What are some of the WASPiest towns in NJ? (Perth Amboy: how much, house)
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Deal, NJ waspy? Do you know what the acronym WASP stands for?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leps12
Haddonfield is way up there. Colts Neck as well. It may also win the award for WASPiest town name. Cape May gets too many Quebecois on vacation to maintain pure WASPiness, but yeah, the year round residents are retired WASPs.
This is not the first time this question has been asked, and as such, when it gets asked, I like to respond with a question of my own: Why do you care about this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by hithere_imbored
My ex is from Montclair, and it seemed to me that much of Western Essex was pretty WASPY; with towns like Essex Fells, Verona, The Caldwells, Cedar Grove, Upper Montclair, Roseland, etc. Perhaps over the years those same aforementioned communities' apparent WASP-like influence had begun to fade, due in particular because of new waves of immigration and not to mention migration from other parts of the State. However, even so, that Anglanized culture still seems to be pretty engrained within that region.
I remember there being a lot of Victorian era estates, English colonials, and Golf Clubs throughout Western Essex, not to mention densely populated downtown areas (I always HATED driving on Bloomfield Avenue ), while also still preserving some semblance of natural beauty with it being on the foothills of the Watchung Mountains. The vibe that people from that area give is also more apparently distinct from other parts of North Jersey; with the people coming off as a bit more laid back and slightly passive aggressive, akin to character traits that one would expect to find in people from like Upstate NY, Connecticut, or Massachusetts.
Northeastern Monmouth County; Colts Neck, Rumson, Fair Haven, Red Bank, etc., also seems to have a distinct WASP-like influence, akin to like Long Island's North Shore or East End.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
Rather than laughing, I am just shaking my head in disbelief that he could be that clueless.
In case he is still not aware of the reality of Deal's demographic, here is some info, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Deal boasts a significant population of Orthodox Sephardic Jews, mainly of Syrian extraction.
In the 2000 Census, 16.4% of Deal residents identified as being of Syrian heritage, the greatest percentage of Syrian Americans in any municipality in the country. As much as 80% of Deal's population are Sephardi Jews, and the population swells to over 6,000 during the summer, many of them Syrian Jews.
I wouldn't consider ANYTHING in Monmouth County to be remotely WASPy. Sure a lot of it is white, but essentially 50/50 Italian/Jewish for the most part with VERY few exceptions.
WASP stands for White Anglo Saxon Protestant which is neither Italian nor Jewish, nor is it Irish, German, Polish etc. Anglo Saxon means English ancestry. Again, the closest thing I have seen to this anywhere in NJ is Milltown.
No one on this thread remembers Roots Men's Store? It was the preppiest one in the state of NJ (other than Brooks Brothers).
Yes, I remember it. I never shopped there, but I do remember it. I used to get all of my clothing from the B. Altman's store at Short Hills, and when--sadly--Altman's went out of business, I switched to Brooks. If I had known that Roots had quality comparable to Brooks, and at lower prices, I surely would have checked them out.
Altman's was a high end "fashion" store. Roots was strictly traditional. There is a difference. Traditional clothing never goes out of style.
Altman's was considerably cheaper than Saks and the "old" Lord & Taylor. I considered them to be just a bit more expensive than Macy's/Bamberger's, but with much higher quality goods and far superior customer service. And, their clothing--at least for men--was very traditional. Altman's was not at all a trendy store.
I don’t think NJ hardly has any true “WASPy” towns, especially compared to New England. NJ has more of the gaudy “Real Housewives of New Jersey” new-money type, LOL. Some towns I believe have a “WASPy” feel (whether the residents are majority WASPs or not) include:
Saddle River
Ridgewood
Westfield
Princeton
Essex Fells
Basking Ridge
Peapack-Gladstone
Far Hills
Colts Neck
Rumson
Haddonfield
I don’t think NJ hardly has any true “WASPy” towns, especially compared to New England. NJ has more of the gaudy “Real Housewives of New Jersey” new-money type, LOL. Some towns I believe have a “WASPy” feel (whether the residents are majority WASPs or not) include:
Saddle River
Ridgewood
Westfield
Princeton
Essex Fells
Basking Ridge
Peapack-Gladstone
Far Hills
Colts Neck
Rumson
Haddonfield
That list is very accurate, I’d add Harding/New Vernon.
I agree “WASPy” is more feel thing than ethnicity (large homes on land, preppy clothes, certain sports, etc). Your average trailer park probably has a higher percentage of WASPs than these towns, but I wouldn’t call it WASPy. I’d also say there are Catholic, Asian, and Jewish people who are WASPy in characteristics, especially as people intermarry.
No one on this thread remembers Roots Men's Store? It was the preppiest one in the state of NJ (other than Brooks Brothers).
The Men who ran / worked at Roots new my Mother so well that we were aloud to walk in there and get what we needed and they would call after word and tell my parents what I got ,there were times I when in for a shirt or something and they said no,.......your Mom wouldn't approve.
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), while also still preserving some semblance of natural beauty with it being on the foothills of the Watchung Mountains. The vibe that people from that area give is also more apparently distinct from other parts of North Jersey; with the people coming off as a bit more laid back and slightly passive aggressive, akin to character traits that one would expect to find in people from like Upstate NY, Connecticut, or Massachusetts. 
