Snobbiest towns in Jersey? (Ridgewood: mortgage, credit, health insurance)

[Chubbyhugs]

Any theories on why Ridgewood comes up so often? It's certainly a wealthy town, but by far not the wealthiest when you have Upper Saddle River and Franklin Lakes within walking distance practically....

I definitely agree, but can't put my finger on why. Why does that town have a particular snottiness to it?

[AnesthesiaMD]

Originally Posted by Chubbyhugs

Any theories on why Ridgewood comes up so often? It's certainly a wealthy town, but by far not the wealthiest when you have Upper Saddle River and Franklin Lakes within walking distance practically....

I definitely agree, but can't put my finger on why. Why does that town have a particular snottiness to it?

Because "snottiness" and money don't have a direct relationship. I'm generalizing here, but old money tends to be less snotty than new money. By new, I mean 1 or 2 generations. New money tends to show off their wealth while old money tends to hide it. The people I know who's wealth goes back many generations are some of the most down to earth people. You wouldn't even know they were rich if you met them. They are often embarrassed and shy about their wealth. Other people who aren't worth 100th as much, are snobs beyond belief.

[DITC]

Originally Posted by heypally

Having lived in the north and south of the state...

10. Haddonfield (not that bad, but snobby pockets)
9. Cherry Hill
8. Short Hills
7. Upper Montclair
6. Wayne
5. Moorestown
4. Westfield
3. Summit
2. Far Hills
1. Insert Bergen County Town Here (Otherwise this would be a top 20 list)

haha. Replace WAYNE with Marlboro/Manalapan

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

Because "snottiness" and money don't have a direct relationship. I'm generalizing here, but old money tends to be less snotty than new money. By new, I mean 1 or 2 generations. New money tends to show off their wealth while old money tends to hide it. The people I know who's wealth goes back many generations are some of the most down to earth people. You wouldn't even know they were rich if you met them. They are often embarrassed and shy about their wealth. Other people who aren't worth 100th as much, are snobs beyond belief.

We call these folks in NEPA the "nuevo riche" (a.k.a. "new rich"). They're the types who max out their credit cards and dig themselves deeply into debt in order to make themselves appear wealthier than they truly are with their suburban McMansions and BMWs while earning a combined $50,000. Part of the foreclosure mess occurring in the Poconos is from lower-middle-class New York City transplants who purchased homes they couldn't afford and are now in over their heads financially.

I have a lot of respect for my parents. They earn nearly $80,000 annually combined, yet we live very modest lifestyles. They drive a Ford F-150 pick-up truck and a Subaru Forester, and we live in a small 3-bedroom, 1-bath ranch home near the Interstate. In our area a combined income of $80,000 could permit them to live a much "better" lifestyle and "flaunt" their successes, but they choose to instead be modest. I myself will likely be earning a combined $100,000 with my partner in the future, but he and I are likewise both down-to-earth types of guys who wouldn't flaunt anything in others' faces. If I can afford either a Mini Cooper or a Toyota Prius and a small Victorian home near Downtown Scranton I'd be more than thrilled!

I never understood the compulsive behavior of the nuevo riche. You can't bring any of those "toys" with you when you're pushing up daisies six-feet under, can you? I'd rather leave a legacy of philanthropic endeavors to my city to be remembered by as opposed to material assets that will just be fought over by our adopted children. 9/10 of the vehicles with NJ plates that are in my area are newer luxury vehicles. Why? What utility do you gain from having a Porsche Cayenne and a McMansion vs. a Ford Fusion and an in-town rowhome? I just don't see why acquiring material possessions has become such a blood-sport in America. Even some of my own college peers drive Range Rovers, BMWs, etc. that "mommy and daddy" purchased for them---some of these same students make fun of me for driving a Ford Contour that I had to purchase with my own hard-earned dollars when I was 16. Anyone who judges another based upon what they have (a.k.a. "bling bling") vs. who they are is incredibly shallow and unworthy of friendship, in my humble opinion.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by SWB

We call these folks in NEPA the "nuevo riche" (a.k.a. "new rich"). They're the types who max out their credit cards and dig themselves deeply into debt in order to make themselves appear wealthier than they truly are with their suburban McMansions and BMWs while earning a combined $50,000.

this is a myth promoted but the have nots to make themselves feel better when they drive up to their shack in their 10 year old beater. Sure there are people living like that but they are few and far between.

Originally Posted by SWB

Part of the foreclosure mess occurring in the Poconos is from lower-middle-class New York City transplants who purchased homes they couldn't afford and are now in over their heads financially.

different set of people, the people who are in trouble in the poconos are the poor people lured from the bronx by low payments who believed they could handle the 2 hour commute to NYC found out that the commute was killing them, their family life and one spouse either lost their jobs or are quiting to maintain their sanity

[AnesthesiaMD]

Yeah. I was actually referring to people that actually have some money, but haven't yet figured out that flaunting it is tacky and tasteless, and just puts people off. In their minds, they are impressing people, while they are actually doing the opposite. They are not yet comfortable with their wealth.

