Moving to Queens NY and need racial Demographics

[NJ K]

If you think of NY as an experiment than the US in general is an experiment too, yes?

Ha ha. That's how Conan put it, and I thought it was funny and on-topic. I think "social experiment" was an interesting way of looking at it, as you have also agreed that NYC is different than most places in the US in the ways Conan observed.

I do not think of Manhattan as New York and I am not referring to Manhattan specifically in my posts. Manhattan is just one section of the city as far as I am concerned.

The culturally and economically elitist mindset (which, IMHO, is related to how you are defining "subculture") would be most pronounced in Manhattan. It clearly is the hub of the other boroughs. And that's the only reason I brought it up.

I do not agree with the wikipedia def of subculture but I don't know anyone who uses that term the way you use it so not too much else to say on that.

I included a dictionary definition other than wikipedia's, and they are both supporting how it's generally used (i.e., it's not inherently pejorative). So both definitions from different sources are wrong (including the one that is created by public input, therefore representing at least some sort of general consensus on how the term is perceived), but yours is definitively correct for some reason?

I called it a comfort zone but you can call it a subset or a subculture if you so desire.

You call it a "comfort zone," and that most people would call it "subculture" doesn't mean that elitist New Yorkers get final say on how words are defined because they are who you talk to (I'm not saying you are "elitist," but that's probably why the people you know in your area have imbued it with this meaning. It seems to be an evolved connotation, like a local dialect).

I did not object to the idea of someone bringing up race on here at all.

Oh no, no, I wasn't saying that you did, I was clarifying that my response was about race inquiries in general. I was not speaking specifically about New York, and I think we misunderstood each other because you thought that's what I was doing. But now we realize that that's why we were talking past each other (I know you realized it when you asserted my statements would be true of cities other than NY).

I objected to the fact that they were not specific in their post. They obviously wanted to know more than just the ethnic/racial makeup of the area but did not bother to state what that meant.

We agree here. You can't infer too much about the "vibe," atmosphere, or, ahem, subcultures that predominate an area based on race alone, although they are undeniably related. I agree that people should ask about those factors too, rather than pretending race is always a reliable indicator of which kinds of communities are available in a local scene.

One thing people also didn't mention is that many immigrants, and not just Hispanics, are here illegally, so many don't even speak English. Even if a relocating individual is not looking for any specific type of people as residents in their potential destination, it still may not be feasible to live there and interact with their neighbors the way most moving people would want. Enjoying ethnic restaurants and being soccer buddies is one thing, but a language barrier makes connecting in deeper ways unlikely.

I'm surprised this one semantic quibble has lived to be so drawn-out and convoluted, but I'm glad it did because it made me think about how other people use the term. I'm sure lots of people see "subcultures" that way and I was just unaware of it. I'm glad we explored it, though I don't think it can be deconstructed any more than we already have! So I'm checking out!

[cyntmac]

"Manhattan types" are all over the city now and I am not in communication with them or any other elites. Many people would consider someone with a utopian view an elitist just as you might feel that a classist is an elitist. Whichever view you hold it doesn't change the fact that there is extreme economic disparity in NYC. That determines the setting that one lives in more than personal views, preferences, etc.

In another city you may see people choosing low income areas because of a set of beliefs they hold. If someone in NY does this it will be because of lack of funds or because they belong to the race/ethnicity that inhabits that area. Yes there are exceptions but in NYC they are rare exceptions. As smaller cities get more crowded and become home to larger numbers of poor minorities, you will see the same there. When someone says an area is making a comeback in NY you will notice less poor and more caucasian people flooding in. I have lived in many "fringe" neighborhoods and have seen this transformation. Money is the motivator and if personal beliefs/values factor in at all-they would be buried under the weight of the financial concerns.

[biggyboy]

Fresh Meadows is mainly white, with lots of Jews, many of whom are also Russian-speaking. There are also lots of Asian families as well. If you have a child in grade school, the zoned elementary school P.S. 173 - The Fresh Meadows School boasts some of the highest academic statistics in the city, let alone Queens...great perk to have.

Someone mentioned earlier that its great for commuting..not so true regarding public transportation. In most areas of Queens, you can easiliy walk to the subway. If you live in Fresh Meadows, you'll need to take a bus to reach the subway, most people take it to Union Turnpike on Queens Boulevard in the Forest Hills/Kew Gardens area.

Does anyone have a list of racial demographics according to the zip codes in Queens? Thanks.

[mead]

I don't know of a list, but here's a race map of the city put out by CUNY: Social Explorer Map .

There is also this one put out by Lehman:

[QUEENSMAN]

Staten Island is still the whitest borough, percentage wise however their are still more whites living in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan than in SI, the Bronx is now 12.8% non-hispanic white down from 14.5% in 2000.

[biggyboy]

thank you for that social explorer map..very interesting

[vikinyc]

To find out the demographics of any area, go to:
Zip Code Lookup and type in zip code.

[MedievalinNYC]

Fresh Meadows is mainly Jewish and Persian.

[Fresh Meadows Long Timer]

Originally Posted by just look

I am from California and will be moving to Queens NY, around the Fresh Meadows area, and need some help. I was told that these areas are ethically grouped (not sure, is it?). Does anyone know where I can obtain this specific information?

There are Indian, Korean, Chinese, Black and Caucasian ethnicities in the Fresh Meadows community.

[DoomDan515]

Fresh Meadows is actually very mixed, along with Hillcrest and Kew Garden Hills. It's not as white as Bayside, Douglaston, or Whitestone, but it isn't as heavily Asian as Flushing or Elmhurst either. There's also a small black population there. I like the area because it's very diverse but almost entirely middle class and safe.