Top congressional districts with the highest of various ancestries

[Smash255]

Can't exactly say I'm surprised to live in the most Italian CD in the country

[Smash255]

Can't exactly say I'm surprised to live in the most Italian CD in the country

I would have thought NY-13 was the most Italian, since Staten Island/Richmond is the nation's highest percentage Italian county. I guess that little part of Brooklyn it includes dilutes that.

NY-3 is designed to include the most Republican (read: most Italian) parts of Nassau and western Suffolk County. Whereas NY-13 contains all of Staten Island.

The Brooklyn part of NY-13 is probably not significantly less Italian than the district as a whole. Bay Ridge as a whole was 16.5% Italian, but they're concentrated in the southern area that's in NY-13. Bay Ridge as a whole is 16.6% Irish, 16.5% Italian, 10.8% Arab, 5.4% Chinese and 5.4% Greek. The Arabs and Chinese live mostly at the northern end of the neighborhood, however.

I can't believe Bay Ridge is only 16.5% Italian, thats quite a shock. My stereotype of that neighborhood as Italy West may have to change.

I've wondered why NY-3 has been so resistant to the Democratic tide sweeping New York state since 2006, thanks for explaining that. The district seemed so similar to NY-2 demographically.

The 90's version of NY-2 and NY-3 were a bit closer demographically, though NY-2 has always had a higher minority population.  The pro-incumbent gerrymander of the last redistricting changed it a bit.  Notice how the lines of the Suffolk portion of NY-3 bounce around a bit.  The Suffolk County portion of NY-3 tends to be very Republican, mostly middle class and a relatively small Jewish population.  Especially look how the lines are drawn around Amityville/North Amityville, Copaigue and Bayshore.

 The border between NY-2/ and NY-3 in these areas tend to separate heavily African American or Hispanic neighborhoods (on the NY-2 side of the line) from the mostly white neighborhoods (on the NY-3 side).  Many of the portions of Suffolk in NY-3, especially southern Copiage, Lindenhurst and southern Bayshore are heavily Italian.  The south shore of Nassau County (especially the Massapequa area, and into Farmingdale are heavily Italian (North Massapequa is just about 50% Italian)

Also take a look at the areas in eastern Nassau where NY-2 cuts into.  This doesn't play the racial bouncing around game the Suffolk portion does, but the NY-2 portion of Nassau generally covers upper middle class heavily Jewish neighborhoods (Woodbury, Jericho, Syosset, Plainview)

[Smash255]

Can't exactly say I'm surprised to live in the most Italian CD in the country

I would have thought NY-13 was the most Italian, since Staten Island/Richmond is the nation's highest percentage Italian county. I guess that little part of Brooklyn it includes dilutes that.

NY-3 is designed to include the most Republican (read: most Italian) parts of Nassau and western Suffolk County. Whereas NY-13 contains all of Staten Island.

The Brooklyn part of NY-13 is probably not significantly less Italian than the district as a whole. Bay Ridge as a whole was 16.5% Italian, but they're concentrated in the southern area that's in NY-13. Bay Ridge as a whole is 16.6% Irish, 16.5% Italian, 10.8% Arab, 5.4% Chinese and 5.4% Greek. The Arabs and Chinese live mostly at the northern end of the neighborhood, however.

I can't believe Bay Ridge is only 16.5% Italian, thats quite a shock. My stereotype of that neighborhood as Italy West may have to change.

I've wondered why NY-3 has been so resistant to the Democratic tide sweeping New York state since 2006, thanks for explaining that. The district seemed so similar to NY-2 demographically.

NY-3 is also pretty much minority "free."

Yup, though while the whole district is very white, the way the Suffolk portions of NY-3 is carved out makes it really vivid.

[Smash255]

Actually, Rockland County has the highest percentage of Jews in the country. (though only 37% of NY-17 votes in 2008).

Yes, that was what I had in mind for NY-17. But I mentally blocked out NY-5 for being too racially diverse and my thinking too much of its Jewish population had dispersed to elsewhere, which does not distinguish it from NY-17, so my bad.

Whites in NY-5 in both the Nassau section and Queens section are heavily Jewish, but the district is extremely racially diverse as well.  NY-2 has a fairly large Jewish population (Huntington, Dix Hills, Melville, Woodbury, Jericho, Syosset, Plainview) though not sure if its large enough to be top 5

[Smash255]

The 90's version of NY-2 and NY-3 were a bit closer demographically, though NY-2 has always had a higher minority population.  The pro-incumbent gerrymander of the last redistricting changed it a bit.  Notice how the lines of the Suffolk portion of NY-3 bounce around a bit.  The Suffolk County portion of NY-3 tends to be very Republican, mostly middle class and a relatively small Jewish population.  Especially look how the lines are drawn around Amityville/North Amityville, Copaigue and Bayshore.

