Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My hometown NYC & im just gonna mention the expansive Southeastern region of queens … these 3 hoods in that area alone … Rosedale, Laurelton & St Albans have an extremely large concentration of solid middle and upper middle class black families. Also parts of south ozone park and Jamaica queens as well as Springfield gardens have middle class blacks. Queens is the only county in the US where the avg. black household has a higher annual income than the avg. white household.
My hometown NYC & im just gonna mention the expansive Southeastern region of queens … these 3 hoods in that area alone … Rosedale, Laurelton & St Albans have an extremely large concentration of solid middle and upper middle class black families. Also parts of south ozone park and Jamaica queens as well as Springfield gardens have middle class blacks. Queens is the only county in the US where the avg. black household has a higher annual income than the avg. white household.
Correct and it may have changed recently, but the median household income for black and white households in the borough are still roughly close, even if the black income is lower. In fact, here is the Queens 2019 5 year median household income data: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table...ST5Y2019.S1903 (the black MHHI is $69,916 for the period, which is roughly on par with the DC metro black MHHI, give or take a little).
the more I think it's really NYC (Queens), New Haven, or Boston. I'm pretty sure of it. I'd be cool in any three of them. New Haven is cheaper but it's a lot more sleepy...which might be fine tbh. People tend to down New Haven but I think it's kind of unfair. Crime is pretty high but it doesnt seem to -cripple- the city.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 02-08-2022 at 12:58 PM..
the more I think it's really NYC (Queens), New Haven, or Boston. I'm pretty sure of it. I'd be cool in any three of them. New Haven is cheaper but it's a lot more sleepy...which might be fine tbh. People tend to down New Haven but I think it's kind of unfair. Crime is pretty high but it doesnt seem to -cripple- the city.
To be honest, I think there are more places than given credit for. As we've mentioned before, you rarely, if ever, see those top 10 lists for the Northeast, but by just doing some research and/or having some familiarity, there are many places in the region that could work. Some of it will just come down to what type of neighborhood, schools, demographics, city size, etc. families prefer/are looking for.
So, some may go with Hyde Park or northern/NW Milton in the Boston area for its demographics/safety/schools(case of Milton, proximity to a business district with a sizeable black presence(Mattapan Sq./Blue Hill Ave.), some may like parts of say New Haven or say Syracuse's outer East Side due to location(New Haven) or affordability with a substantial black middle class presence/school scholarship potential(Say Yes program)(Syracuse), some may go with Cheltenham or NW Philly due to relative affordability for a major metro area and their high black middle class presence(good schools in Cheltenham too); Elmont(Elmont/Sewanhaka SD's), Wheatley Heights(Half Hollow Hills SD), parts of the Baldwin SD, northern West Babylon(North Babylon SD) or Lakeview(Malverne SD) on Long Island due to the high black population within good school districts, etc. There are many ways this can go, if people just know what their options are.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 02-08-2022 at 01:49 PM..
To be honest, I think there are more places than given credit for. As we've mentioned before, you rarely, if ever, see those top 10 lists for the Northeast, but by just doing some research and/or having some familiarity, there are many places in the region that could work. Some of it will just come down to what type of neighborhood, schools, demographics, city size, etc. families prefer/are looking for.
So, some may go with Hyde Park or northern/NW Milton in the Boston area for its demographics/safety/schools(case of Milton, proximity to a business district with a sizeable black presence(Mattapan Sq./Blue Hill Ave.), some may like parts of say New Haven or say Syracuse's outer East Side due to location(New Haven) or affordability with a substantial black middle class presence/school scholarship potential(Say Yes program)(Syracuse), some may go with Cheltenham or NW Philly due to relative affordability for a major metro area and their high black middle class presence(good schools in Cheltenham too); Elmont(Elmont/Sewanhaka SD's), Wheatley Heights(Half Hollow Hills SD), parts of the Baldwin SD, northern West Babylon(North Babylon SD) or Lakeview(Malverne SD) on Long Island due to the high black population within good school districts, etc. There are many ways this can go, if people just know what their options are.
A friend of mine is a Jamaican from Hyde Park, just a 10 minute walk from my house-he attended my rival private school. At some point in HS he moved to Norwood, when he branched out on his own he loved further south to Providence, now he's back in Norwood. Definitely black people in Norwood.
I have seen black people there, a few times. The schools are 10-11% black. I read about a black Norwoodian in the South Shore regional paper. I don't know how you wouldn't see black people in Norwood... if you're there fairly often
As you've basically alluded to yourself, the black population is far from monolithic, but Philadelphia has the greater breadth to its black culture, from a strong AA history, to immigrant communities from Africa and the Caribbean, to a sizable black Muslim population. That's another factor here, for sure.
And while you speak of the black underclass in Philly, which is a sad remnant of its more heavily industrial days, it certainly exists and is likely larger on a per capita basis than Boston or NYC. But that doesn't or shouldn't overshadow the many middle-class black families that have called Philadelphia and its suburbs home for many years.
Places like Overbrook/Wynnefield, Mt. Airy, Cheltenham, Drexel Hill, etc. have a storied history of black upward mobility that don't receive nearly as much attention as they deserve. Unfortunately, it's usually the worst areas that are called out/top of mind.
Some information about the bolded Philadelphia suburb...
I'm curious about areas of Pittsburgh that may fit some of the criteria. I know a couple of posters could give some insight, but I believe that its parts of its Northside, East End and Westside has a visible black middle class. I believe in terms of its suburbs, Penn Hills, Monroeville, Churchill and Sewickley are some with a visible black middle class. Hopefully, someone will clarify.
Here is some information on these Pittsburgh suburbs, with the first 3 being in its eastern suburbs.
School numbers...because of the rate of demographic change in Southern New England the public school districts are often 20% more minority than the overall town (especially true in Rhode Island). For instance, Norwood public schools were 78% white ten years ago, they are 61% white and 16% latino today.https://norwoodrecord.weebly.com/upl..._31dec2020.pdf
MA has the lowest white birthrate of all 50 states and has for a while, as a result, the younger demographic (such as myself) is much more diverse than the 50+ group-which, in turn, skews my perceptions of things, admittedly.
Black people, in general, are significantly younger in MA than PA and the black birthrate is higher (yes I've done the research). But I think that might also have the effect of muting the culture a bit and for a visiting white adult in a town that's 6-7% black-the numbers feel lower.
So, in terms of Northeastern cites it goes as such by state:
MA-Boston and Framingham
CT-Bloomfield
PA-Chester, Aliquippa, Farrell(in between Pittsburgh and Youngstown OH), Carlisle, Yeadon, Duquesne, Wilkinsburg, Braddock, Norristown(no mayor, but council president), Darby and Coatesville(city manager and council president, no mayor)
NJ-Newark, Camden, Salem, East Orange, Hillside, Plainfield, Union, Irvington, Orange, Maplewood, Montclair, Linden, Roselle, Lawnside, Atlantic City, Burlington, Glassboro and Pleasantville
NY-Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Hudson, Newburgh, Mount Vernon, Peekskill and South Floral Park. Bronx and Brooklyn borough presidents are similar.
Any others I'm forgetting about?
To revisit this, Boston, Framingham, Carlisle, Norristown, Maplewood and Ithaca(just left a few days ago) are currently out.
Places like North Braddock PA, Harrisburg PA, Beaver Falls PA and Williamsport PA and West Chester PA are in.
I forgot to add tiny South Corning NY previously.
If there are others, I'll try to add them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
