Ligon Middle School is an inner-city school in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a rich history as an all African-American high school, then a junior high school, and now a magnet school for middle school students who are gifted and talented and those talented in the performing and visual arts. The school is threatened by urban decline and the proposed building of a brand new magnet school just blocks away. Teachers and students at Ligon are collaborating with professors and preservice students at North Carolina State University to document the history of the area. The resulting history will include documentation of interviews of local residents and research from primary source materials. Four GIS maps will be created from data collected to represent four distinct periods in the history of the area. Students will use the data collected and the four geographic information systems to predict future trends and suggest ways to positively influence what will happen.