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I definitely see it as more similar to Fairfield County. First off, the obvious: They border each other, while to get to Long Island (by which I assume we're talking about Nassau and Suffolk) you have to pass through the Bronx and Queens. Despite that, oddly enough, I think of the topography of FFC as closer to Long Island's pancake flatness than Westchester's hilliness (though both FFC and Westchester have flat and hilly parts, the most densely populated part of FFC is flatter).
Long Island -- Nassau, at least, and I think Nassau is the better analogue here -- is a bunch of continuous sprawl (and I mean that in a loving way!), particularly once you get off the North Shore. Westchester and FFC both have town centers and get noticeably less dense, even almost rural, as you move away from them. Look at the areas around train stations in all three areas. Drive down Sunrise Highway on Long Island, next to the elevated train tracks, and the density never stops. In Westchester and FFC, you can have a village feel around train stations that peters out, sometimes quickly.
Both Westchester and FFC also have cities (Stamford, White Plains) of the type Long Island does not, with business districts featuring clusters of legitimate high rises, and distinct, diverse neighborhoods. Nassau County only has two officially designated cities, Glen Cove and Long Beach, neither of which look like what people imagine when they think of a city. (Long Beach, in fact, may lose its city status soon because it no longer has an operational hospital, a New York State requirement for cities.) Suffolk County doesn't have any cities, I believe.
Westchester, FFC and the North Shore of Long Island all have a more well-heeled, WASP sort of vibe as far as the population goes. But once you get off the North Shore, Long Island becomes generally much more ethnic and nouveau riche.
Last edited by boulevardofdef; 12-31-2015 at 11:23 AM..
I definitely see it as more similar to Fairfield County. First off, the obvious: They border each other, while to get to Long Island (by which I assume we're talking about Nassau and Suffolk) you have to pass through the Bronx and Queens. Despite that, oddly enough, I think of the topography of FFC as closer to Long Island's pancake flatness than Westchester's hilliness (though both FFC and Westchester have flat and hilly parts, the most densely populated part of FFC is flatter).
Long Island -- Nassau, at least, and I think Nassau is the better analogue here -- is a bunch of continuous sprawl (and I mean that in a loving way!), particularly once you get off the North Shore. Westchester and FFC both have town centers and get noticeably less dense, even almost rural, as you move away from them. Look at the areas around train stations in all three areas. Drive down Sunrise Highway on Long Island, next to the elevated train tracks, and the density never stops. In Westchester and FFC, you can have a village feel around train stations that peters out, sometimes quickly.
Both Westchester and FFC also have cities (Stamford, White Plains) of the type Long Island does not, with business districts featuring clusters of legitimate high rises, and distinct, diverse neighborhoods. Nassau County only has two officially designated cities, Glen Cove and Long Beach, neither of which look like what people imagine when they think of a city. (Long Beach, in fact, may lose its city status soon because it no longer has an operational hospital, a New York State requirement for cities.) Suffolk County doesn't have any cities, I believe.
Westchester, FFC and the North Shore of Long Island all have a more well-heeled, WASP sort of vibe as far as the population goes. But once you get off the North Shore, Long Island becomes generally much more ethnic and nouveau riche.
Is that true about a hospital and an operational hospital? I'm only asking because the smallest city in the state, Sherrill, doesn't have a hospital.
Bridgeport is in Fairfield County and is the biggest city in CT. Mount Vernon in Westchester County is the 9th biggest city in NY State and is predominately Black(63.4%). Long Island also predominately and highly Black and Hispanic communities as well. I don't think Fairfield County has that outside of the cities and select suburban neighborhoods.
Definitely Fairfield. Westchester is basically a more WASP Fairfield County. Both have the hills, the LI Sound, the cute towns, the Metro North, the high prices and yuppie feel.
But the North Shore of LI is pretty similar to Westchester/Fairfield. It's hilly, rich, and woodsy.
Fairfield has a black population in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford. Probably a bit less than Westchester, but not a huge difference.
Yeah, outside of Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White Plains, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Ossining and select suburban communities(Fairview CDP/North White Plains, Elmsford, etc), there probably isn't much of a difference.
Stratford, a suburb of Bridgeport, has a pretty decent Black population as well. Same with Danbury, to a lesser degree.
I can't find any community study for Fairfield, Wikipedia puts the Jewish population at 47,000 (5%). I was also able to find a 2008 estimate for Greenwich, of 7,000 (11%).
I don't think any counties except Rockland are 30%+ Jewish.
Westchester has 136,000 Jews (14%).
Wow, that's all? I'm really surprised. Seems far more Jewish than that. Lots of majority Jewish school districts, like Rye Brook and Scarsdale, and plenty of Jewish private schools.
But maybe it makes sense. The county isn't super-white (around 50-55% overall), and there are large Italian, Irish and WASP enclaves too, so maybe 14-15% makes sense. Northern Westchester probably has few Jews, and urban Westchester (Yonkers-Mt. Vernon) has few. That's half the county right there.
Jews are very common in the affluent towns, but not all. Bronxville and Pelham have few Jews. Rye and Larchmont have some, but overall feel still leans WASP. The Rivertowns have some, but I doubt any are more than 15-20% Jewish, if that. Scarsdale is VERY Jewish though, as is Armonk. Chappaqua, Rye Brook, Pound Ridge, Purchase, are quite Jewish.
Yonkers and Mount Vernon crime rate is less than Bridgeport although it next to The Bronx.
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