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.
Yes I know they are not original. The Dutch came first, everything in NY from Gravesend to Harlem to New Dorp is Dutch.
Anyone would be a fool to say any ethnicity will match the Italians in Bensonhurst. The Italians played a huge role in shaping the character and amenities of NY in the last 100 years, and Bensonhurst has been the residential mecca for a long time. Bensonhurst will not be a better/more interesting place without the Italians. If I want Russian or Chinese I go to Brighton Beach or Flushing, not Bensonhurst. Bensonhurst is starting to look like an Anycity, USA toilet, and this gives residents less incentive to stay. When you give original residents less incentive to stay the place dies and is gone forever. YES, people can move where ever they want, but please note that cultural death is what it is, a sad thing, especially in the boring America 2009 consumer goods and McDonalds society.
It would also be silly to have a Harlem without the culture that made it a mecca. Whats interesting about a yuppy Harlem when every US downtown area is already yuppy? Do we really need to replace soul food with yet another block of sushi joints owned by non Japanese? Harlem's history and cultural peak is in its African American culture and Renaissance, and it would be ridiculous to wipe that history away. If someone from another group wants to move to Harlem to "experience it", they will eat at the local joints for 2 weeks, then the novelty will wear off and they will be spending money downtown and not supporting the local Harlem businesses. Multiply these individuals and you have a recipe to put all the soul food restaurant and other shop owners out of business due to lack of clientele. This goes for any neighborhood.
Outside of New York, there are few cultural meccas for people to visit as other cities' residents tend to flee faster than NYers from the neighborhood. Once these places are killed in New York, culture dies and NY converges into the other US cities which is BORING.
Despite the fact that the evolution has made it an interesting place, New York would not be what it is today without certain cultures, and those cultures and their pioneers should be respected by preservation. If anyone disagrees then they probably dont have any roots.
By Residential Mecca what do you mean exactly? I guess you just mean a culturally significant neighborhood.
The comparison to Harlem is a bit off. In the grand scheme of things, Italians chose to leave Bensonhurst and the 5 boroughs in droves. So what exactly is the point of lamenting the neighborhood changing anyway. It is what it is.
Yes many Italians chose to leave, the first wave probably got caught up in living the McMansion American dream in some random suburb. They leave the remaining residents - often their family and friends with a neighborhood that has a diminished community feel. Decreasing community is a downward trend for a resident of any town, anywhere. Sometimes when your home goes downhill you have no choice but to remember the good times and leave. Also, with the Italians, family will follow family as being around family is important, so the exodus will most likely continue.
It is what it is. But its still a shame for the character of the city, whether you like the Italians or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NooYowkur81
By Residential Mecca what do you mean exactly? I guess you just mean a culturally significant neighborhood.
The comparison to Harlem is a bit off. In the grand scheme of things, Italians chose to leave Bensonhurst and the 5 boroughs in droves. So what exactly is the point of lamenting the neighborhood changing anyway. It is what it is.
I have another slight change in residential character here in Morrisania, Bronx.
When I first moved here in 1995, it was solidly Black and Puerto Rican. Since 2002, most have moved east to Soundview or north to Pelham Parkway. Nowadays, many Dominicans are coming here from the West Bronx and Washington Heights. Most of them live in the western part of Morrisania (around 168th/Franklin, Boston Rd by the Bx35 which takes them to The Heights).
Nah. The blacks that were born in the United States are moving back down to the south. And the West Indians and West Africans are moving to the North Bronx, Gun Hill Road, and recently Allerton. Dominicans are making a huge move into the Bronx. Pelham Parkway has a decent number of Puerto Ricans that moved out of the South Bronx but Puerto Ricans are moving to the burbs now to. And the South Bronx around High Bridge and Yankee Stadium is Dominican because it close to Washington Heights. Morrisania I think is still real quiet. Real empty.
Nah. The blacks that were born in the United States are moving back down to the south. And the West Indians and West Africans are moving to the North Bronx, Gun Hill Road, and recently Allerton. Dominicans are making a huge move into the Bronx. Pelham Parkway has a decent number of Puerto Ricans that moved out of the South Bronx but Puerto Ricans are moving to the burbs now to. And the South Bronx around High Bridge and Yankee Stadium is Dominican because it close to Washington Heights. Morrisania I think is still real quiet. Real empty.
