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I noticed that Half Hollow Hills East, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual list, came in at 367 and Half Hollow Hills West came in at 561 out of 18,000 high schools. I mention this because this predominantly black, middle class community is zoned for that school district: https://censusreporter.org/profiles/...ey-heights-ny/
Something to keep in mind that all are a magnet or charter school. I'll try to find the highest ranked school that is neither later, though Half Hollow Hills is actually a SD on Long Island and you can attend either one of those schools if you live in Wheatley Heights.
In a previous thread, someone mentioned that the study did not take into account the cost of living when evaluating income. It was pointed out that $100k can go further in Philadelphia than in high-cost areas such as NYC, NNJ, or Boston.
Honestly, this confirms what I believed from the beginning: Philly is the ideal option for middle-class black families who earn an average of $100k annually, which was coincidentally the amount used in that sturdy.
But to use that as Gospel is unfair and the comparisons are biased because the definition of "middle class" varies by location and the black population is not the same everywhere.
NYC and Boston are more appropriate for lower/working-class families since the quality of life in less affluent Boston neighborhoods, like Dorchester, is significantly better than that of Philadelphia.
When considering the Metro, I find it hard as hell to believe that Philly deserves that low of a ranking. Unless the less desirable areas such as Camden, Bristol, Norristown, Chester, and Darby (not to be confused with Upper Darby, which is light years ahead of the borough and TWP) are being taken into account and weighed disproportionately to the premier black suburbs, which there are many of.
The only issue is that you're not taking a 100K job from one metro to another. You're taking a position in whatever field you're in and that position may pay more or less depending on the metro. Even now in a remote environment, a lot of employers want you assigned to a particular office and then pay you in accordance with the scale for that market.
Just looking at some "middle class" jobs. These are mean incomes for Black/African American with a college degree. The first number is for DC and the second in parentheses is for Philly.
Computer and Systems Information Manager - $112,916 ($98,000)
Human Resources Manager - $139,984 ($75,195)
Education Administrator - $88,364 ($67,737)
Human Resources Worker - $96,289 ($53,298)
Elementary School Teacher - $72,650 ($59,440)
Social and Human Services Assistant - $85,917 ($33,966)
Social Worker - $64,552 ($47,491)
So the question isn't whether 100K goes further in Philly than in DC, LA, etc. The question is "What does your current position pay in that city and does the higher pay justify a move?"
Computer and Systems Information Manager - $138,277
Human Resources Manager - $71,250
Education Administrator - $121,674
Human Resources Worker - $76,494
Elementary School Teacher - $62,598
Social and Human Services Assistant - $47,626
Social Worker - $50,803
Something to keep in mind that all are a magnet or charter school. I'll try to find the highest ranked school that is neither later, though Half Hollow Hills is actually a SD on Long Island and you can attend either one of those schools if you live in Wheatley Heights.
This is interesting as things will vary. In terms of safety, it is usually Albany and/or Syracuse have lower crime rates than Buffalo and Rochester.
Affordability goes Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester(the middle two are close, but I think Syracuse is a little more affordable) and Albany.
Black presence is between Buffalo and Rochester, as both are about 40% black, give or take. Buffalo at one time in the past was actually known for being a good city to migrate to for black people decades ago. Syracuse and Albany are close, as both are about a third black and have black populations that continue to grow in the city limits and metro. Syracuse is a bigger city proper, but makes the Albany are interesting is that it is a little bit bigger than the Syracuse metro and it also has cities such as Schenectady(about 25% black) and Troy(about 20% black) that are smaller cities centers in the area. Hence, the official name of the Albany metro area being the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area.
Buffalo and Rochester are known for their festivals. For instance, Buffalo has had a Juneteenth Festival going back to 1976 that has been quite popular for a long time. Buffalo also has a bunch of other cultural centered festivals like the Pine Grill Reunion, Gospel Fest, etc. Rochester has events like the Summer Soul Fest that was this past weekend, along with the Clarissa Street Reunion(the business district for the historically black 3rd Ward that had many black owned businesses before Urban Renewal). Rochester also just had a Pan African Festival and a Wet Indian festival(the area has a substantial Jamaican population). In Syracuse, we have a long time Juneteenth Festival that goes back to 1988, multiple Jazz related festivals/events and as host of the NYS Fair, has a Pan African Village. Albany hosts a Pinkster Festival(an old African-Dutch celebration from the 1700's-early 1800's that enslaved Africans in the Hudson Valley/local area would celebrate around Pentecost) and some other festivals as well. Schenectady has a long time Juneteenth celebration as well.
Buffalo and Rochester have black owned media including multiple print outlets and radio(locally owned). Syracuse has some media(a local newspaper, an locally owned internet radio station and some other shows). Not completely sure in regards to Albany. on a side note, Utica in between Syracuse and Albany has a black owned radio station as well.
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As for schools, all of them have their struggles, but also have good charter,magnet/special education programs and private options that families in those cities go with. I believe the four cities, all but something like 4 or 5 out of roughly 35 public or charter high schools aren't predominantly or pluralistically more black in student enrollment. I guess if I were give an order, I'd say Albany, Syracuse and a toss up between Buffalo and Rochester, but any distance is too great.
Private schools such as Bishop Ludden and Bishop Grimes in the Syracuse area; Bishop Kearney and Aquinas Institute in the Rochester area and The Park School of Buffalo are some that are around 20% black.
You also have some suburban school districts between each of these areas that some families go to, but pretty much any suburban district will have some black families to some degree.
In terms of say intangibles, Buffalo and Albany are interesting due to their proximity to major areas such as Toronto and NYC, both of which are around 2 hours away give or take. Boston is also only about a couple of hours away from Albany. Syracuse is more centrally located between these cities, outdoor amenities and it is about 3 and half/4 hours from NYC, Philadelphia, Toronto and Montreal(Boston is about 4 and half hours, give or take and DC is about 5 hours). Rochester has the highest black percentage of the four at roughly 42% and is in between Buffalo and Syracuse.
I may add more that comes to mind later or if you/anyone has any other questions.
In terms of the bolded types of schools, here are some examples of high schools between these 4 NY areas and a couple of others that fit either of those categories.
There may be programs in other schools in those areas, but this can give an idea of options in those areas.
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