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I could not say the area is 'traditionally' Dominican, however there is a growing presence of Dominicans in this area, as well as much of the central and northern Grand Concourse area. However it would be great to see ice skaters of every color..why the heck not!
What kills me is that they call it Riverdale....seems to me to be a deliberate effort to disassociate it with the rest of the Bronx. You are absolutely right....the fact that residents there have money and lets not forget white skin....both are the reasons that people like to PRETEND THAT RIVERDALE IS NOT A PART OF THE BRONX!
You should know that this just didn't just start. It has been this way for years. I heard that it had something to do with a rebellion of sorts going back years ago when Riverdale was not a part of the Bronx but rather Westchester. There are articles that have been written on this topic in fact. Aside from the points you have mentioned, I'd say it is also a pride factor as well. Given how secluded the area is and that it is not really connected to other neighborhoods, that also gives it a sense of independence and exclusiveness. The area has always been fairly well off and exclusive even when it wasn't yet that developed. It was originally a getaway spot for rich Manhattanites who used the area for their vacation homes and even though it became developed, the money factor was still there. With so many historical homes in the area, it has allowed the area to remain the same in some aspects even though obviously it has and continues to change.
I would say that parts of Queens has this as well going back to when it was part of Long Island.
I could not say the area is 'traditionally' Dominican, however there is a growing presence of Dominicans in this area, as well as much of the central and northern Grand Concourse area. However it would be great to see ice skaters of every color..why the heck not!
I agree, I would love it to tip the scale on the national ice rinks across the country and internationally. The ice rink is a good move in my book!
You should know that this just didn't just start. It has been this way for years. I heard that it had something to do with a rebellion of sorts going back years ago when Riverdale was not a part of the Bronx but rather Westchester.
I wish people would stop making up their own history.
When Riverdale was a part of Westchester, the rest of The Bronx was also a part of Westchester. Look at this map from 1867. I don't know about you, but I see the entire Bronx being a part of Westchester.
Then, the portion of the Town of Yonkers south of the present-day city line became the Town of Kingsbridge. The Town of Kingsbridge then became part of the City of New York (which at that time was only Manhattan). The towns of Morrisania & West Farms were annexed at the same time as Kingsbridge, and then the areas east of the Bronx River were annexed later on.
So as far as being annexed to New York City goes, Riverdale is no different from Mott Haven or Morrisania.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grosvenor
I would say that parts of Queens has this as well going back to when it was part of Long Island.
As for Queens, part of it has to do with the postal service itself. See here. They didn't do the same thing with any Bronx neighborhoods.
I wish people would stop making up their own history.
When Riverdale was a part of Westchester, the rest of The Bronx was also a part of Westchester. Look at this map from 1867. I don't know about you, but I see the entire Bronx being a part of Westchester.
Then, the portion of the Town of Yonkers south of the present-day city line became the Town of Kingsbridge. The Town of Kingsbridge then became part of the City of New York (which at that time was only Manhattan). The towns of Morrisania & West Farms were annexed at the same time as Kingsbridge, and then the areas east of the Bronx River were annexed later on.
So as far as being annexed to New York City goes, Riverdale is no different from Mott Haven or Morrisania.
As for Queens, part of it has to do with the postal service itself. See here. They didn't do the same thing with any Bronx neighborhoods.
I don't see any problem with what was stated. Riverdale was part of Westchester as were other parts of the Bronx and at that time they like all parts of Westchester went by their town name. The difference is that the residents of Riverdale unlike other parts of the Bronx protested to continue to use the town name as the city name and so they continued to use Riverdale, NY even though the post office didn't accept that officially for the two Riverdale zip codes. In Queens however, the post office decided that residents there would continue to use their neighborhood as the city, so there is nothing distorted.
As the article states, Riverdale's dividing lines are not found on maps. The area has always been set aside from the Bronx because of those with money and power who had a say in how the area was perceived and also developed. That is why whether or not the area is part of the Bronx has always been debated. Nothing else.
