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It brought to mind an analogue in the Philadelphia area. And I'm not talking about the Black communities on the Main Line, which I believe I mentioned upthread.
I'm talking about the swath of Camden County, New Jersey, where abolitionist Quakers bought land for free Blacks to settle and farm in the 1840s.
Two communities in that swath have special significance.
One of them is Lawnside Borough, incorporated in 1926 after the township out of which it was formed was dissolved by the New Jersey legislature so it could form. Lawnside is the first independent, self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
The blacks who settled in Mount Laurel Township could have benefited from that self-government. As whites, mostly from South Philadelphia, settled in that community starting in the 1950s, they set up zoning ordinances that made it increasingly difficult for the Black farmers to continue living there and impossible for the mostly lower-income Blacks who lived there and elsewhere in the county to buy homes in the community. One sixth-generation Mount Laurel resident, Ethel Lawrence, sued the township over its practices in 1975, and the New Jersey Supreme Court ultimately agreed with her that the township had discriminated by not allowing the poorer Blacks to buy housing there. The decision, known simply as Mount Laurel, sparked a slew of lawsuits against New Jersey municipalities by lower-income Blacks that ultimately led to a second decision in 1983 known as Mount Laurel II that established that every municipality in the state needed to provide for lower-income housing within its borders.
The state formed an agency called the Council on Affordable Housing to help implement the "Mount Laurel doctrine" and protect municipalities from further legal action if they made good faith efforts to meet their obligations.* COAH is apparently moribund right now, but an advocacy group called the Fair Share Housing Center in Cherry Hill advocates for inclusive housing in the suburbs across New Jersey and beyond.
A related organization, Fair Share Housing Development, works to make the Mount Laurel promise real by building affordable residential communities in affluent Camden County suburbs. Its flagship development, in Mount Laurel, is named for Lawrence, and its offices are located there as well, at 1 Ethel Lawrence Boulevard.
*One of the ways they could meet those obligations was to fund lower-income housing in a nearby community that agreed to accept such development. In a sense, this undercut the aim of the Mount Laurel decisions by allowing affluent suburban communities to offload their responsibility onto others that may not be as affluent.
It brought to mind an analogue in the Philadelphia area. And I'm not talking about the Black communities on the Main Line, which I believe I mentioned upthread.
I'm talking about the swath of Camden County, New Jersey, where abolitionist Quakers bought land for free Blacks to settle and farm in the 1840s.
Two communities in that swath have special significance.
One of them is Lawnside Borough, incorporated in 1926 after the township out of which it was formed was dissolved by the New Jersey legislature so it could form. Lawnside is the first independent, self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
The blacks who settled in Mount Laurel Township could have benefited from that self-government. As whites, mostly from South Philadelphia, settled in that community starting in the 1950s, they set up zoning ordinances that made it increasingly difficult for the Black farmers to continue living there and impossible for the mostly lower-income Blacks who lived there and elsewhere in the county to buy homes in the community. One sixth-generation Mount Laurel resident, Ethel Lawrence, sued the township over its practices in 1975, and the New Jersey Supreme Court ultimately agreed with her that the township had discriminated by not allowing the poorer Blacks to buy housing there. The decision, known simply as Mount Laurel, sparked a slew of lawsuits against New Jersey municipalities by lower-income Blacks that ultimately led to a second decision in 1983 known as Mount Laurel II that established that every municipality in the state needed to provide for lower-income housing within its borders.
The state formed an agency called the Council on Affordable Housing to help implement the "Mount Laurel doctrine" and protect municipalities from further legal action if they made good faith efforts to meet their obligations.* COAH is apparently moribund right now, but an advocacy group called the Fair Share Housing Center in Cherry Hill advocates for inclusive housing in the suburbs across New Jersey and beyond.
A related organization, Fair Share Housing Development, works to make the Mount Laurel promise real by building affordable residential communities in affluent Camden County suburbs. Its flagship development, in Mount Laurel, is named for Lawrence, and its offices are located there as well, at 1 Ethel Lawrence Boulevard.
*One of the ways they could meet those obligations was to fund lower-income housing in a nearby community that agreed to accept such development. In a sense, this undercut the aim of the Mount Laurel decisions by allowing affluent suburban communities to offload their responsibility onto others that may not be as affluent.
Interesting and I think what you mentioned in terms of having an incorporated municipality is important for such communities(could be a good forum topic as well). That is the thing with some of these Long Island communities, as they aren't villages, but unincorporated communities within a town(in this case, the town of Babylon). So, they may deal with similar issues on that level. Thankfully for North Amityville, it was largely middle class, then went through a rough period, before bouncing back to be more of a middle class community again.
Also, in terms of the South Shore, the previously mentioned West Babylon, with its predominantly black and middle class northern portion, is also nearby.
Providence is a good city and affordable. I’d add New Haven and Worcester. Both up and coming and not too expensive. I would be open to the nearby suburbs too.
NYC and Boston are great, but on a middle class budget schools become a major issue.
After 8th grade, students get a choice of six different high schools to choose from: https://www.menands.org/about-us/ (I'd say the first two are the best options/have the best rep, with the third being the closest and has the highest black percentage)
30 Minute north of Springfield's McKnight Neighborhood and 50 minutes north of Hartford's North End. 1hr25min from New Haven, 1hr15 minutes from Worcester.
It is also minutes from Albany, Troy, Saratoga Springs; with mountains nearby and it is only a few hours(if that)from Boston and NYC. So, while it wasn't listed, it is one of the cities in the region with one of the fastest growing black populations and still growing. This is spilling out into nearby suburbs like the highly regarded Niskayuna, Rotterdam, Scotia and Colonie in Albany County.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-09-2023 at 10:42 AM..
It is also minutes from Albany, Troy, Saratoga Springs; with mountains nearby and it is only a few hours(if that)from Boston and NYC. So, while it wasn't listed, it is one of the cities in the region with one of the fastest growing black populations and still growing. This is spilling out into nearby suburbs like the highly regarded Niskayuna, Rotterdam, Scotia and Colonie in Albany County.
In terms of a more rural/suburban/exurban place with a substantial black population that is generally middle class, Penn Estates(CDP) in the East Stroudsburg PA area in the Poconos meets the criteria.
It definitely has attracted some from nearby major cities/areas and may even get some that commute to employment centers in the outer reaches of those areas, including NJ across the Delaware River.
The OP mentioned something in another thread that made me think, what are some transit friendly suburban communities that come to mind within the region that would meet much of the criteria?
I'm thinking of say the Westchester County cities(Mount Vernon, Yonkers, New Rochelle, White Plains, Peekskill, etc.); Boston area cities like Cambridge, Medford, Malden, etc.; Philadelphia area suburbs like Lansdowne, Yeadon, Sharon Hill, etc. or even providence area cities such as Pawtucket and Cranston.
You may even include suburbs in other areas like parts of Eggertsville(town of Amherst) outside of Buffalo within a short/reasonable walk or drive to the University Metro Rail stop: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/42.9...42.9544618!3e2
Nubian Markets opened in Nubian Square, Bosoton as a Black-owned Supermarket, Cafe, and Halal Butcher. Mayor Wu and webuyblack were at the grand opening.
Grace by Nia opened in Boston's Seaport as a Black-owned 240-seat live music and fine dining venue. To much fanfare, several Patriots players attended during opening weekend.
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