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There seems to be this perception by a lot of people on the board that certain cities becoming almost exclusively high income/high education is a positive. I've seen people say that they like certain cities because the populations are so educated and affluent.
There seems to be this perception by a lot of people on the board that certain cities becoming almost exclusively high income/high education is a positive. I've seen people say that they like certain cities because the populations are so educated and affluent.
It is simply a fact of life that most people, particularly if they're affluent, prefer to live near others of a similar socioeconomic status as themselves.
It makes life easier to not have to deal with lower quality schools, homes, facilities and the lack of all kinds of amenities that people of a lower socioeconomic status bring to a community.
There seems to be this perception by a lot of people on the board that certain cities becoming almost exclusively high income/high education is a positive. I've seen people say that they like certain cities because the populations are so educated and affluent.
To me, those cities lack flavor. There is a lot of food culture, music, and traditions borne from poverty and the lower class which is really the heart and soul of a city. The rich are able to enjoy more of the luxuries and the areas are kept clean and nice, but theres a sterility to it, a fakeness. I like a bit of patina, a bit of slum. A reminder that real people live and work there who havent lost touch with reality.
It is simply a fact of life that most people, particularly if they're affluent, prefer to live near others of a similar socioeconomic status as themselves.
It makes life easier to not have to deal with lower quality schools, homes, facilities and the lack of all kinds of amenities that people of a lower socioeconomic status bring to a community.
So it's essentially suburban mentality being applied to our cities.
I should also add that a lot of these cities still have terrible public schools. I can't imagine most of the DC posters putting their kids in the DC public schools.
So it's essentially suburban mentality being applied to our cities.
I should also add that a lot of these cities still have terrible public schools. I can't imagine most of the DC posters putting their kids in the DC public schools.
Schools are usually the last thing to improve in gentrifying neighborhoods. Which makes sense. Parents won't want to move to an area to raise their family unless it already has decent housing, retail, policing, and municipal services. Once a critical mass of more affluent families arrive in a neighborhood, the schools tend to improve. Educational outcomes are highly correlated with family income.
And that seems to be happening in Washington DC:
"DC Public Schools continues to be the fastest improving urban school district in the country, according to data released today from the 2015 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA)...DC Public Schools (DCPS) students grew by eight points in 4th grade reading over the 2013 test, representing the biggest increase of any school district and the largest increase in the history of the 4th-grade reading test."
There seems to be this perception by a lot of people on the board that certain cities becoming almost exclusively high income/high education is a positive. I've seen people say that they like certain cities because the populations are so educated and affluent.
What cities are becoming almost exclusively high income?
There are still millions of New Yorkers who live below the federal poverty line and that doesn't include people who are barely scraping by or the working class.
What cities are becoming almost exclusively high income?
There are still millions of New Yorkers who live below the federal poverty line and that doesn't include people who are barely scraping by or the working class.
In D.C. I think the poverty rate is around 18%.
New York, oh and largely due to its size, will probably always have a fair amount of socioeconomic diversity. Can you see in San Francisco ( and to a lesser extent, Seattle ) seem to be losing theirs.
I think also that the affluence of some cities tends to be overstated, this is especially true of cities that are perceived as being white yuppie magnets - Minneapolis, Denver and Portland for example still have lots of poor people despite their reputations. Even in those cities the upper middle class and the rich are a minority of residents.
I think also that the affluence of some cities tends to be overstated, this is especially true of cities that are perceived as being white yuppie magnets - Minneapolis, Denver and Portland for example still have lots of poor people despite their reputations. Even in those cities the upper middle class and the rich are a minority of residents.
NYC too, while the rents are super high, the median household income is only 51k. Huge swaths of the city are predominately occupied by lower income people.
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