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Teaneck, Maplewood and South Orange would be the closest in terms of prestige but I agree, Montclair does stand above those 3 towns in this regard. Also the Teaneck demographics are quite different than the other towns mentioned as a large percentage of Teaneck is also conservative Jewish. Additionally Teaneck (Bergen), Piscataway - the furthest away (Middlesex) and Union (Union County) are not in the immediate cluster that the rest of the aforementioned towns are in. Nonetheless Montclair does stand out in the prestigious category here and it's always been home to celebs (Black and White) throughout the years.
Oakland's crime is also crazy high. That would make it non-comparable by itself.
Oakland's crime rate is 686.9 and Montclair's is 113.1.
That doesnt matter in this case because 94619 is upscale and in the hills overlooking the bay removed from grit. Oakland is like South Africa(Ive lived there), on the one hand sophisticated and posh(dripping in it) and on the other hand, street and rowdy AF.
And it's not little slivers of Oakland are wealthy while most of the city is compton, no a huge, visible, vibrant mass of Oakland that runs the entire length of the city, is affluent. A completely different world from the flatlands.
So there areas within the Oakland Hills that do match and exceed Montclair NJ as far as diverse wealthy suburban.
The Cincinnati metro doesn't have a great comparison as it's not very diverse and doesn't really have many neighborhoods with a significant population of upper middle-class blacks.
The best example I know of is the inner-ring suburb of Wyoming.
There are so few "Montclairs" out there that I would be very surprised if there were more than 3-4 remotely comparable cities. For those unfamiliar, Montclair is:
- A very diverse, yet (mostly) upscale suburb about 15 miles west of Manhattan
- It is one of the most liberal towns in the NYC area, if not the most liberal
- It has one of the most well-preserved, streetcar suburb housing stocks that you will find anywhere (you can go ahead and streetview it to get a feel for what I'm talking about)
- It has 3 separate "village centers" within town, and taken together Montclair has one of the best dining scenes in NJ, and likely the best of all of the NYC suburbs
- It also has an arts scene and it's own film festival
- Many of NY's media personalities live there (Stephen Colbert, for one)
- Schools are generally considered good-but-not-the-absolute-best; There is a top private school in town for those that don't want the public school option
Expect to pay $30K+ in property taxes on a $1M house
Most cities will not have anything that checks more than a handful of these boxes, which is exactly why it is so unique. I could imagine LA having one or two that check many of these same boxes (Santa Monica?), but am not familiar enough with that area to know for sure.
Yea Cambridge MA and Milton MA are pretty close matches. Milton although not terribly diverse (69% white, 15% black) is surrounded by much more diverse locals on nearly all sides. Median HHI is 121k. Deval Patrick lives there. Cambridge has tons of festivals, squares and diversity (just as diverse, if not more than Montclair) but is too urban. Milton only has one town center and its not frequented by the black community, who prefer Boston and nearby malls in a neighboring town. Cambridge is best. I think some celebs live there and maybe a black celtic or two over the years.
Stamford, Greenwich, and Norwalk CT very good matches. 2/3 are just as diverse as Montclair with pretty much identical incomes. Greenwich is 70% white, 20% Hispanic. The wealth is very white in Greenwich and Stamford is too urban. Norwalk is the closest. Per capita income is $50,874 and MHHI is 89k. But COL is much less there than in Montclair.
Bowie, Maryland as well as Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia. I think theyre all equally close. Cheverly, Maryland is pretty close. Alexandria has the old town center like the northern areas.
Importantly to note al of these towns have easily accessible trains into the city like Montclair. CT cities are most alike because they are commuter trains like NJ Transit.
Some places around LA for sure.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 12-07-2020 at 11:42 AM..
Here is a some information about the Parkway Homes/Parkway Gardens area, which is an area of the town that has a very long time middle class black population going back to the late 1920's: https://www.greenburghny.com/Documen...dens-Community
Yeah the Knicks and Rangers also have their practice facility in Greenburgh and I agree it's similar in this regard.
Just to add, its black median household income is $113,377(9.1% black poverty rate) and the town has about 12,000 black residents, while also having a generally diverse population.
It also has some walkable villages that area a part of the town that brings that element that Montclair also has. Places like Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, Elmsford, Ardsley and Hartsdale are all small nodes of walkability within the town.
Neither Takoma Park or Silver Spring has the overall upscale feel of Montclair, and would say Alexandria fits more so with Old Town versus the entire city. In the DC Metro places like Chevy Chase (DC-MD), Rockville and Falls Church City are more appropriate comparisons in my opinion.
Not at all. much different demographics and built form from Montclair. Takoma Park is not as affluent but is otherwise similar IMO.
Alexandria might also work.
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