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They absolutely hated Jews in parts of the Gold Coast. There was an informal rule preventing Jews from buying in one town (I want to say Old Brookville, but it seems to be relatively Jewish now so my memory would be faulty) until the '90s. It actually made Newsday when a Jewish person finally bought there, which is why I remember it. I was in high school and shocked that it still existed. Prejudice is part of the reason Jews cluster in certain towns--they couldn't buy everywhere in the '50s and '60s, clustered in the towns where they could and everyone else followed. People would follow their neighbors, so you'd get places where one block had practically picked up and moved from one spot in Brooklyn to another in Nassau. (And on to Boca... )
Prejudice took a long time to die. My parents lived in Levittown in the '70s and some of their neighbors had pretty nasty opinions. My mother was very happy to move.
Thank you for the insight. Now that you've written it, I sort of remember something about a Jewish man buying in an exclusive enclave which was 'closed off' to the Jews.
As for Levittown: when my parents moved there in 1969, one neighbor learned my mother was Puerto Rican and Spaniard. We received harassing phone calls, she wouldn't allow my sister and I in her yard to play with the neighborhood kids. The police had to be called in for the harassing, menacing, hateful words and actions
We are possibly moving back to NY from MA. I would also like great schools and large Jewish population. Which is a better choice...Jericho or Plainview? Which is an easier commute to Manhattan if my husband ends up working there. I heard Roslyn is changing demographically. Is it still a nice town with large Jewish population?
Both are good choices. Jericho is better if you're secular, Plainview if you're traditional or Orthodox. If you go to shul more than twice a year of your own volition, Jericho isn't for you. Jericho schools are a little more prestigious, but Plainview's are also excellent. Commute times are similar, depends how far you are from the station--neither is right on the train. Stations are at Syosset and Hicksville. I think Jericho has a better stock of high-end homes if that's what you're looking at, and prices there are a little higher overall.
Roslyn still has a large Jewish population. Train service on the Oyster Bay branch is not that fast, though.
We are possibly moving back to NY from MA. I would also like great schools and large Jewish population. Which is a better choice...Jericho or Plainview?
I concur with AlexisT: if you are secular, non-observant, then it would be the Hamlet of Jericho; if you are more Torah observant, then the Hamlet of Plainview. If you are Torah observant and plan to send your child(ren) to private school, then the Hamlet of West Hempstead or the Village of Lawrence might be a better choice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbordo
I heard Roslyn is changing demographically. Is it still a nice town with large Jewish population?
I assume you mean the greater Roslyn area, because the Village of Roslyn is only about 10% of the "Roslyn, NY 11576" ZIP Code postal zone, and the majority of places that have a "Roslyn, NY 11576" mailing address are NOT in "Roslyn".
The Roslyn area (includes several villages and hamlets in the "Roslyn, NY 11576" ZIP Code postal zone) is similar to the Hamlet of Jericho: a mostly secular, non-observant Jewish population.
Walter, HANC also has a branch in Plainview and the high school is in Uniondale--not far. However, it might not be worth it to pay Plainview taxes if you're also paying tuition.
Other choice for traditional/Orthodox would be Great Neck(*), which would have the best commute of all. There's also still a substantial non-Orthodox presence there (though it's not the area for the anti-religious). However, it's the most expensive choice, and more crowded than Jericho or Plainview.
(* for the purposes of this discussion, Great Neck will be defined as "the various villages and hamlets sharing the Great Neck postal zone, particularly the area north of 25A")
As for demographic changes in Roslyn, there's a growing Asian population. Roslyn SD was 11% Asian in 2006 (last year of report cards). Herricks SD, which is nearby, is the most Asian on LI and the population is spreading into Great Neck (especially the southern end in Lake Success) and Roslyn SDs. This is not something I would be worried about. It is a high achieving, successful population that will boost the schools, not worsen them.
One other question about these areas...are they very jappy? I grew up in Rockville Center and that wasn't too bad, but I'm hearing that things are a bit more over the top these days. Some are telling me to check out Westchester instead because it is more down to earth. I have a feeling that the parts of Westchester I would like probably have such uber wealth. We do well and could spend over the million dollar mark on a house, I just don't want to be the poorest on the block with all the big financial muckety-mucks all around me.
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