smaller Upstate NY cities and towns/African American communities (Buffalo: neighborhoods, college)

[ckhthankgod]

I was wondering if people that live in a smaller city or town in Upstate NY could tell me where the African American/Black community is centered around in such communities. For instance, I know that in Elmira, the East side of the city is where this is the case. In Auburn, it is the Southwestern quarter of the city and the Orchard Street area. Even for say a community like Lyons, which also has a relatively high Black population and so on. I'm just a person that is interested in things like this for historical and social terms.

[Sgoldie]

I don't think you're going to find too many smaller cities and towns in upstate NY where there is an African American community to speak of. Maybe a few individuals here and there and in most other places none at all. Just to the east of Rochester around Ontario there is a population who are mostly rural farm workers. In Watertown there will be soldiers who are African American posted at Fort Drum, mostly young and transient. In college towns there will be some students who rarely stay after graduation.

Now if you're talking the major upstate cities like Rochester, Albany, Buffalo, and Syracuse. Generally it will be adjacent to the downtown section.

[ckhthankgod]

about the major cities in Upstate. In Buffalo, it's mainly the East side. In Rochester, it's mainly "the Crescent", which goes from NE of downtown to directly south of downtown, with it being the thickest West of downtown. In Syracuse, it's mainly the South side, with quite a few people on the east side and the Near west side. In Albany, the Arbor Hill and South end are the neighborhoods.

Then, I know Utica has such communities in the Cornhill section, just West of downtown and in East Utica. In Ithaca, it is South of downtown around Cleveland st. and north of downtown around Albany St. Watertown's East side along State St. and west of downtown around Cedar and Morrison Streets, straddling the River. That's as far as I know though.

What about cities like Binghamton, Corning, Norwich, Rome, Plattsburgh, Cortland, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Johnstown, Jamestown, Olean, Batavia, Niagara Falls, Schenectady, Troy, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Newburgh, Middletown, Geneva and so on.

[Sgoldie]

Though I've been to many of these cities I'm not familiar with where or if there is an African American section.

In Schenectady I can tell you most of the whole NW section of the city all the way to Rotterdam is African American with the exception of the area directly adjacent to Union College.