[turnyourback]

Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD

Because "snottiness" and money don't have a direct relationship. I'm generalizing here, but old money tends to be less snotty than new money. By new, I mean 1 or 2 generations. New money tends to show off their wealth while old money tends to hide it. The people I know who's wealth goes back many generations are some of the most down to earth people. You wouldn't even know they were rich if you met them. They are often embarrassed and shy about their wealth. Other people who aren't worth 100th as much, are snobs beyond belief.

i don't feel like the majority of ridgewood residents are nouveau riche, though. there's a lot of old money here. the new york times even called ridgewood "quietly wealthy."

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by apvbguy

this is a myth promoted but the have nots to make themselves feel better when they drive up to their shack in their 10 year old beater. Sure there are people living like that but they are few and far between.

I must respectfully disagree. I'm by no means a "have-not." As I said previously I'm in the American middle-class and am in the NEPA upper-middle-class (the class designations change because wages in my area are abysmally low in relation to the nation). Nevertheless, I know of many of these so-called "haves" who earn less money combined than my father does alone. There are MANY cases in my area of folks who earn modest salaries yet live extravagantly. I call this a "Caviar Lifestyle on a Wal-Mart Budget." It's not some sort of class envy factor at all.

Why is this any of my business, you may ask? Well, when some of these people who are maxed out in debt in order to "look good" finally collapse financially, the economic ripple effects are absorbed by everyone. This is no different than how those who willfully engage in destructive health habits (smoking, binge eating/drinking, etc.) cause health insurance premiums to spike even for those who DO make proper health decisions in life. Is that fair? Not at all. In similar fashion those (like my parents) who adhere to a strict monthly budget, have a financial safety cushion, etc. become externalities that are affected negatively when their own investments in the NYSE dive South due to an impending recession spawned partially by these financially irresponsible individuals leading to today's mortgage meltdown crisis. I also use the same argument for those who insist on driving Hummers, Escalades, and other very large SUVs "because it's a free country." It may be a nation of civil liberties, but you should expect those of us who drive fuel-efficient small cars to be irked at those who drive extravagantly large "pleasure" SUVs for driving OUR fuel prices up by your willful decision to consume greater quantities of a finite resource than you truly need simply because you can afford to. I'm a minimalist by nature, and it irritates me when I have to pay high costs for gasoline, health insurance, etc. due at least partially to the carelessness of others when if we as a society worked cohesively towards a common goal we could see such living expenses REDUCED.

Originally Posted by apvbguy

different set of people, the people who are in trouble in the poconos are the poor people lured from the bronx by low payments who believed they could handle the 2 hour commute to NYC found out that the commute was killing them, their family life and one spouse either lost their jobs or are quiting to maintain their sanity

I seriously hope that the "Federal assistance" that President Bush and Congress have recently approved to aid those affected by the mortgage crisis does NOT benefit people like this. You need to do your homework thoroughly before making a six-figure investment in a home. If people fooled themselves into thinking they could make payments on homes they truly could NOT afford, then we better not be using tax dollars to bail them out. We all make mistakes in life; why reward them by throwing money down the drain? I regret majoring in Accounting instead of Urban Planning. Will President Bush and Congress throw money at me for being a "victim" of a "mistake?" I think not. When you spend beyond your means you must face the consequences. I hear the whining all the time here in NEPA from people saying "We can't do the commute!!!" That's why most INTELLIGENT people do a "test run" from NEPA to their workplace during rush-hour both ways to get a good idea of what their daily commutes will be like. I don't want to bail these people out for their own lack of foresight. Why on Earth would they think a 4-hour round-trip commute would be logical when they have children to raise as well? Poor planning should NOT be "rewarded" by Congress and/or President Bush, especially not when my hard-earned tax dollars are funding it!

[Norhjerseygirl]

My Home!!!!!

I like now dealing with rich people in Hawaii, it makes me giggle to think they don't have an iota of snobby compared to Ridgewood.

I so miss telling new acquaintances in Ridgewood that I grew up in Hawthorne it almost never failed to elicit a look of horror and an "Oh my God How can I get away from this trashy woman?" It's one thing to have been born there but to admit it...

EASTSIDE rules!

The snobbiest peeps were from Paterson - lol

My sister lives in FairHaven and she is a snob!

[NewHomeHappy]

Originally Posted by apvbguy

this is a myth promoted but the have nots to make themselves feel better when they drive up to their shack in their 10 year old beater. Sure there are people living like that but they are few and far between.


different set of people, the people who are in trouble in the poconos are the poor people lured from the bronx by low payments who believed they could handle the 2 hour commute to NYC found out that the commute was killing them, their family life and one spouse either lost their jobs or are quiting to maintain their sanity

apvbguy: You raised some good points. I thank you.
In My Opinion.
Snobbieness is all around us. It's called human nature. Irritated, annoyed, jealous, envy.... Why waste your time being irritated? Life's too short. Life is good.

Snobby Towns? It's in every town and social class. My personal truth: I have experienced it when I was poor, cleaning toilets and living on Ramen noodles. I have experienced it with Walmart Moms vs. Coach Moms vs. Lexus Moms vs. Jeep Moms vs. Fat Moms vs. Skinny Moms.....the list goes on. Another poster wrote something that I should have saved & pasted here. It went something like this: I don't want people in my business so I stay out of their business. I keep my distance from the "Snobbies" and I found out who my real friends are.
I am not preaching but I do like this little quipe :
Judge not lest ye be judged ? Besides, I would not want my children to learn that behavior and act upon it. We have been blessed with this life, I feel sorry for anyone who doe not see that.