There are also many Puerto Ricans from Soundview and Hunts Point moving further east to Westchester Square, Pelham Bay, and Throggs Neck.
As for Morrisania, the only part that's quiet is that between Webster and 3rd Avs south of 168th. But many are moving to the area up the hill just east of 3rd Avenue (by Lebanon Hospital's Fulton Division).
Thats exactly why I'm looking to move to either Brooklyn, Queens, or Long Island. The garbage from other areas in the Bronx are spreading into the good neighborhoods in the east. Once the Italians move out of the East Bronx and the Irish move up to Yonkers from Woodlawn the Bronx will be finished. Only new people moving in are from places like West Africa, Ecuador, and places like that. The Bronx is just going to be where all the poor people live. It's a shame to. A lot of nice apartment buildings, houses, colleges, and the Zoo.
Thats exactly why I'm looking to move to either Brooklyn, Queens, or Long Island. The garbage from other areas in the Bronx are spreading into the good neighborhoods in the east. Once the Italians move out of the East Bronx and the Irish move up to Yonkers from Woodlawn the Bronx will be finished. Only new people moving in are from places like West Africa, Ecuador, and places like that. The Bronx is just going to be where all the poor people live. It's a shame to. A lot of nice apartment buildings, houses, colleges, and the Zoo.
Good Riddance. Like they say if you have the money you should be able to live there. The areas that you are speaking about are not poor areas. So if other people are moving there, they must have the money. The people that are there already don't need to move, they are not being priced out, they are moving to better places.
A lot of the new people from West Africa, Equador and places like that, are already business owners, or workers in family operated businesses. They will help revitalize the Bronx along with other groups already there. Everyone that is moving to the Bronx is not unmotivated.
You can run but you can't hide. The "Other Peoples" will find you in your McMansion enclaves and suburban hideouts. Heck, there's non-italians in Italy itself!
With that said, the Italians have no one to blame but themselves. You didn't see the Jews run in terror from Crown Heights, and that area became far worse than Bensonhurst ever will be. In the end, if more had stayed, then Bensonhurst would still probably be happening. I'd take 80% over 0% any day. But because it wasn't the ethnically pure paradise too many ethnic white NYers crave, they threw up their hands and fled Mod cut:language.
Good riddance....(Oh, and asian/russian chicks are HOT. So ya'll are doubly stupid)
Thats exactly why I'm looking to move to either Brooklyn, Queens, or Long Island. The garbage from other areas in the Bronx are spreading into the good neighborhoods in the east. Once the Italians move out of the East Bronx and the Irish move up to Yonkers from Woodlawn the Bronx will be finished. Only new people moving in are from places like West Africa, Ecuador, and places like that. The Bronx is just going to be where all the poor people live. It's a shame to. A lot of nice apartment buildings, houses, colleges, and the Zoo.
That STATEMENT not you, but YOUR STATEMENT is rather bigoted.
What's wrong with Ecuadorians and West Africans. They are mostly hard working, good people who contribute to the city.
I know a lot of Italians like to think they do it better (whatever that means). But they really don't, there's room for everybody.
Good Riddance. Like they say if you have the money you should be able to live there. The areas that you are speaking about are not poor areas. So if other people are moving there, they must have the money. The people that are there already don't need to move, they are not being priced out, they are moving to better places.
A lot of the new people from West Africa, Equador and places like that, are already business owners, or workers in family operated businesses. They will help revitalize the Bronx along with other groups already there. Everyone that is moving to the Bronx is not unmotivated.
So true,DAS. I recently moved from Brooklyn TO The Bronx .After looking around a lot and considering various neighborhoods I decided to buy an apt.Some of the neighborhoods that I was considering get some bad press in these forums as being "sketchy", "not what it used to be", "going down hill",etc. The comments were food for thought but in the end ,after a long and careful consideration ,I realized that the diversity that was scaring these people was very appealing to me.I began to realize that a lot of those people were really just saying that the neighborhood was no longer all white -whehter Italian,Jewish ,Irish or whatever.There are a lot of vibrant ,viable neighborhoods still in the Bronx and I think that is what is going to spread.
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.
