Westchester County has a 40-50% minority population (Yonkers, New Rochelle: 2009, apartments)

[7 Wishes]

Gap between Baby Boomers, young minorities grows - USATODAY.com

This isn't posted to be racist or anything, just interesting considering Westchester's not completely true reputation of being an "ultra rich" suburb that is presumably a mix of WASP "old money" and Jewish/Italian/Irish "new money". Obviously Asian "new money" is counted as "minority" so that is part of it (I assume it technically means any non-white ethnicity)

Of course we know there are many places that is not true (Mt. Vernon, Yonkers, southern half of New Rochelle, parts of Peekskill, Ossining, Mt. Kisco, White Plains, Mamaroneck, Pt. Chester, etc.), but I thought this was interesting. It looks like on the map it is the only county in the state outside of the city to get any blue shading.

[manyroads]

Interesting article, thanks for posting. Can't say that I'm exactly surprised about the demographics in Westchester, though, as that's a trend that has been going on for years, particularly in the areas that you mentioned.

[ckhthankgod]

I'm not surprised either. I think Westchester County has always been a county that has gotten more affluent people of color for decades now. They don't call it "Money Earnin' Mount Vernon" for nothing. Seriously though, I think while the demographics have changed, the quality of life for the county still is high. So, that could be a testament to Westchester County. Can't forget communities like Tuckahoe, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow and Pleasantville as well.

[7 Wishes]

Good point about Tuckahoe and affluent people of color. Also surprisingly (since it was once an "old money" suburb like Bronxville) Pelham increasing has a small group of "affluent people of color" (I read somewhere that it is the only one of the Westchester communities under 10,000 in population to be over 10% black (I believe it's like 10.2% or somethinglike that)). The part of Mt. Vernon north of the Cross County Parkway that often resembles neighboring Bronxville has many well-to-do people of various hues.

I believe the "Money Earnin' Mt. Vernon" actually is a reference by rap group Heavy D and the Boyz to the hard working character of their (my) hometown's residents, not affluence; also a reflection of many hip hop stars who got there start growing up there and hit gold and they started the term. (Ironically, I am the same exact age as two of the members, Heavy D and Eddie F and while I wasn't their "best friend" I had high school classes with them, despite the image of rappers and Mt. Vernon being "the Hood" Heavy had two hard working parents in his life and Eddie F was an honor student).

I may be wrong, but with Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, if you are thinking about the growing Hispanic populations there, I don't think many of them are affluent (maybe in Sleepy Hollow some are). I think that's more like the situation in Mt. Kisco or Mamaroneck, where there's a significant Hispanic neighborhood that's poor and the rest of the village is affluent (and mostly white).

[havoc315]

Yes, while there are certainly many affluent minority individuals in Westchester, that is not the full representation of the demographics.
The fact is, Westchester is somewhat segregated into wealthy areas (that remain primarily Caucasian), and poor areas, with very large minority demographics.

You certainly have minority populations growing in affluence... But it's not like you will walk into a Scarsdale country club, and half the members will be minority.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Good point about Tuckahoe and affluent people of color. Also surprisingly (since it was once an "old money" suburb like Bronxville) Pelham increasing has a small group of "affluent people of color" (I read somewhere that it is the only one of the Westchester communities under 10,000 in population to be over 10% black (I believe it's like 10.2% or somethinglike that)). The part of Mt. Vernon north of the Cross County Parkway that often resembles neighboring Bronxville has many well-to-do people of various hues.

I believe the "Money Earnin' Mt. Vernon" actually is a reference by rap group Heavy D and the Boyz to the hard working character of their (my) hometown's residents, not affluence; also a reflection of many hip hop stars who got there start growing up there and hit gold and they started the term. (Ironically, I am the same exact age as two of the members, Heavy D and Eddie F and while I wasn't their "best friend" I had high school classes with them, despite the image of rappers and Mt. Vernon being "the Hood" Heavy had two hard working parents in his life and Eddie F was an honor student).

I may be wrong, but with Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, if you are thinking about the growing Hispanic populations there, I don't think many of them are affluent (maybe in Sleepy Hollow some are). I think that's more like the situation in Mt. Kisco or Mamaroneck, where there's a significant Hispanic neighborhood that's poor and the rest of the village is affluent (and mostly white).

Good information and I didn't know that about the term in reference to Mount Vernon. I personally think that Mt. Vernon almost is a microcosm of the Black experience in the US due to so much variation among that community in that city.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by havoc315

Yes, while there are certainly many affluent minority individuals in Westchester, that is not the full representation of the demographics.
The fact is, Westchester is somewhat segregated into wealthy areas (that remain primarily Caucasian), and poor areas, with very large minority demographics.

You certainly have minority populations growing in affluence... But it's not like you will walk into a Scarsdale country club, and half the members will be minority.

Oh, I know that. Believe me, it's not a utopia by any stretch, but at least there is more of a visible balance in comparison to many counties in the country, let alone the state.