I've been to Brentwood in recent years and seen how diverse it has become. There are families from all over South America. I don't know if its just there or other places in Western Suffolk. It seems strange that on Long Island the outer suburbs have a higher minority population than the inner ones (although there are Elmont and Hempstead so its not completely true).

Thats not exactly true.  Suffolk does have a larger Hispanic population than Nassau, but is more white as well.  The African American and Asian populations are larger in Nassau.  Also Brentwood has always been heavily Hispanic, that is nothing new.  In fact Brentwood and North Bay Shore (which borders Brentwood) are the only two Hispanic majority communities on Long Island.  Also the African American population in Suffolk tends to be larger in Western Suffolk (North Amityville, Wyandanch, Wheatley Heights).  Wheatley Heights is one of the highest income African American communities in the country.
 

The border between NY-2/ and NY-3 in these areas tend to separate heavily African American or Hispanic neighborhoods (on the NY-2 side of the line) from the mostly white neighborhoods (on the NY-3 side).  Many of the portions of Suffolk in NY-3, especially southern Copiage, Lindenhurst and southern Bayshore are heavily Italian.  The south shore of Nassau County (especially the Massapequa area, and into Farmingdale are heavily Italian (North Massapequa is just about 50% Italian)

Also take a look at the areas in eastern Nassau where NY-2 cuts into.  This doesn't play the racial bouncing around game the Suffolk portion does, but the NY-2 portion of Nassau generally covers upper middle class heavily Jewish neighborhoods (Woodbury, Jericho, Syosset, Plainview)

I've found the northern half of Nassau to be much less dense, with more trees and bigger lots, than the south shore. Parts are very wealthy and full of country clubs, like an inner version of the Hamptons. I didn't know those areas were more Jewish than other areas of LI.

The area NY-2 comes in is more mid-Nassau than north shore, though portions of Woodbury will have those huge lots.  The areas I think you are talking about are more along the lines of Matinecock, Muttontown, Greenville, Old Brookville, etc.  All of which are in NY-3, and while they do have some Jewish population are much less so than Jericho, Woodbury, Syosset, Plainview.  All in all I would say the Jewish concentrations in Nassau are the areas I just explained, as well as NW Nassau (Great Neck, Roslyn) SW Nassau (Ceadehurst, Hewlett, Lawrence.  Also across portions of south central Nassau.  Oceanside has a large Jewish area as does the more upper middle class sections of Merrick and Bellmore near the water.  Massapequa has a sizeable Jewish population as well, (it was called MahtzoPizza), but the uber Italian population cancels it out.

[Smash255]

Northeast Nassau is, as is Great Neck, but other parts of the North Shore aren't nearly as heavily Jewish.  Inner Nassau suburbs like Valley Stream and New Hyde Park are becoming more minority, as well.

Yet somehow the Southeastern quarter of Nassau has remained untouched by these trends. The Town of Oyster Bay actually had a nearly 1 point swing to the Republicans in 2008, that town forms a large part of NY-3. With all the gains the Democrats have made in the NY State Senate over the past decade, I hope NY-3 is changed significantly and isn't an egregious GOP gerrymander this time.

To explain SE Nassau

Massapequa 39.6% Italian
Massapequa Park 41% Italian
North Massapequa 48.9% Italian
East Massapequa 29.6% Italian
South Farmingdale 37.8% Italian
Farmingdale 34.3% Italian
Plainedge 37.5% Italian
Bethpage 39.3% Italian


All of the above are in NY-3 and in TOB, Irish % is also high ranging from the mid 20's to low 30's in all of those areas.  Combine for an approx population of 130,000.   

My guess what happens with NY-3 is the Dem heavy areas in East Central Nassau (currently in NY-2) gets switched with some of the GOP areas of NY-3 in Suffolk.  Perhaps playing with the NY-3 portion if Suffolk as well .  They may also flip some areas of NY-3 and NY-4 (give NY-4 Levittown take on Baldwin and Freeport)

[Smash255]

To explain SE Nassau

Massapequa 39.6% Italian
Massapequa Park 41% Italian
North Massapequa 48.9% Italian
East Massapequa 29.6% Italian
South Farmingdale 37.8% Italian
Farmingdale 34.3% Italian
Plainedge 37.5% Italian
Bethpage 39.3% Italian

All of the above are in NY-3 and in TOB, Irish % is also high ranging from the mid 20's to low 30's in all of those areas.  Combine for an approx population of 130,000.   

My guess what happens with NY-3 is the Dem heavy areas in East Central Nassau (currently in NY-2) gets switched with some of the GOP areas of NY-3 in Suffolk.  Perhaps playing with the NY-3 portion if Suffolk as well .  They may also flip some areas of NY-3 and NY-4 (give NY-4 Levittown take on Baldwin and Freeport)

It couldn't be any worse than NY-3 is right now. It disrupts the sea of red that is the downstate New York district map.

It would need to be larger than it was back then for population reasons, but I wouldn't be that surprised if NY-3 looks fairly similar to the 90's version of the district (+ portions of Suffolk)