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People of every race just need to be honest and admit that they prefer to live among their own kind, because barring some corner cases, that's exactly how they act.
People of every race just need to be honest and admit that they prefer to live among their own kind, because barring some corner cases, that's exactly how they act.
Yep it's human nature. People tend to be most comfortable with those who look like them and share the same cultural values. Are there exceptions? Obviously. But there are plenty of minorities who live in towns like Freeport north amityville etc. that are middle class and could easily afford towns like wantagh, Babylon etc. yet they choose not to because that is where they are most comfortable.
As far as being Asian and being discriminated, you are a member of the "least" threatening minorities.
And as Joyful hope posted in this thread, upper middle classes communities are more welcoming to others but make no mistake, some of your neighbors have very negative feelings toward you.
I'm sure my neighbors are not jumping for joy that an asian family has moved in. As long as they are not burning a cross on my lawn, I don't really care.
I'm sure my neighbors are not jumping for joy that an asian family has moved in. As long as they are not burning a cross on my lawn, I don't really care.
The original Asians in Great Neck were old school. The first Chinese family on my block growing up put a clothes line on the front yard and hung up clothes, wore flip flops year round even to shovel snow and had the two cheap lawn chairs on front lawn, even though they had a back yard. A Queens thing more than an Asian thing.
I think people are much less threatened by the presence of minorities in affluent towns compared to working class towns since working class towns are more vulnerable to mass-migration due to affordability. And the minorities moving to affluent towns are probably affluent themselves and probably won't represent the much dreaded negative stereotypes.
This is pretty much spot-on.
Decent white towns, like those on the South Shore worry much more about diversity since the barriers to entry are much less than a truly affluent town. That main barrier being price. Where would residents (white) in Wantagh and the like go if minorities move in en masse as most could not simply flee to greener (whiter) pastures in Brookville or Manhasset because they would be outpriced (heck some couldn't buy in their current neighborhood now). This isn't the undeveloped Long Island it once was and options for new communities are slim to none these days. White flight would in essence, not work.
Actually, believing that a community should have a certain % of minorities could be viewed as politically correct.
Skin color is not important. What I want is a community of good, hard working people, regardless of what tone their skin might be.
What I take issue with is the assumption that people move to GC (or any other community) because of its racial makeup. It couldn't be further from the truth. When I was house hunting, I was looking for very nice classic architecture, great schools, clean and safe neighborhoods, and a good commute to the city. I never once looked at the ethnic make-up of the town. To assume that people do that is incredibly cynical and unfair in my estimation.
While this is true, the reality is that there is not one diverse town on Long Island on the level of Garden City and the like. This isn't Charlotte, Atlanta or Houston where you have a solid representation of minorities in upper income areas (solid meaning comparable to say the demographics of that metro area). This is not to say you or anymore else who seeks to buy in such areas does so to avoid minorities it simply means you never have to worry about it due to the fact that Long Island is so segregated.
When you say these are things you are looking for (with a GC budget) its already understood that you will be looking in a predominantly white area so you don't ever have to look at the ethnic make up of these towns because the two go hand in hand.
Grew up in Garden City and did K-12 in the Garden City public schools, and graduated from GCHS ~10 years ago.
Just to address some points raised in this thread:
1) While my graduating class was definitely 90+% Caucasian, there were several Asian-American and Hispanic students as well (some of whom were close friends). Many of them were quite popular and well-liked, others less so--no different than Caucasian students. Never once did I see anyone bullied or shunned because of their race. One thing to keep in mind, however, is this will mean that most of your child's friends will be Irish/Anglo/Italian, which I imagine could lead to fewer cultural ties with your heritage. That's not necessarily a good or bad thing, but something to be aware of.
2) Regarding athletics: the town is very into little league, and my parents always signed me up for every sport even though I was never a standout in any of them (soccer, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, etc.). Around 10 years old, the better athletes start playing in travel teams for soccer + baseball, but up thru the 8th grade there are intramural leagues that let you play regardless of skill. I met most of my friends that I kept throughout middle and high school this way, and would encourage you to do the same for your children (unless they really dislike playing of course!).
As a side note, one funny outcome of growing up in a town of great athletes: When I went off to college, I figured I wasn't much of an athlete, having been cut from the varsity lacrosse, basketball, + soccer teams in my junior year (0-3!). Once I got to campus, my roommate (who had been a varsity lacrosse player at a High School in California) reluctantly dragged me to club lacrosse tryouts. Not only did I end up making the team as a freshman, in my junior year I was 2nd on the team in goals. So don't let your child get down on himself even if he's not a standout in Garden City, as he will likely go on to dominate his college classmates at the club/intramural level who come from less sports-crazy towns! lol.
3) Regarding academics in the high school: If your child wants an academically rigorous high school experience, he can certainly get it in Garden City. The students who work hard and take a full honors/AP course load largely end up at great colleges, and there are tons of outstanding teachers who fawn over good students and do everything to help them succeed (not surprising considering how well-paid they are!). Several of my classmates went to Ivy League or peer institutions (Georgetown, Duke, Amherst, etc.) on academics alone. For what it's worth, I went to a "top 25" university, graduated with honors, and in my 4 years there I never had to work as hard as I did in my junior and senior years at Garden City. So your child will be well-prepared to succeed even at the best colleges. Moreover, standout students are celebrated as much if not more than athletes, with the school holding several academic award ceremonies, praising them during homeroom loudspeaker announcements , and blasting their photos on the front page of the local newspaper.
The only difference I noticed academically from some of the traditionally more "elite" school districts in the North Shore is in science, at least with regards to "visible" markers like Intel Semifinalists (our class usually had 1 or none, while Jericho, Great Neck, etc. had ~7-8). However, in my opinion the lesser focus on science comes from the students and their families (who largely work in business/finance, rather than STEM/Medicine) and not from the school, which offers AP Bio, Physics, Chemistry, etc., with some of those courses taught by teachers with PhDs in those fields. So if your child is into science, he'll have the same opportunity to pursue it and maybe even receive more attention and mentoring from faculty because there is much less competition!
In sum, I would't worry about any race-based discrimination towards either you and your husband or your child. Just be aware that it is a bit of a sports-crazed town and that athletics might be the best (though by no means only) way to make lifelong friends. Moreover, the schools are great and provide every opportunity to make it into an elite college. Good luck with your decision!
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