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I didn't feel that presence when I lived there. It felt more Irish than anything else. I was on 73rd street. It seemed all of 74th were cops and firefighther... universally Irish. Some of the Irish on my block had brogues. There was the little Scandinavian deli, I think on 6th avenue.
Not all of Bay Ridge is the same, and it is quite big. Towards the very northern part in the 60s, lots of Arabs in some parts. The Italians are scattered about, but definitely some along or near Shore Road from my experience, though that is not always the case. The Scandinavian population (primarily Norweigan) is not nearly what it used to be in Bay Ridge, though you can still find some Norweigans and a few stores still remain. Bay Ridge still has plenty of Irish and Greeks. What has probably changed is the increase in the Latino population though, but growing up, 8 can certainly recall there being some Hispanics there even then, but not in the same size they exist now.
Long story short, Bay Ridge is the old school ethnic Brooklyn that is slowly dwindling in most other parts of Brooklyn, where you find more Asians, Eastern Europeans, Israelis and other immigrant populations as opposed to your Italian, Irish and German populations.
Growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s north of Bay Ridge, going there was akin to going to a sanctuary, which just felt safer, at least back then. Sunset Park was disco, and "the Ridge" was rock and roll, to use another analogy.
Driving around SI for Thanksgiving holiday weekend and sadly have to say much of North Shore is firmly becoming a hood. Certain parts of New Brighton, West New Brighton, Port Richmond, Mariners Harbor and Arlington have been ghettos for years. However those areas are expanding beyond once traditional borders to claim more and more of surrounding area.
Driving along Bay Street towards Hylan it's sad to see what's happened to Rosebank. Won't be long before that place tips and becomes firmly a hood as well.
Areas around there have always been hood. At least that's the impression I've been given. I've been there only a few times and its didn't seem terrible but it sure wasn't great either. If it not somewhere you regularly frequent it's harder to tell during covid. The pandemic has changed the character of many places, so it might take some prior knowledge to separate a covid induced downturn vs a historically depressed place.
Roughly the Southern half of Mount Vernon (the North varies from middle-class to luxury, with even a "cool" neighborhood with pubs, sushi restaurants and all (Fleetwood). Again, parts of Mount Vernon are really nice and even luxurious (like the Bronx basically), it's not all messed up, and the North East Bronx is not all that bad, I would live on the border of Mount Vernon over South of Fordham Road.
Many parts of Yonkers are gritty and compare to Bronx neighborhoods like Mount Eden and Mount Hope. Downtown Yonkers is not desirable, and many areas of South West Yonkers, you have it all (ran down, drugs, shootings, MS-13 and other gangs).
Downtown New Rochelle is under revitalization that looks very much like what has been going on Downtown Brooklyn. Parts of Downtown NR are jacked up, like around Lincoln Park, however I would call it "ghetto" with quotation marks. NYC style housing projects got torn down and smaller buildings got rebuilt instead. Things still happen though, and I wouldn't live there though unless I had no other choice.
On the other hand, the Village of Tuckahoe has a small public housing complex, with no type of crime happening. I won't talk about White Plains I'm not familiar enough.
I've been trying to get a good handle on New Rochelle, I cant seem to figure it out. I say that because, I've always assumed its a decent city overall, in some parts quite wealthy. However occasionally I get people who act like its some super hood spot, but the times I've spent there or gone through it I just don't see it. Parts seem kinda seedy I guess, but I've never gotten the feel of some all out ghetto. When I think hood I think University Ave, Burnside, or maybe White Plains Rd north of Allerton Av to Mt Vernon.
I'm in the Bx and was looking at some places there, the prices seemed good by NY standards. The price of 900 sq ft in a decent Bx neighborhood will get you more like 1100 sq ft, in a seemingly as nice or better New Rochelle neighborhood. Places around Glen Island, near Pelham Manor border look pretty nice and have a small buffer from downtown New Ro. Is downtown really that ghetto anyway? When ppl say it's hood, compared to what? A quaint town like Chappaqua or vs Brownsville, BK type places? I do have to admit there are more empty storefronts than I realized downtown, which is a little surprising since the population density seems enough to support at least a few more basic bodega type stores or supermarkets if nothing else. I would imagine all that high rise development would change that. There are some decent restaurants around however.
Chinatown can be classified as a ghetto but you are not at risk of physical danger. Unlike say walking around in Brownsville or South Bronx.
There are a lot of poor Chinese living in Chinatowns around the country but while crime does exist it is kept hidden. Basically if you are dumb enough to borrow money from the triads, rack up a gambling debt at an underground casino, or hit a massage parlor girl then you are in for a world of hurt. Likewise if you are a business owner you may get a demand for "protection money" from some neighborhood toughs. Otherwise normal passersby won't get hassled unless it is to buy some counterfeit purses.
This is b/c the triads/tongs enforce their own brand of law and order in the streets.
Areas around there have always been hood. At least that's the impression I've been given. I've been there only a few times and its didn't seem terrible but it sure wasn't great either. If it not somewhere you regularly frequent it's harder to tell during covid. The pandemic has changed the character of many places, so it might take some prior knowledge to separate a covid induced downturn vs a historically depressed place.
