By the time Norwalk incorporated in 1957, the city's developable land was largely built out, according to Kurt Anderson, director of community development. Population increases and additions put on existing structures have strained the municipality, which now counts 105,000 residents.
"Parking is a huge issue," said Marcel Rodarte, a Norwalk native and city council member. The city requires more onsite parking when permits are requested for room additions, he said.
Subprime Fallout
Norwalk's median home price leapt to $495,000 in April 2007 from $151,000 in January 2000, according to San Diego-based real estate research firm DataQuick. By July of this year the median price was back down to $255,000, a reflection of the fact that Hispanics were frequent targets of subprime lenders who are no longer in business, according to Felipe Korzenny, a professor of marketing at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
"It's a working-class community and largely Hispanic," said Veronica Garcia, who directs social services for the city. "In this economy people have to live together."
On a recent Monday afternoon, the Norwalk Senior Center was bustling with people playing bingo and taking weaving classes. Francisca Bernard, a 75-year-old retired waitress, said she has lived in the same three-bedroom Norwalk house since 1968. It now accommodates four generations of her family, including three grandchildren and her father, who is 100 years old.
"The house is big and we like to be together," she said. Finances also play a role, Bernard said. While her daughter does most of the grocery shopping, major purchases, such as a new car, are hashed out over the dinner table.
Her father, Jose Maria Bernard, was shooting pool in another part of the center. A native of Mexico, he said he has 12 children and rotates among their houses. He said he never considered living in a nursing home because he's still healthy and, in any case, family values would preclude it.
"My children wouldn't let me go anyplace else," he said.