Quaintness of Cairo, NY seems to be facade! (New York, Albany: low income, real estate)

[MrsCurry]

The quaintness of Upstate NY's little Mayberry like towns can tend to be utopia...but brewing not too far from the surface seems to be a bed of hatred...racial hatred that manifests it's ugly head in a way that you do a double take and wonder did that just happen. I'm speaking specifically to Cairo right now, (not too far from Albany- don't gasp Sherburne or you'll be put out there too) although this trend seems to be contagious...so buyers beware if you're anything other then as the stats read "non-Hispanic white." I'm white, but not proud of this news I'm sharing. A story was shared with me about a very good friend of mine who has a relative in this town. This 18 year old collegiate, go-getter has endured blatant racial epithets from grown men yelling on the quaint public streets of Cairo that "N---ers don't belong in Cairo!" When she returns to her car she stands in shock as the very person yelling those vulgarities rams into her car and speeds off, while the local authorities ignore her almost fanatic waves to flag them down to help her. The harassment goes on and on, even her little ole unassuming neighbors have taken up a campaign of making it very difficult for her to enter in and out of her meager apartment that her landlord refuses to have exterminated following many attempts by her and her parents complaints; following daily emptying out of mouse traps and the capturing of cup size spiders. Is Cairo above civil liberties, or do they write their own laws? This is shocking to me, I mean this is not Jena, LA, this is the North for Pete’s sake and its 2007! I'm so ashamed by this behavior, this really is old. I'm meeting with my collegue with many contacts at CNN and Anderson Cooper, well let's just say this story will not go untold! So as some of us "city slickers" for NYC consider the prospects of rural utopia in Upstate...again buyers beware you may have just crossed into "no man's land." Ignorance begets bigotry...I'm sorry to say...ignorance is not bliss.

[looking4home]

Unfortunately, I have experienced similar attitudes in other small towns upstate. Sometimes, it wasn't even a slur or words spoken, but rather just nasty/suspicious looks and getting an "uncomfortable" vibe. Also unfortunate, but often true, is the fact that many towns across the nation that once had a nicely diverse population have become predominantly minority, and along with that, crime has risen. Now, you can argue all you want about what came first, or that this paints an unfair stereotype, but those who have experienced the reality in the inner city, or more recently, the older suburban towns, can attest to the fact that once the various minority groups moved in, other problems, like drugs/gangs, soon followed. Of course, this is not a quid pro quo, as drug problems have become rampant in many white communities across America, mainly in the plains states and the midwest. But for NYers tend to associate one with other, and therefore are petrified that "their" town could be next, and these problems will be foisted on them. A sort of "There goes the neighborhood" mentality. Is it fair? No. Is it something we should tolerate or condone? No. Is it something that is understandable given the demographic history of a state like New York? Yes.

[NYS of Mind]

Cairo and its surrounding area (Catskill) is an odd mixture of NYC second home owners, older life long residents and lower income locals. My closest friend was a bartender in the area (she is originally from downstate), and she would tell stories about some of the people she would meet and some of the ways in which they would behave. A lot of the conversation and actions were offensive to many groups whether racial, gender related or sexual preference related. Much of the clientele at her establishment were low income locals, and she found them to be very ignorant and hateful. She eventually came to hate the area and left. I have found that area to have a very backward vibe, however I would not lump all upstate towns in that category. I have found many towns to be open and welcoming to all newcomers. All? Of course not. But I will say my experiences in and around Cairo and it's citizens have not been positive.

[looking4home]

Let's just say it - in the past 10-20 yrs. the Catskills have become a gay mecca. Some have 2nd homes there, some live there almost full-time and tele-commute, some have retired there. It wasn't always this way, and there is bound to be a certain amount of resentment from locals.

I live near a seaside resort in California that had become popular with gay men. It's always been known as an artists' colony, so there has always been people living alternative lifestyles. But they were mainly hippies and surfers, along with the artsy crowd. Then suddenly, it seemed there were gay bars, clubs, and restaurants popping up everywhere. Whole sections of public beaches became "gay only" - no, they couldn't keep you out, but they sure could make you uncomfortable if you stayed. I could go on with the examples, but you get the picture. Being a tolerant community, we'd joke about it, but no one gave it a second thought. However, besides the tourists, locals didn't patronize the downtown areas anymore, and young heterosexual singles prefered to experience the nightlife in other beach cities for obvious reasons.

Inexplicably, in the past year or so, the gay population seems to be dwindling. Whether many cashed out and took their profits when real estate was at its zenith a couple of years ago, or the town had grown too busy, too commercial and had lost it's charm, there has definitely been an exodus of sorts. My point is that groups of people can make a difference in a town, village or hamlet. It can be unsettling for many people, as change is hard to accept. People are mistrustful of strangers, especially those very different than they are, whether it's color of skin, nationality or sexual preferences. Let's all try and exhibit the tolerance and understanding that we would like to be shown, especially to those that are the most fearful and angry about change.