[Ekulu]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Good point about Tuckahoe and affluent people of color. Also surprisingly (since it was once an "old money" suburb like Bronxville) Pelham increasing has a small group of "affluent people of color" (I read somewhere that it is the only one of the Westchester communities under 10,000 in population to be over 10% black (I believe it's like 10.2% or somethinglike that)). The part of Mt. Vernon north of the Cross County Parkway that often resembles neighboring Bronxville has many well-to-do people of various hues.

I believe the "Money Earnin' Mt. Vernon" actually is a reference by rap group Heavy D and the Boyz to the hard working character of their (my) hometown's residents, not affluence; also a reflection of many hip hop stars who got there start growing up there and hit gold and they started the term. (Ironically, I am the same exact age as two of the members, Heavy D and Eddie F and while I wasn't their "best friend" I had high school classes with them, despite the image of rappers and Mt. Vernon being "the Hood" Heavy had two hard working parents in his life and Eddie F was an honor student).

I may be wrong, but with Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, if you are thinking about the growing Hispanic populations there, I don't think many of them are affluent (maybe in Sleepy Hollow some are). I think that's more like the situation in Mt. Kisco or Mamaroneck, where there's a significant Hispanic neighborhood that's poor and the rest of the village is affluent (and mostly white).

Mamaroneck is interesting, the most expensive home there is currently listed at $22M. The cheapest ones range from a tiny home $400K to a few homes around $600K. I guess compared to the affluent Mamaroneck residents the hispanic population there could be considered poor, but compared to the rest of Westchester I would not consider them to be poor. The reality is that in all towns and villages in westchester there are neighborhoods with homes that are less than $600k. I wonder if people assume they are poor because they are not white non hispanic and English is not usually their first language. I wonder if Mount Kisco is similar?

[manyroads]

Originally Posted by Ekulu

Mamaroneck is interesting, the most expensive home there is currently listed at $22M. The cheapest ones range from a tiny home $400K to a few homes around $600K. I guess compared to the affluent Mamaroneck residents the hispanic population there could be considered poor, but compared to the rest of Westchester I would not consider them to be poor. The reality is that in all towns and villages in westchester there are neighborhoods with homes that are less than $600k. I wonder if people assume they are poor because they are not white non hispanic and English is not usually their first language. I wonder if Mount Kisco is similar?

Let me preface my reply by saying that I have nothing against the hispanic population in Westchester.
People assume (correctly, I believe) that the majority of the hispanic population here are poor not because they are non-white and English may not be their first language, but because of the jobs that we see them in: landscaping, housecleaning, cashiers at supermarkets, fast food workers and day laborers. These are not high paying jobs by any means. As I've stated elsewhere on this site, I respect the fact that they take jobs that many white kids (and adults for that matter) consider beneath them. But given the wages they make in these types of jobs, it is very unlikely that they are homeowners or that they could even qualify for a mortgage if they applied. They tend to rent rooms or apartments in houses in the lower priced/older areas of towns. You're not going to find your average hispanic living in an apartment on Garth Road in Scarsdale.

As for the hispanic population in Mt. Kisco, I believe they tend to gravitate toward that area because of the proximity to the work available at the larger (predominantly white-owned) homes and estates in that area and, in positions as housekeepers and groundsmen.

I think that the hispanic population here is for the most part hard-working; unfortunately they are not as well educated as their white counterparts, and therefore have more limited opportunities for employment and earning potential.

For the record, I'm saying this as a college-educated white person who works in a service industry, and is not rich by any stretch of the imagination.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Ekulu

Mamaroneck is interesting, the most expensive home there is currently listed at $22M. The cheapest ones range from a tiny home $400K to a few homes around $600K. I guess compared to the affluent Mamaroneck residents the hispanic population there could be considered poor, but compared to the rest of Westchester I would not consider them to be poor. The reality is that in all towns and villages in westchester there are neighborhoods with homes that are less than $600k. I wonder if people assume they are poor because they are not white non hispanic and English is not usually their first language. I wonder if Mount Kisco is similar?

I know that there are many, many Hispanics who are not poor by any stretch, but in Mamaroneck and Mt. Kisco I am thinking of the day laborer population that is very apparent there. And the reason you don't see homes under $400K is these people live in apartments in these villages and often are taken advantage of in that maybe 10 day laborers are living in a 1-bedroom apartment and the landlord hasn't been caught by the Dept. of Housing for such overcrowding.

I don't think even in the worst parts of Mt. Vernon a house goes for less than $300K, maybe very upper $200K range, but does that mean that everyone who lives there is middle class or higher? Drive down 3rd Street in that city or through many parts near the Bronx border and it will be very apparent that the answer is no.

One reason that owning a home is so darn expensive in this region is you don't have many of the "super cheap" owning options that you find in areas like in the south, like 900 sq. ft. ranches or mobile homes. The poor simply just rent and overcrowd here.