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That is interesting and it makes sense for Manhattan to have such a large % of Jewish people, since they are a group which tends to make and have the most money. :-)
Stereotype much? Manhattan has a large Jewish population because it was an epicenter of Eastern European settlement in the late 19th/early 20th Century. Jewish immigrants came to New York to work in garment factories.
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Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
Nowadays, it is hard to distinguish most American Jews from other whites since they have mostly blended in with generic white Americans. Actually, the same can be said for Irish and even Italians. My family doctor here in Maryland is Jewish. But if I did not know his last name, I would not have suspected it. Jewish people are cool though.
There's a heightened sense of ethnic consciousness in New York City, particularly in the Jewish community. That really doesn't exist in the DC area at all. You're never going to hear anyone say, "Yo, I'm a Silver Spring Italian, born and raised!"
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Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
I talk about Manhattan mostly because that is usually where I go in New York City. So, that is my point of reference. In fact, I will be going again in a couple of weeks. I used to visit Jackson Heights in Queens back in the day. Not so much anymore.
Yes, it sounds like you need to explore more of the city. But even Manhattan is really nothing like DC in so many ways beyond the physical build.
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Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
New York City is such a gigantic place. Peoples and ethnicities from all over the world live there. I still don't know if it is socially more like Boston/New England or Philadelphia. Actually, I've been to Boston only a couple of times so I don't know that much about it socially. It seemed to me like the city was heavily geared towards the college and young adult crowd. You and BajanYankee seem to have a better understanding, so I'll take your word for it.
A lot of Manhattan and select portions of Brooklyn are "geared towards the college and young adult crowd." But New York City has 8.4 million people. Even if you haven't seen much of the outer boroughs, do you really think there are millions upon millions of people in this city living in luxury apartments with NYU degrees (or better) hanging on their walls?
In the NYC forum, people are constantly complaining about the "suburbanization" and homogenization of New York. There are blogs that have a similar tone. The Manhattanites you may view as representative of New York City and its "culture" are viewed as a hostile, colonizing force by a lot of people in the New York forum. I would say the Native/Transplant theme is way stronger in that forum than it is in the DC forum.
I would say that all 5 Boroughs have more in common with Southern New England. Italian is the most common ancestry in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island (which is why that corridor is known for its pizza). In Pennsylvania, it's German. In Maryland and Delaware, it's African American.
It's not just African American in Maryland. There's also strong Catholic and German ancestral ties throughout the state and it's reflective in its demographic history.
As BajanYankee said, Manhattan is only one part of NYC. In any case, Manhattan is still heavily ethnic white in a way. Its 20% Jewish, only two counties have a higher %. So 40% of the non-hispanic white population is Jewish. I doubt DC has similar demographics. The Upper East Side has a large Jewish population, so does the Upper West Side. Not all of the white population are recent transplants, and many of the transplants are from the NYC region.
DC used to have a large ethnic white population. But these days, not counting the embassy crowds, the white population in DC is about as similar to Seattle's, Atlanta's, and San Francisco's (SF does have Russians and Italians however). 16th Street Heights used to be a large Jewish enclave btw, and there are still synagogues present and attendees coming in from all over the metro area, especially from Maryland.
And actually Pittsburgh, PA is one of the most Italian cities in the country as well.
Don't know why I rarely think of Italians when it comes to Pittsburgh. I know that there are large Eastern and Central European communities living there.
Don't know why I rarely think of Italians when it comes to Pittsburgh. I know that there are large Eastern and Central European communities living there.
Pittsburgh has a history of having Italian ethnic neighborhoods.
Hmm. I was thinking of how it is was built up, for one. Nassau County, at least where the majority lives, is continuous (somewhat grid-like layout), relatively dense suburbia, mostly dating from the mid 20th century with a few older spots scattered within. Boston suburbs are much patchier, with more old towns within and lightly developed areas in between the towns. As LINative said, the North Shore of Long Island resembles New England a bit better. But most Long Island doesn't look all that similar to New England.