In areas being gentrified or that are have money, rezoning often takes place. A perfect example is parts of Manhattan. Places like SoHo ("South of Houston") and TriBeCa ("Triangle below Canal Street") were not hip and trendy as they are today. They were run down slums if you will, which many on these forums probably remember well and people used to avoid going to these neighborhoods. When people with money started to move in, the realtors came up with new "hip" names. If you walked around these two neighborhoods today you would be hard pressed to imagine that these exclusive, trendy areas that everyone wants to flock to were once areas that many avoided.
I would imagine the same will happen with parts of the Bronx that become gentrified.
Last edited by Grosvenor; 05-01-2013 at 09:08 AM..
I don't see any problem with what was stated. Riverdale was part of Westchester as were other parts of the Bronx and at that time they like all parts of Westchester went by their town name. The difference is that the residents of Riverdale unlike other parts of the Bronx protested to continue to use the town name as the city name and so they continued to use Riverdale, NY even though the post office didn't accept that officially for the two Riverdale zip codes. In Queens however, the post office decided that residents there would continue to use their neighborhood as the city, so there is nothing distorted.
As the article states, Riverdale's dividing lines are not found on maps. The area has always been set aside from the Bronx because of those with money and power who had a say in how the area was perceived and also developed. That is why whether or not the area is part of the Bronx has always been debated. Nothing else.
In areas being gentrified or that are have money, rezoning often takes place. A perfect example is parts of Manhattan. Places like SoHo ("South of Houston") and TriBeCa ("Triangle below Canal Street") were not hip and trendy as they are today. They were run down slums if you will, which many on these forums probably remember well and people used to avoid going to these neighborhoods. When people with money started to move in, the realtors came up with new "hip" names. If you walked around these two neighborhoods today you would be hard pressed to imagine that these exclusive, trendy areas that everyone wants to flock to were once areas that many avoided.
I would imagine the same will happen with parts of the Bronx that become gentrified.
Well, just to be clear, the entire Bronx was a part of Westchester, not just portions of it (I'm just saying in case you didn't know that).
In any case, there was no "Town of Riverdale". Riverdale was a neighborhood within the Town of Kingsbridge. Point-blank, period.
In any case, there's already been rezoning and new projects being built, not to mention that a lot of the areas already had well-designed buildings (for instance, along the Grand Concourse). I think it's pretty obvious that rezoning happens in areas that are being redeveloped. Same with the renaming of some areas. I can picture it now: "MoHa" (Mott Haven), "WeFa" (West Farms), you get the idea.
Well, just to be clear, the entire Bronx was a part of Westchester, not just portions of it (I'm just saying in case you didn't know that).
In any case, there was no "Town of Riverdale". Riverdale was a neighborhood within the Town of Kingsbridge. Point-blank, period.
In any case, there's already been rezoning and new projects being built, not to mention that a lot of the areas already had well-designed buildings (for instance, along the Grand Concourse). I think it's pretty obvious that rezoning happens in areas that are being redeveloped. Same with the renaming of some areas. I can picture it now: "MoHa" (Mott Haven), "WeFa" (West Farms), you get the idea.
If people weren't using the neighborhood that they lived in as the town in the past when the Bronx was a part of Westchester, the post office would have never changed that set up in the first place. In fact the article that was quoted makes that point clear. In other words, people that lived in Riverdale did not write "Kingsbridge, NY" for their postal code, nor did they refer to their neighborhood as Kingsbridge. It seems as if you're implying that residents of Riverdale started referring to their neighborhood as Riverdale at random. I see no evidence of that. The article makes it pretty clear of how residents referred to their neighborhood officially and what was accepted officially by the post office.
Last edited by Grosvenor; 05-01-2013 at 10:18 PM..
This is from Mott Haven. Things may getting a bit hip. We still have to see what type of Gentrification spills over from Harlem into the South Bronx.
Well, the newspapers are constantly writing articles on the Bronx. Newsday recently had an article on new developments under construction at the Hub. Give it a few years, as more of these developments come online . I think the changes will be upon us before we know it.
This is from Mott Haven. Things may getting a bit hip. We still have to see what type of Gentrification spills over from Harlem into the South Bronx.
Why is Mott Haven so hip now? From the photo I would think this was another part of New York City.
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