Wealthy Black Neighborhoods in NYC? (New York, Beekman: crime rate, to buy, high income)

[mayorofnyc]

Being a resident of Southeast Queens all my life and being a person that is in Washington D.C. and its suburbs 12-15 times a year I can comment on this topic extensively.

There are no neighborhoods as a whole in Southeast Queens that reflect the upper middle class and wealthy black areas in Prince George's County except for the few enclaves of Addesleigh Park and the part of Laurelton by the LIRR station. Mixed here and there are a few blocks in perhaps other parts of Laurelton such as 130th Avenue by Francis Lewis Blvd and some parts of Hollis.

For many reasons Southeast Queens hasn't accumulated such wealth because first off Southeast Queens is pretty much black immigrant now and these familes have not had the time to accumulate the wealth that African Americans who have been here for years (this is not the general rule, as there are some West Indian blacks who have as much money as AA's (actually in most of Queens the WI household incomes exceed AA incomes), but in general AA's with wealth who have been here for generations have more wealth than say a first or second generation West Indian family -- case in point, Atlanta)

Second off, the upper middle class and wealthy blacks have made their ways out of Southeast Queens to Atlanta, Maryland/DC and NC because they are the ones with the resources and education who were able to pick up and leave when Southeast Queens turned bad and the pattern still continues today (again, not the general rule, but when you speak to most AA's most would rather be somewhere else other than NYC, hence why AA's are the minority of blacks in NYC); and third, even West Indians who have amassed money and education are leaving Southeast Queens too because it does not have the amenties of an upper middle class and wealthy neighborhood which is another issue.

What you find is that most middle class blacks from Southeast Queens shop on Long Island and because they spend huge parts of their week-ends there you see them flocking to Long Island in parts of Baldwin and Freeport, to name a few.

The schools are also another issue why they are flocking as most schools in Southeast Queens are horrible (though schools are not that great in PG County, MD as well). All these factors contribute to why Southeast Queens, as a whole, cannot keep a wealthy and upper middle class crowd.

It will continue to be working class/lower-to-middle middle class with those blacks who obtain upper middle class status and wealth moving on to other places. I've even seen it happen to my own friends and family, AA and WI. They reach a certain college degree or professional job and leave.

NYC as a whole cannot retain professional blacks because this city does not cater to them as well as say a Washington, DC or Atlanta.

Excellent post. I had to edit it though because I had trouble reading it. The bold sentence is very true as well.

[ladyjay114]

Originally Posted by jordandubreil

and brighton beach does???

When I looked for an apartment four years ago, I was looking for a place in Bed-Stuy and saw about seven apartments. Then I went to Brighton Beach and took the first place that I saw. Here's the difference:

1. Housing stock. Because Bed-Stuy is a much older neighborhood, almost all the apartments are in brownstones. I lived in a brownstone once and living in one is wonderful if the owner takes care of it. If the owner doesn't its a disaster. Brighton Beach is relatively younger and there are many high rises. High rises have conveniences brownstones don't: elevators, laundries, security, etc. Also, both neighborhoods offered similar rents so I was obviously going to the place with bigger bang for the buck.

2. Location. Bed-Stuy is a beautiful nabe, but it ain't two blocks from the beach. Brighton Beach also has the luxury of having tons of air, light and open space that Bed-Stuy doesn't.

3. Neighborhood amenities: Because Bed-Stuy is so residential, there aren't many supermarkets. Brighton Beach is jam packed with supermarkets, particularly fresh fruit and vegetable markets that Bed-Stuy is in desperate need of.

[queensgrl]

Thanks. Someone finally hit it the nail on the head. There are NO wealthy predominantly black neighborhoods in NYC. Re: SEQueens, another thing to point out is that the older blacks, who established SEQueens as a middle, middle class neighborhood in the 1960s are long gone and younger, similar families are not replacing them because SEQueens does not have good schools or "family friendly" amenities. They'd rather be in places like New Rochelle (Westchester), Maplewood or West Orange, NJ, Atlanta, or Huntersville, NC (Charlotte area). I don't even know too many moving to LI anymore. For young black singles with urbane tastes, SEQueens is just plain dull and too far from the action.

If you have money, are young and black, and want to be around your peers, I'd suggest the blocks just west of Marcus Garvey Park & Hamilton Heights in Harlem or Fort Greene & Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. If you want to live with the masses, go anywhere! Good Luck!