As for culture, Long Island feels a bit more materialistic and into conspicuous consumption than the Boston suburbs. Outside of the Jewish areas, there's a Republican lean, probably somewhat similar to Philly's suburbs. Nassau County had a Republican machine (all county employees donate to the county party) for decades, no Boston area place would have something similar. Local party has usually been somewhat pro-union, though, so it's not typical conservatism elsewhere. There's a bit of more SWPLish? culture in the Boston area, too, not sure how to place it. More of an interest in the outdoors, though that's partially from location. Both places have a subculture of locals who think being abrasive is something to be proud of, think "Mas-sholes". Both have little "middle America" culture (not sure the best way to put it), few country music listeners for example.
I've spent little time in Northern Virginia or Maryland, but I was thinking Philly suburbs might be a slightly closer match. Philly suburbs might be a bit poorer than Long Island, though. Probably not Maryland, as the demographics are rather different, as you pointed out many times.
Long Island seems to be to NYC the way Orange County is to LA lol.
Hmm. I was thinking of how it is was built up, for one. Nassau County, at least where the majority lives, is continuous (somewhat grid-like layout), relatively dense suburbia, mostly dating from the mid 20th century with a few older spots scattered within. Boston suburbs are much patchier, with more old towns within and lightly developed areas in between the towns. As LINative said, the North Shore of Long Island resembles New England a bit better. But most Long Island doesn't look all that similar to New England.
As for culture, Long Island feels a bit more materialistic and into conspicuous consumption than the Boston suburbs. Outside of the Jewish areas, there's a Republican lean, probably somewhat similar to Philly's suburbs. Nassau County had a Republican machine (all county employees donate to the county party) for decades, no Boston area place would have something similar. Local party has usually been somewhat pro-union, though, so it's not typical conservatism elsewhere. There's a bit of more SWPLish? culture in the Boston area, too, not sure how to place it. More of an interest in the outdoors, though that's partially from location. Both places have a subculture of locals who think being abrasive is something to be proud of, think "Mas-sholes". Both have little "middle America" culture (not sure the best way to put it), few country music listeners for example.
I've spent little time in Northern Virginia or Maryland, but I was thinking Philly suburbs might be a slightly closer match. Philly suburbs might be a bit poorer than Long Island, though. Probably not Maryland, as the demographics are rather different, as you pointed out many times.
maybe on the Philly burbs. Though the Philly burbs seem more similar to N Jersey or West Chester County to me
On wealth. MD, VA, NJ (not so much the Philly burbs of NJ), NY, even PA are all among the wealthier burbs - Philly seems to have a little bit below but counties like Chester, Montgomery PA (or MD for that matter), and Bucks (or even Mercer and Hunterdon technically NYC but closer to Philly) are all among the 50 or 100 wealthiest counties in the country and have very above average public schools as well
LI feels a little different to me - maybe because a lot of the Philly burbs are more rolling hills (think West Chester County in NY)
DC used to have a large ethnic white population. But these days, not counting the embassy crowds, the white population in DC is about as similar to Seattle's, Atlanta's, and San Francisco's (SF does have Russians and Italians however). 16th Street Heights used to be a large Jewish enclave btw, and there are still synagogues present and attendees coming in from all over the metro area, especially from Maryland.
NYC and Philly feel more Jewish even russian than anywhere else on the East coast - LA has more of similar vibe without the Italian influence. Philly feels to me also have a stronger Irish fell - Boston a little moreso
I've spent little time in Northern Virginia or Maryland, but I was thinking Philly suburbs might be a slightly closer match. Philly suburbs might be a bit poorer than Long Island, though. Probably not Maryland, as the demographics are rather different, as you pointed out many times.
Haven't spent too much time in Long Island, but it reminded me in many ways of Delaware and Montgomery Counties, outside of Philadelphia. Very similar to Long Island, both counties were historically Republican bastions, although that has changed pretty dramatically today (as in many metropolitan suburbs across the country). Both counties are also very Italian/Irish-Catholic, with a sizable Jewish contingent.
In terms of affluence, I think you'd find they're actually very similar, both ranging from working class to extremely wealthy. Any differences in income also must account for differences in cost-of-living, too.
Stereotype much? Manhattan has a large Jewish population because it was an epicenter of Eastern European settlement in the late 19th/early 20th Century. Jewish immigrants came to New York to work in garment factories.
That is 100-year-old history.
I imagine that most Jewish people who live in Manhattan today are much more like Michael Bloomberg, just not as obscenely wealthy as him.
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