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NYC has many working class. Better question would be when did NYC become unaffordable for the working class. I'd say the early 90s. My parents earned minimum wage and were still able to buy a nice home near Queens College in the 80s.
By that definition working class individuals should be able to make a go of it in the outer boroughs if they cannot afford to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Particularly those making 70k. I wonder if the "working class" arguments people give for New York being unaffordable has more to do with the service class, those making $15 an hour or less. Or not necessarily because of hidden costs someone making 70k cannot always account for?
The reason I ask is because on some of the earlier threads one person will say that 100k is middle class and another person will say something along the lines of 'you're crazy, I make it on 30k I just budget really well'.
You can live in Manhattan on less than 70K. Before I got my degrees and worked as an office clerk, I wasn't making anywhere close to 70K and was living alone in Manhattan. But I'm native - having been born and raised here, and as such, our rents are still stuck in the 90's if not in the 80's.
I remember back when I was a teen, it was easy to get an apartment. I graduated from High School, applied and boom - got it - it was easy - just like finding work. It was nothing like how it is today - no where close! I got my first job working at the World Trade Center by simply walking in and applying with the receptionist - none of that internet apply online garbage. They would just look at you and say, "Yeah, we have a job for you - and if you want to start today, even better"
Meatpacking industry shrank in the West Village for mostly the same reason as the Fulton Fish Market, wholesale flowers and others; the City (beginning with Rudy G, then continued under Bloomberg) felt it was best to have such things consolidated at the Hunts Point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunts_...erative_Market
I find that very often when a CEO or high-level elected official says that a change was made because they "felt it was best" - that's a warning sign that ulterior motives are being concealed.
Late 90s. Up until that point the City was doable by most.
The dot.com boom happened on the West Coast- creating crazy finance opportunities which eventually crashed.
Market was moved into the tech industry and has never shifted back since.
High Tech pays very well, Private sector is strong in Northern CA.
New York became a more desirable place to live, primarily due to safety in the country as a whole and advances in technology. Housing hasn't caught up- a lot of people have been priced out. Yet, you have a half the city paying rent at a lower subsidized rate and a lot of long time time city employees being paid far more than their fair market rate.
Ultimately through government policies, New York City favored it's residents over being market-competitive at everything aside from the high pay careers. So you're left with a city with terrible service, terrible schools, disgusting transit, and a glut of privileged poor- and incredibly wealthy 'intellectually valuable' people. Then, you've got the small sect of new middle class who can't truly make ends meet without a ton of sacrifice.
You can live in Manhattan on less than 70K. Before I got my degrees and worked as an office clerk, I wasn't making anywhere close to 70K and was living alone in Manhattan. But I'm native - having been born and raised here, and as such, our rents are still stuck in the 90's if not in the 80's.
I remember back when I was a teen, it was easy to get an apartment. I graduated from High School, applied and boom - got it - it was easy - just like finding work. It was nothing like how it is today - no where close! I got my first job working at the World Trade Center by simply walking in and applying with the receptionist - none of that internet apply online garbage. They would just look at you and say, "Yeah, we have a job for you - and if you want to start today, even better"
Those were some great ol' days!
So I'm guessing you either have a rent controlled apartment or a landlord who gave you a really long lease?
I find that very often when a CEO or high-level elected official says that a change was made because they "felt it was best" - that's a warning sign that ulterior motives are being concealed.
Well suppose that is debatable.
You cannot argue that the Hunt's Point Market is far more easily reached by trucks and rail than the Village and lower Manhattan.
Remember the Meat Packing area once had rail service; first along street level then the High Line was built. Still the purpose was same; to service the various wholesale and other businesses along Eleventh Avenue/Far West Side. The Fulton Fish Market IIRC grew out of a time when Manhattan had active waterfronts on both the East and Hudson Rivers and of course the lower part by Fulton where the SI (and once Brooklyn) ferries ran.
If you own/run a restaurant, hotel, etc... it probably is easier to go one place and get meats, flowers, fish, and whatever else as opposed to running all over Manhattan.
While many of us who knew the MPD back in the day may wax romantic about the place, it was what it was. That often meant after dark a dangerous place full of trannie hookers and God only knows what else. Yeah, the place had an edge but if you didn't watch out... Photos Compare 1985 And 2013 Meatpacking District: Gothamist
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They would just look at you and say, "Yeah, we have a job for you - and if you want to start today, even better"
