1686. The original name of the area was Colonie. Incorporated as a village on April 9, 1804, Arbor Hill was annexed by the city in 1815, at which time Patroon Street became Clinton Avenue. The name "Arbor Hill" comes from the nickname of the Ten Broeck Mansion, an important cultural and historical destination in the neighborhood. Arbor Hill includes Dudley Heights, a residential neighborhood north of Livingston Avenue that was the first location of the Dudley Observatory. Arbor Hill contains many other historic and cultural spots including the Palace Theatre, Quackenbush House, Church of the Holy Innocents, the Stephen and Harriet Myers House, and the former St. Joseph's Church. Demographically, Arbor Hill is predominantly African-American.
Barton Hills, Michigan
Located within Ann Arbor Charter Township and adjacent to the city of Ann Arbor, the community was originally named "Huron Farms" and was established by the Detroit Edison Company in 1913. The company acquired land on both sides of the Huron River and built a series of dams for electric power production. Land owned by the company was also used for agricultural purposes, including farms, dairy cattle, and fruit orchards. As the area where the village is currently located was too hilly for farming, it was instead promoted by the company as an exclusive residential community for company executives. Membership in the Barton Hills Country Club was considered by many to be a mark of distinction. As homes were constructed in the 1920s, restrictions attached to each deed stipulated that the homes must be designed by a registered architect.
By the 1940s, through the economic and social turmoil of the Great Depression and World War II, the community had become an economic liability for a public utility. The company shareholders decided to make an outright gift of its holding to the residents of the community in exchange for assuming responsibility for maintaining the water system, roads, and other municipal services.