Originally Posted by mrtracey

Being a resident of Southeast Queens all my life and being a person that is in Washington D.C. and its suburbs 12-15 times a year I can comment on this topic extensively. There are no neighborhoods as a whole in Southeast Queens that reflect the upper middle class and wealthy black areas in Prince George's County except for the few enclaves of Addesleigh Park and the part of Laurelton by the LIRR station. Mixed here and there are a few blocks in perhaps other parts of Laurelton such as 130th Avenue by Francis Lewis Blvd and some parts of Hollis. For many reasons Southeast Queens hasn't accumulated such wealth because first off Southeast Queens is pretty much black immigrant now and these familes have not had the time to accumulate the wealth that African Americans who have been here for years (this is not the general rule, as there are some West Indian blacks who have as much money as AA's (actually in most of Queens the WI household incomes exceed AA incomes), but in general AA's with wealth who have been here for generations have more wealth than say a first or second generation West Indian family -- case in point, Atlanta); second off, the upper middle class and wealthy blacks have made their ways out of Southeast Queens to Atlanta, Maryland/DC and NC because they are the ones with the resources and education who were able to pick up and leave when Southeast Queens turned bad and the pattern still continues today (again, not the general rule, but when you speak to most AA's most would rather be somewhere else other than NYC, hence why AA's are the minority of blacks in NYC); and third, even West Indians who have amassed money and education are leaving Southeast Queens too because it does not have the amenties of an upper middle class and wealthy neighborhood which is another issue. What you find is that most middle class blacks from Southeast Queens shop on Long Island and because they spend huge parts of their week-ends there you see them flocking to Long Island in parts of Baldwin and Freeport, to name a few. The schools are also another issue why they are flocking as most schools in Southeast Queens are horrible (though schools are not that great in PG County, MD as well). All these factors contribute to why Southeast Queens, as a whole, cannot keep a wealthy and upper middle class crowd. It will continue to be working class/lower-to-middle middle class with those blacks who obtain upper middle class status and wealth moving on to other places. I've even seen it happen to my own friends and family, AA and WI. They reach a certain college degree or professional job and leave. NYC as a whole cannot retain professional blacks because this city does not cater to them as well as say a Washington, DC or Atlanta.

[Crystal is a mess]

Originally Posted by YBF

I was thinking the same but didnt want to be the first to point that out. MultiMillionaire on CD? um yea right........ ANd asking advice about RE um not likely. Seriously. Even the dumbest person would think "NYC......Oh I need a penthouse apt in the city" UES tribecca or something crazy like that. I think troll

Bingo! People who post here, appear to enjoy outwitting each other or just want to be the one with the 'correct answer' that they often end up stroking certain peoples ego's who like to play make believe on line

The OP can now be found on the LA board looking for a $8,000 a month rental.

[LongIslandPerson]

Ok, as others pointed out, in the actual city limits of New York City, there are no RICH Black communities. YES, there are places such as most of the communities of Southeastern Queens that have a solid black middle class and a good mix of upper middle class but none really quite fit into the wealthy category.

AS FOR THE SUBURBS, I know of SEVERAL Upper Middle Class and Middle Class Black communities, but none really that are considered "rich". The Black middle class/upper middle class towns of the New York City suburbs are;

- Wheatley Heights, NY; this town has a median income of $98,387 (as of 2008) and is 48.6% Black (so they are the majority race because all the other races makeup smaller percentages of the population)
http://www.city-data.com/city/Wheatl...-New-York.html
(An interesting note about this place is that it has a very upper class feel probably because it has a cul-de-sac planning and also borders the old money towns of Dix Hills and Melville. ALSO, it is in a very good school district, so the schools wouldn't be an issue for you)

- Lakeview, NY; this town has a median household income of $90,530 (as of 2008) and is 83.4% Black so Blacks are the majority race by a landslide.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Lakeview-New-York.html

[There is a town called "North Valley Stream" on the Nassau County-Queens border, it is not majority black, but the black population actually almost ties the white population. In 2008, the black population was 36.1% and the white population was 39.8%. The median household income as of 2008 is $97,387]
http://www.city-data.com/city/North-...-New-York.html

I live on Long Island so I only know about the towns on Long Island but i'm sure there are some similar towns such as these in New Jersey or Upstate...

Good luck!

((btw: and as a sidenote, please dont think that there aren't any rich black people just because there are no rich black neighborhoods in NYC, most (not all) rich and upper middle class and even middle class black people just integrate and scatter themselves throughout communities where they are the minority and rarely congregate together. I'm not a fan of "segregation", but I hope as time goes on and more and more black people become wealthy; I hope some of the many low income black "hoods" eventually start to turnaround and work their way up the ladder so rich Black people can have a place to call home AND feel comfortable and a sense of belonging and not constantly have to worry about and put up with crap like people saying they are "lowering property values" or "scaring away/ruining the community", etc, etc.))

Good luck!

[queensgrl]

Here's an exercise. Think about the wealthiest black person you know personally (not a star or an athlete) who lives in NYC. Where do they live? I suspect we'll get a range of answers. Remember that everyone who has money doesn't necessarily "live large."

The wealthiest black person I know in NYC lives in __Sheepshead Bay__.

[DAS]

Kareem Abdul Jabarr in Hamilton Heights Harlem.

[queensgrl]

Originally Posted by DAS

Kareem Abdul Jabarr in Hamilton Heights Harlem.

Think about the wealthiest black person you know personally (not a star or an athlete) who lives in NYC.

If he's someone you know personally, just ignore my message.

[drkman]

Bedford- Stuyvesant

[UpsonDowns]

Owns a townhouse in Chelsea. And a house in the Hamptons. (But that doesn't really count because he's local and his parents bought in the 50s).