[Logan11]

I know some very nice people from Cairo. It seems like people are broad brushing a whole town based upon some minority of people. What if 90% of Cairo is open minded and 10% is suspicious and more predjudiced. Are we going to label everyone that way? and blacklist a town because of a minority?

[Logan11]

And underlying some of this is a resentment toward Downstaters in general who can come into a town like Cairo and buy up the nicest places and who make several times the per capita income of the locals by working in NYC.

I'll add to this .... The people moving in from Downstate now don't tend to assimilate as much as previous generations did. Some of this may be due to the ease of transportation back into the city and the instant telecommunications that we have today. If you ask the background of many of the so called locals, you will find that a large % of them descend from earlier NYC migrants who came upstate in the period from the 1930s-60s. Those people cut ties with Downstate and truly became Upstaters. The current crop telecommutes, works in the city a day or two a week, maintain upstate homes while keeping apartments downstate etc.

It is a mixed blessing because they tend to come and fix up run down homes and breath new life into areas ...but they face resentment. It may not be right but its human nature.

Being against someone simply because they are gay is another matter, but there is more to the resentment than just the sexual orientation issue.

[NYS of Mind]

My point wasn't to take this topic into a gay or straight issue. To clarify, anyone who is not of a certain 'type' will be the target of resentment. And I'm sure there are some very nice people who reside there. There are nice people wherever you go. However, it has been my experience more often than not (and I travel through the area on a weekly basis) that locals are not welcoming of non-locals, and they can be especially wary of those who are different than they are. You have a point, the divide is larger than race, gender, etc. In that area there is a huge socioeconomic divide. Though I can't understand why there should be any resentment to newcomers, as those who are moving into that area are the only ones to bolster the tax base.

[Logan11]

What if once upon a time your family could afford to own a nice home on acreage. Maybe you were farmers or just had a nice house with land. Then the tax structure of the state changed, the decent paying jobs disappeared, and all of a sudden you were considered wealthy apparently by the tax assessor because you had some land and a nice house. You couldn't afford to pay the property taxes anymore and you sold out. Now your kids live in those unsightly double wides and modest ranch houses on 1/2 acre lots and you are derisively looked upon as those poorer locals by the new owners of the nice houses and remaining acreage.

..Just an example to explain why there may be some resentment....

Now it's not an entirely unfair stereotype to be critical of some poor natives because a certain amount of socio-economic rot sets in as people are marginalized and there is little prospect of advancement (short of moving away). It isn't dissimilar to what has happened in the poor minority areas of the inner cities. The only difference is skin color..rural poor versus urban poor.

[looking4home]

Very good posts from everyone, except that I would argue that the inner city poor/rural poor parallel can't really be made. Yes, poverty is soul-destroying, and it breeds complacency, frustration and hoplessness. But the inner city poor never had anything much to begin with, whereas the rural poor you have described once had a better life that was taken away from them through no fault of their own. That will make you all the more bitter and angry at those who now "have", and flaunt it all around you. It would be better if the downstaters actually contributed to the area's societal fabric, instead of just contributing through tax dollars or the money they spend in the towns, etc. It's as if they are permanent tourists - just there for the season, or to fix up their gentleman's farm or whatever. It's like those who vacation in countries that have a myriad of social ills and a population living in grinding poverty. The locals will smile and bow and scrape cause they want your tourist dollars, but they are extremely resentful. Can you blame them?

[mbjjbtb]

I'm sorry you've had this experience. Unfortunately, you will find this no matter where you go. Read posts from any state and newcomers will say they ran in to a local who treated them this way.
I however, can share a different perspective. I have lived in Durham all my life, with the exception of about 12 years, when I went to college in Westchester and then worked in New York City.
I think that most of the people in the Cario-Durham school district are good human beings who believe in family and educating their children. They live here in order to give their kids a safe environment to grow up in.
We do get an increasing amount of transients coming in to the area who were brought up much differently than our children and exposing kids to the less than advantageous side of diversity. For the most part, kids are pretty accepting of others and blend in rather well.
Some of the resentment is that people coming from other areas expect this to be like home. It isn't. Each area of the country is unique. Unless you are prepared to give it a try and accept it for the positives and can overlook some negatives, don't live here. It is no different than us moving down south. Although they may like having the extra revenue that northerners bring, they aren't always thrilled to have us there.
On the whole, our school does an amazing job of educating students and preparing them for college and beyond, as long as the student wants to learn. It also helps if parents do their job and stay involved with their kids.
I hope you will be able to experience the other side of this beautiful area some day.