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.
I studied some sociology in college and I have come to informally see NJ as highly residentially segregated. Suburban communities in North Jersey look like they want to keep away from their communities minorities from urban areas such as Essex and Hudson County among others. This in my opinion has to do with fights over affordable housing. Urban areas in Hudson County, with a few exceptions, have very few white non Hispanics. It is as though suburban areas dont want minorities in their towns. Therefore, if you look at a census map, so will see that certain areas are heavily minority and others not. strong lines of demarcations.
What do you think of this? Why are suburban residents resistant to minorities?
I mean this happens in similar states like MA and CT as well.
Massachusetts for example, has a town called Randolph MA which is roughly 65-75% minority in 2017... where every town around it is 5-10% minority... literally right next to it. Another town, Brockton MA is about 65% minority now, but again is sorrounded by towns that are 3-7% minority. If you look at the Boston neighborhoods of Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury. Jamaica, and Hyde Park.. there is little white non-hispanic populations (2-25%) being significantly Urban. But all the neighborhood around it are anywhere from 60% to 95% white. Highly segregated.
I think it might have to do with the culture of these states, NJ, MA and CT are among the 3 richest states in the country (Add in MD) .. where median family income is $73,000 - $ 75,000. All of these states are highly educated with a strong reliance on the tech and medical industries.These states also have similar makeups (57-72% white) with strong Italian, Irish, Jewish and Polish American influence. These could be factors.
I grew up in Metro Boston, and those around me associated minorities (specifically Blacks and Hispanics) as being undesireables. More minorities were associated with more crime and lower value in properties in the suburban white man's eye, and that established neighborhoods that were nearly all or completely white. So prior to 1980, why would a black or hispanic family want to move to an area where they would experience such ignorance and intolerance? Better yet, where the average person in the group could not even afford, because thats the way the system was set up to be? Ever since about that time (1980s) blacks and hispanics assimilated better into society and the general public grew tolerance to people other than "Whites".. so you see rates of minorities trickling into these suburbs they are now given access too. The specific town I grew up in (Canton, MA) had 11 non-whites as recently as 1970, with a population of more than 20,000.. and this town was just 10 minutes from Boston. I always wondered why, but historically non whites were not as welcomed in the town, or given the opportunities/finances to buy houses in these towns. Thoughout the northeast blacks and hispanics historically have been poorer, not given the adequate resources for success and institutionally discriminated against, so ethnic neighborhoods were established. Recently towns have been slowly mixing throughout the Northeast, as minorities have been given better resources and now are stronger than ever! I mean Maywood, NJ has grown from like 10% minority to about 35% in the last 20 years. Paramus has grown significantly in diversity as well.
I think in the future it will not be like this.. suburbs are becoming more diverse and cities are seeing a rejuvenation of depleted white/asian populations.
I think it starts with the notion of calling people minorities.
Minorities refers to a mathematical relationship, to me a person is not a mathematical equation.
We have all been indoctrinated into this concept at least for many decades.
If you can afford a home here, and you maintain that home, and you respect property rights, then I don't care what dang color you are or what % is "minority". Start neglecting your home or doing things that will lower MY property value, and I'm not going to want you to live next to me, even if you're white. It's really that simple.
I think in the future it will not be like this.. suburbs are becoming more diverse and cities are seeing a rejuvenation of depleted white/asian populations.
I wouldn't say Bergen County is that segregated/homogeneous. I really can't think of any towns off the top of my head that are overwhelmingly white (except maybe the wealthier areas along the Palisades like Alpine, and areas in the northern part of the county in general). But there's plenty of diverse areas like Hackensack, Teaneck, Englewood, Bergenfield, as well as areas with growing diversity such as Hasbrouck Heights, Lyndhurst, Rutherford/East Rutherford, Garfield, and Fort Lee.
I studied some sociology in college and I have come to informally see NJ as highly residentially segregated. Suburban communities in North Jersey look like they want to keep away from their communities minorities from urban areas such as Essex and Hudson County among others. This in my opinion has to do with fights over affordable housing. Urban areas in Hudson County, with a few exceptions, have very few white non Hispanics. It is as though suburban areas dont want minorities in their towns. Therefore, if you look at a census map, so will see that certain areas are heavily minority and others not. strong lines of demarcations.
What do you think of this? Why are suburban residents resistant to minorities?
I think this is worth discussing.
This is just my own personal opinions.
I studies Sociology in college all so, and I think you're dead wrong.
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.
