Opinion on the Cotton District

Hilary
         Yesterday, Taze took the class to Starkville to walk around the Cotton District. I really enjoyed the experience. The houses had a really cool style of architecture in that it was traditional housing develoment. The class learned that much of the district's architecture and structure was based  on European influences. My favorite part of the trip was walking up and down the Rue du Grand Fromage. There was a beautiful little courtyard on the right side of the street, and little restaraunts and shops were sprinkled up and down the street. However, before we even visited the Cotton District, we visited the Cooley Building on Mississippi State University's campus. The building was first used as a cotton mill in the early 1900s, and it was interesting to see how the architects from that time period knew how to control heating and cooling with far less technology than today. Another part of the trip that was enjoyable was meeting the former mayor of Starkville. Dan Camp. He basically told us that universities around the country were trying to mimic the style of the Cotton District. We also found out that Mr. Camp started the Cotton District! All in all, it was a good day, and I found out firsthand that Starkville's Cotton District is a terrific example of New Urbanism.