In David Copperfield, James Steerforth is a character in the novel that represents the upper class in Victorian Society. Steerforth is a wealthy and privileged man with no sympathies for those who don’t have access to the same opportunities as him. Steerforth lives in Highgate in a nice home with his mother and Miss Dartle. In chapter twenty of the novel, Steerforth brings David over to his house for the first time. Since Steerforth is well off, I pictured his house to be large and Highgate as an affluent area. 

Highgate reminded me of Brookhaven, which is north of downtown Atlanta. I could easily see the Steerforths living in a community like Brookhaven. Brookhaven is in the Buckhead and Sandy Springs area. This part of metro Atlanta has wealthy residents and expensive homes that can sell for well over a million dollars according to Zillow. According to Brookhaven’s website, it officially became a city in 2012. It is home to about 50,000 people in a twelve square mile radius. 

In the early 1800s, John L. Evins had a large plantation in the area that is now Brookhaven today. Around 1900, prominent Atlantans began to build their summer cottages in Brookhaven. The Brookhaven Estates and Brookhaven Country Club were both eventually developed in the early 1900s as well. Even before officially becoming a city, Brookhaven was always a wealthy area.

https://www.brookhavenga.gov/community/page/city-brookhaven-ga

https://www.zillow.com/brookhaven-ga/

https://www.historic-brookhaven.org/history.html

https://www.atlantaparent.com/brookhaven/ (image)