As time went on, the conditions began declining due to several decades of neglect. As the rural settlers moved out of their dilapidated homes, realtors began marketing the area, largely to African Americans, as a suburban area which was not far from the city. In reality, it was a heavily wooded, sparsely settled slum without adequate transportation or educational facilities. The City of Houston annexed about of land in the Acres Homes area in 1967. In 1974 the city annexed another of Acres Homes territory. Mack said that the appeal of Acres Homes ended around the 1970s.