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Let’s go from one metric with a sample size said to be too small by a DC poster to an even smaller metric? Because it sheds light DC in a favorable light?
It can’t be that only evidence (Anecdotal or otherwise) you posit is legitimate evidence to ponder.
Defining wealth in a given area by zip codes is a fallacy. Think about it. All zip codes are not created equal. Some of the zip codes posted are tiny. Why do you think Median Household Income and Per Capita Income are utilized? Last time I checked, DC's suburbs dominate both of those metrics.
I just stated in my last post that the others have more "old money" wealth. I just said that DC is not void of old money wealth.
Not sure what top 50 list your looking at, but this one from two months ago was done and suburban DC makes the top 20, with no suburbs from Philadelphia making the list.
Merion Golf Club, Merion Cricket Club, Philadelphia Country Club (located in Gladwyne and founded in the 19th century), The Union League, Aronimink Country Club, Radnor Hunt Social Club, Brandywine Polo Club etc. etc.
These all date back to the late 1800s/Early 1900s. Several hosting many US Opens, and one less than 5 years ago.
Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Villanova, Swarthmore. I can keep going in terms of schools.
DC has no prestigious liberal arts schools in its suburbs. This is a question about prestige and history.
DC has wealth. No one said otherwise.
Much of that wealth in its suburbs though was not generated until the 70s and later. Which is not the story for the legacy cities of NYC, PHL and BOS.
DC Finest and other DC posters I recommend you watch this short and fun video on The Main Line.
DC is just a different animal. Not bad, but not the same. The Main Line was first established dating back as late as the 1700s. With most development in the mid 1800s. This is just not true on any large expanse in the DMV metro outside of a few clusters. And Alexandria actually was originally part of the city of DC, not VA, and it explains its early development.
This development in PHL all took place because of The Pennsylvania Railroard, bringing wealthy Philadelphians to what was then country estates outside the city.
Again DC had nothing like this. I suggest watching the video I linked in the post and then watching the film the Philadelphia Story dating back to 1939 and then get back to me.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 12-03-2020 at 11:53 AM..
No offense to anyone from the fine town of Philly, but I don't see the Main Line beating the likes of Scarsdale, Greenwich, Great Falls etc. Villanova and Gladwyn are nice places, but as far as prestige and income, no. If you look at Bloomberg's annual richest places list, Scarsdale, McLean, Great Falls, Wellesley, Greenwich, Potomac are always in the top 50; no Philadelphia suburb ever cracks that list, shich is always dominated by NY, NJ, CA, IL and the DC area.
This is false. Gladwyne and Villanova have both ranked in the top 50 in Bloomberg's annual richest American zip codes list for at least the last 3 years. (These are the only years I can find with a quick Google search.)
Bloomberg's 2020 Richest Zip Codes was just released last week, and Gladwyne is ranked #10. Villanova is ranked #50.
McLean and and Potomac do not even make the top 100.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,550,614 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by rowhomecity
Merion Golf Club, Merion Cricket Club, Philadelphia Country Club (located in Gladwyne and founded in the 19th century), The Union League, Aronimink Country Club, Radnor Hunt Social Club, Brandywine Polo Club etc. etc.
These all date back to the late 1800s/Early 1900s. Several hosting many US Opens, and one less than 5 years ago.
Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Villanova, Swarthmore. I can keep going in terms of schools.
DC has no prestigious liberal arts schools in its suburbs. This is a question about prestige and history.
DC has wealth. No one said otherwise.
Much of that wealth in its suburbs though was not generated until the 70s and later. Which is not the story for the legacy cities of NYC, PHL and BOS.
DC Finest and other DC posters I recommend you watch this short and fun video on The Main Line.
I get what you're saying on the liberal arts schools, although further away from DC in central VA there is Washington and Lee University that locals send there kids to, but the school itself isn't metro DC.
Again no one is saying there's not an obvious level of difference here, but the DC region brings it's own wealth and prestige to the table no matter how you slice it.
Last edited by the resident09; 12-03-2020 at 12:03 PM..
That's ridiculous! DC suburbs are some of the richest in the country with huge employment centers, more office space than some cities on the East Coast, and high transit numbers. Name any sunbelt metro that can match it?
It's not ridiculous if actually know DC/the DMV and its history. NoVa is not the Northeast and I'd argue DC and the DC suburbs in MD are not either. So I don't believe DC's suburbs should be compared to the Northeast suburbs.
DC posters have fallen for the same trick yet again. If your region is out performing regions in the northeast, why do you keep letting them trick you into thinking that you're not good enough for them?
It's like a wealthy dude approaching an average woman, and she's letting you think that she's the prize that you have to earn instead of it being the other way around.
DC posters have fallen for the same trick yet again. If your region is out performing regions in the northeast, why do you keep letting them trick you into thinking that you're not good enough for them?
It's like a wealthy dude approaching an average woman, and she's letting you think that she's the prize that you have to earn instead of it being the other way around.
It’s not a trick. All we said is it’s a different type of money/make up/history. Northeastern posters are bending over backwards trying to assuage DC egos whilst conveying a subtle reality.
That doesn’t mean it’s not currently actively out performing the others metros-we all know it is.
You guys are really reaching with this zip code stuff. Metropolitan Washington is more wealthy overall than Philadelphia, and about the same level as Boston. DC also has "old money" wealth in and around it's metro area. Is it in the same abundance of "old money" as Bos/Philly/NYC?No, but there is uber wealth spread out in certain parts of the region they just are not clustered into mini cities or towns.
DC has 15 billionaires in it's MSA, Boston has 18, Chicago has 16, Philadelphia has 7.
I think there is an argument to be made for county median income, town median income, and zip code median income. Just depends on the topic. Loudon and Falls Church are going to have FAR higher median incomes than e.g. Cook County in IL (which the city of Chicago falls in, as does Kenilworth, one of the wealthiest towns in NA).
I think the point many are making - and might just be a fundamental difference in the areas - is that in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, NYC, nobody compares affluence at the county level. It is simply not a useful way of gauging income levels, as it cover way too diverse a spectrum of towns. Instead, town/village/city level income levels are generally what we use.
I agree with with DC's Finest said- zip code income is too finite a sample (in some cases) with very limited population within those zip codes. Some towns/cities have multiple zip codes, too.
To me, I think county level median income is too broad- If you have 10 towns/cities with median incomes of $125k-$190k- the median will be higher than a county with 10 towns/cities with median incomes that span from $50k - $230k.
So, I point to city/town metrics. I don't know why anyone would use anything else other than this to compare suburbs.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,550,614 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by KodeBlue
DC posters have fallen for the same trick yet again. If your region is out performing regions in the northeast, why do you keep letting them trick you into thinking that you're not good enough for them?
It's like a wealthy dude approaching an average woman, and she's letting you think that she's the prize that you have to earn instead of it being the other way around.
There are no tricks being played nor anyone falling for any of them. There are either facts or false statements being laid out, and an elongated back and forth has been going on for 9 pages with Boston and Philly posters, and a Chicago poster who wants to compare it to the NE. The posters being replied to like to use words like "0" or "DC has none of", and that's where the fact checking has to come in.
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