Jim, a UI professor of geography, never has bought a UI parking sticker. Originally, Manville Heights was a farm owned by Robert Hutchinson, who moved to the area in 1840. Bert Manville bought 80 acres in 1910 and quickly began selling lots, naming streets after early buyers and family members. According to Irving Weber's Iowa City, many thought the unpaved development was out in the sticks - too far from the rest of Iowa City. The neighborhood didn't develop in one spurt, with houses ranging from 1910 through more recent times.
Nothing is really pretentious, and it expresses a wide variety of tastes.
I like that. The history of the neighborhood becomes apparent after talking to longtime residents. It doesn't become known by you 'til you leave. Many homeowners also know the past owners or residents of their house. One of those who knows the area's history is Chuck Kent, who lives on Richards Street just a few houses away from the house in which he was born.