Sharon - friendly people?what if non-jewish?cancer risks? (Boston: house, to buy)

[tracyamor]

I am looking into Sharon to buy a home. The biggest factors are the school systems and being off 95 (between RI and Boston). I have read different statistics on the percentage of Jewish from 3% to up to 50% when I Google searched. Currently the area I live in has a high percentage of Jewish. Therefore when I go to the park with my daughter, she is literally the only catholic girl among min 20 children. The jewish mothers tend to keep in their close knit groups, which I understand because they have more in common, etc. However, I do not want my child to grow up in an area where she feels left out. I have read some comments on this site when I did a search. One person said children had experience of feeling excluded. I am wondering how the current situation is? If the percentage of jewish is really only 3% then I can't imagine my daughter feeling left out? Keep in mind, I have nothing against jewish people; the ones I know have great values and are very family oriented. I feel that kids already can have a difficult time in school, I do not want to add to it, if I can avoid it.

How are the people in general? ie showy? snobby? open? friendly? etc.

Lastly, I saw an article that said Sharon is rated 78 out of 80 (80 being the worst) for cancer incidence rate??

[cb2008]

I know of at least two jewish families that moved to Sharon precisely because it IS jewish. When we looked at a house in Mablehead on a particular street our realtor mentioned, warned?, that the street is predominantly jewish, the import of which we did not fully understand. She then said we may feel excluded. This was 40 years ago. Things may be different now.
Other minorities can be cliquish like that as well.

[MikePRU]

I have a couple of cousins that live in Sharon. I was recently talking to one of their husbands and I asked him why they moved to Sharon (from Mansfield). Basically what he said was that a big reason they moved there was the quality of the school system (no surprise) but also they found it to be a much more diverse (86% Caucasian in an area where many towns are 90%+) and accepting community. Their son was bullied because he was small in the Mansfield school system and since moving to Sharon he's been much happier. He said things like bullying are absolutely considered unacceptable in the Sharon schools.

Originally Posted by cb2008

I know of at least two jewish families that moved to Sharon precisely because it IS jewish. When we looked at a house in Mablehead on a particular street our realtor mentioned, warned?, that the street is predominantly jewish, the import of which we did not fully understand. She then said we may feel excluded. This was 40 years ago. Things may be different now.
Other minorities can be cliquish like that as well.

Today, that would be extremely illegal and your agent could lose their license for saying such a thing. It probably was 40 years ago too.

[CaseyB]

I never, ever heard that there was a high cancer rate in Sharon.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I have a couple of cousins that live in Sharon. I was recently talking to one of their husbands and I asked him why they moved to Sharon (from Mansfield). Basically what he said was that a big reason they moved there was the quality of the school system (no surprise) but also they found it to be a much more diverse (86% Caucasian in an area where many towns are 90%+) and accepting community. Their son was bullied because he was small in the Mansfield school system and since moving to Sharon he's been much happier. He said things like bullying are absolutely considered unacceptable in the Sharon schools.



Today, that would be extremely illegal and your agent could lose their license for saying such a thing. It probably was 40 years ago too.

Why am I thinking of Borat all of a sudden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R57PlZFAeM

Sharon is a very diverse community of people of all faiths.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by tracyamor

Lastly, I saw an article that said Sharon is rated 78 out of 80 (80 being the worst) for cancer incidence rate??

Jewish women have a gene that predisposes them to a much higher risk of female related cancers (ovarian, etc.). In an area with a relatively high population of Jewish people, this could slant statistical cancer rates.

I have not heard of any environmentally related cancer studies in that vicinity.

[anniefinboston]

Sharon is a lovely town- first to respond to your question regarding cancer.

According to a WCVB article and the state's data reports, Sharon is on the list of towns/cities in Mass. that have higher than expected cancer rates- though only slightly over the expected rate. These Mass. towns have higher cancer rates | Health - WCVB Home
For more up-to-date information go directly to the State website:[url="http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/health-stats/cancer-registry/data/city-town/cancer-incidence-in-mass-2005-2009.html"]

Yes, Sharon has a vibrant Jewish community. After Brookline and Newton, "Greater Sharon" has the fourth-largest concentration of Jewish population.

As for the issue of potential exclusion... Over the years I've worked with a few teens from Sharon. I haven't ever asked my students whether they felt included/excluded because of their Jewish-ness, and I admit I had not considered it a factor in their academic and social experience, until one non-Jewish student mentioned it.

We were brainstorming ways to increase in-school academic support, and this student (let's call him "C") stated that his pool of potential friends had been limited by the fact that he was not Jewish, and thus his pool of potential study-buddies was limited. I was taken aback and moved to other possible solutions, though his account lingered with me, afterwards. Seeing your question, I cautiously share this - please temper this information with the fact that this was ONE student's account. Also, know that I do not assume (as C did) that his perception/experience was directly and definitively the result of this one factor. There could be - and I believe there were - numerous factors influencing C's opinion - many having nothing to do with his lack of Jewish-ness. IMHO, C's non-Jewishness may have played some real part in something - perhaps a cultural misunderstanding or perception of "the others" somewhere in his experience, that ultimately led to this opinion; perhaps something more definitive and tangible, as C thought - I do not know.

Sometimes, some communities, for very sensible and benevolent reasons, support each other to the degree that it is felt, to those outside of that group, as not supportive of those on the outside. Perhaps that was what C was feeling, though I also consider, sometimes, when people have feelings of mistrust or fear of some other culture/community, these very feelings, in them, negatively influence their future interactions, interactions which are then experienced and molded to fit those fears/concerns/doubts/insecurities. It's possible C's experience was a little of both. Sadly, unfortunately, C clearly felt uncomfortable enough, for whatever reason(s), that it negatively influenced his interactions with his peers.

It sounds like you just want to know if it's really something to be concerned about. That search isn't merely about accessing experiences out here - though I'm sure that'll help. Consider coupling an open, honest inquiry, with folks who live in Sharon/communities like Sharon, willing to discuss this without offense and without offending, with a comparatively searching and fearless inventory of your values, perceptions of cultures, etc., within yourself and your family. In the end, if being in a large Jewish community is an issue for you, and if it cannot be resolved through understanding, then moving to Sharon may only illuminate that fact. I wish you the best - in your search and in your decision.

[CaseyB]

The OP has the list backwards, though. The #1 town (Hinsdale) has the highest incidence, while #80 has the least amount on that list.

Interesting that the list doesn't include cities.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I have a couple of cousins that live in Sharon. I was recently talking to one of their husbands and I asked him why they moved to Sharon (from Mansfield). Basically what he said was that a big reason they moved there was the quality of the school system (no surprise) but also they found it to be a much more diverse (86% Caucasian in an area where many towns are 90%+) and accepting community. Their son was bullied because he was small in the Mansfield school system and since moving to Sharon he's been much happier. He said things like bullying are absolutely considered unacceptable in the Sharon schools.



Today, that would be extremely illegal and your agent could lose their license for saying such a thing. It probably was 40 years ago too.

I am sure it was, but she didn't seem to care. We were quite shocked as well.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

The OP has the list backwards, though. The #1 town (Hinsdale) has the highest incidence, while #80 has the least amount on that list.

Interesting that the list doesn't include cities.

I was thinking the same thing before you said it.

Maybe older population in these out of the way places and less access to good medical care than cities.

The cities have younger student populations. The young in urban areas are more likely to be killed as a result of drunk driving, o.d. or by gunshot.

20 years ago Provincetown would have ranked higher up on the list due to the spread of AIDS. There is much better medical treatment today, keeping people alive for decades.