Background on Gentrification

The process of gentrification has begun to affect the majority of large and moderately sized urban areas, including Atlanta, Georgia. In fact, gentrification is changing the demographic in Atlanta.The term "gentrification" was coined in 1964, by British sociologist Ruth Glass. She used the word to refer to what was then taking place in a part of London called Islington neighborhood. Islington originated as an affluent place, but had become a rough, working-class area. In the 1960s, it experienced gentrification. The London papers reported that a working class family sold it’s Islington house for £750,000 while it was actually worth £1.5 million. The word "gentrification" first appeared in the New York Times in 1972 in reference to London. Gentrification has since spread to London, and is evident in many cities in America.