Areas of Stapleton, Tompkinsville and certainly Rosebank were never hoods back in the day. But guess that depends on how far back we're going...
Like most everything else things began to go downhill as focus of SI moved from North to South Shore or Mid-Island. Bay Street starting in Saint George running south to Rosebank once was vibrant with commercial, industrial, retail and entertainment. Then one by one things began either closing or whatever.
I've been trying to get a good handle on New Rochelle, I cant seem to figure it out. I say that because, I've always assumed its a decent city overall, in some parts quite wealthy. However occasionally I get people who act like its some super hood spot, but the times I've spent there or gone through it I just don't see it. Parts seem kinda seedy I guess, but I've never gotten the feel of some all out ghetto. When I think hood I think University Ave, Burnside, or maybe White Plains Rd north of Allerton Av to Mt Vernon.
I'm in the Bx and was looking at some places there, the prices seemed good by NY standards. The price of 900 sq ft in a decent Bx neighborhood will get you more like 1100 sq ft, in a seemingly as nice or better New Rochelle neighborhood. Places around Glen Island, near Pelham Manor border look pretty nice and have a small buffer from downtown New Ro. Is downtown really that ghetto anyway? When ppl say it's hood, compared to what? A quaint town like Chappaqua or vs Brownsville, BK type places? I do have to admit there are more empty storefronts than I realized downtown, which is a little surprising since the population density seems enough to support at least a few more basic bodega type stores or supermarkets if nothing else. I would imagine all that high rise development would change that. There are some decent restaurants around however.
Hard to figure out for New Rochelle right? Here’s what I would tell you about New Ro. Unless you’re the type to like brand new luxury high rise with doorman, gym and so on, don’t live downtown (however you’ll be right next to metro north and the commute to midtown Manhattan is super fast). Avoid the area around the corner of North Avenue and East Lincoln Avenue, it is the most «*ghetto*» and I agree with you, though it’s not that bad people act super hood, and still stuff happens... not to the extent of University Avenue in the BX, and still a lot nicer if we consider the environment...but not worth it if you’re looking for New Ro places for better prices than NYC. New Rochelle is huge... really really massive, most of it is wealthy, but hard to reach financially (especially the North). If you’re looking for apartments or houses close to downtown and in more than decent area, stick around North Avenue by Iona College’s main campus. If looking for a co-op check White Oak street, amazing.
Sutton Manor is also decent and not crazy price wise. Glen Island is also a good place.
The empty storefronts downtown are no exception to the rest of NY Metro area and they will, sooner or later be taken by decent stores. Downtown New Rochelle is gentrifying and I give it 10 years to the most to look like downtown Brooklyn with 10 times less crime. They keep tearing down old buildings and building luxury high rises instead. And the city is putting a lot of money. Investment-wise the time is NOW for downtown New Rochelle.
But again I agree with you, this city is really hard to figure out. Everything is in-between and balanced there I guess. I personally wouldn’t mind living there.
Like most everything else things began to go downhill as focus of SI moved from North to South Shore or Mid-Island. Bay Street starting in Saint George running south to Rosebank once was vibrant with commercial, industrial, retail and entertainment. Then one by one things began either closing or whatever.
Stapleton, Rosebank and that area used to be wonderful. It started to change in the late 90s or early 2000s. The area south of Hylan, Fort Wadsworth was pretty good still several years ago. I left a long time ago, so I don't know what it's like now?
Stapleton, Rosebank and that area used to be wonderful. It started to change in the late 90s or early 2000s. The area south of Hylan, Fort Wadsworth was pretty good still several years ago. I left a long time ago, so I don't know what it's like now?
South of Hylan until you get to about Saint John's ave or Belair Rd is fast becoming a hood as well. South of there going towards Fingerboard Road things are still nice largely because it is mostly residential and developers can't get their mitts on (yet) homes to tear down and shove those GD town houses onto what once was a single family lot.
Developers got their mitts on several older homes (two on Bay Street and St. John's Ave), and several more going west along St. John's from Bay Street, tore them down and put up things like this: https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...5_M47170-30749
While zoning along St. John's prevented developers from shoving multifamily along that avenue, the two older homes along Bay Street at corner of St. John's going south were torn down and GD apartments/townhouses went up. https://www.zillow.com/b/1288-bay-st...and-ny-5v4LpT/
Many parts of Yonkers are gritty and compare to Bronx neighborhoods like Mount Eden and Mount Hope. Downtown Yonkers is not desirable, and many areas of South West Yonkers, you have it all (ran down, drugs, shootings, MS-13 and other gangs).
Have you been in Downtown Yonkers lately? It’s changing a lot and fast. The area west of Getty Square now has a bunch of restaurants, a brewery, and new luxury housing. Slowbombs, School St., and South Broadway is another story. Ashburton Ave. is pretty rundown. I’ve lived and worked in the South Bronx, and I think I’d probably prefer to live in most parts of the Bronx than near Getty Square. I know they’re trying to rebuild it, but there are so many abandoned buildings, homeless, addicted, and dealers on the square or within several blocks of it. It kind of reminds me of parts of the Bronx or Harlem in the mid to late 1990s, kind of a retro feeling. I would compare parts of it to the area near the Hub now.
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