There are no truly homogenously wealthy communities in America

[ProgressiveModerate]

The thread about Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket really made me think about this cause overall the median incomes of neither are particularly insane because for every celebrity who owns a huge mansion, you have like 3 essential workers who live in an old wooden shack (literally). Seriously, actually go around these communities on Google maps and either tucked away or in the densest parts of the community, you’ll find higher density lower income housing and you may be surprised.

I think the beautiful mansions and whatever can often be staples of these communities but doesn’t actually mean everyone has one. And generally a disproportionate amount of the talk here revolves around “high propensity” voters which tend to be a very small minority. In our discussions of areas where there are wealthy people, we also need to acknowledge the politics of the have nots if that makes sense.

[Senator Incitatus]

Go to Weston and reconsider this post. The Vineyard is unique because they have to have workers on the island because a commute from Hyannis would be ridiculous, but there are many parts of New England (and the South) that are indeed homogeneously wealthy.

[ProgressiveModerate]

Go to Weston and reconsider this post. The Vineyard is unique because they have to have workers on the island because a commute from Hyannis would be ridiculous, but there are many parts of New England (and the South) that are indeed homogeneously wealthy.

Could you give some examples? Usually around downtowns/along highways is where you have the lower income housing and in the center of the highwyss is where the wealthy homes are.

[Del Tachi]

Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are not especially wealthy because they're summer destinations.  A lot of the wealth there is only visiting from New York, Boston, etc.  Those who live there year-round are considerably more low-brow. 

But, as mentioned, there are homogenously wealthy areas in just about any American metro.  They're mostly small enclaves, but there are no poor people in Scarsdale, Weston, McLean, Buckhead, etc.

[RI]

Depends on how you define "community" as there are lots of smaller areas that are homogeneously wealthy. There are no poor pockets in Medina, Washington, for example. On an even smaller level, gated communities, country club communities, and HOAs with effective income/wealth requirements exist.

[Skill and Chance]

I agree there aren't any homogeneously wealthy areas, because above a certain level of wealth people will have lots of household staff, landscapers, groundskeepers, etc.

However, there are plenty of homogeneously upper middle class homeowner areas.  Think NE suburbs where practically everyone went to college and practically every family has a 6 figure income. 

[Roll Roons]

Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are not especially wealthy because they're summer destinations.  A lot of the wealth there is only visiting from New York, Boston, etc.  Those who live there year-round are considerably more low-brow. 

But, as mentioned, there are homogenously wealthy areas in just about any American metro.  They're mostly small enclaves, but there are no poor people in Scarsdale, Weston, McLean, Buckhead, etc.

Add Short Hills, Winnetka, Potomac, the Park Cities, Medina, West University Place, Paradise Valley, Atherton, Mission Hills, Belle Meade, Fox Chapel and so many more. Pretty much every major metro area has some areas like this.

[ProgressiveModerate]

Yeah just to clarify when I say “community” I mean entire county or at least 50k folks if it’s in a denser  area. There are pockets of wealth but ig like I see people pointing all of a County such as Douglas County as wealthy and while yes it has a high median income, “poor” voters are still a large chunk of the electorate.

[Skill and Chance]

Yeah just to clarify when I say “community” I mean entire county or at least 50k folks if it’s in a denser  area. There are pockets of wealth but ig like I see people pointing all of a County such as Douglas County as wealthy and while yes it has a high median income, “poor” voters are still a large chunk of the electorate.

Several DC area counties have median income >$100K.  They have population >100K and many are contiguous with each other, so it's not just an isolated area.

[LabourJersey]

Yeah just to clarify when I say “community” I mean entire county or at least 50k folks if it’s in a denser  area. There are pockets of wealth but ig like I see people pointing all of a County such as Douglas County as wealthy and while yes it has a high median income, “poor” voters are still a large chunk of the electorate.

Several DC area counties have median income >$100K.  They have population >100K and many are contiguous with each other, so it's not just an isolated area.

Maybe, but I would not describe Fairfax or Loudoun as homogenously wealthy.

[Torie]

This place does seem to be uniformly wealthy, almost antiseptically so since Sandy destroyed the place and so the rebuilt mansions are all of the same vintage. That said, you still have the servants who live in the maid's room or suites, or above the garage.



Yes, I found the place sterile and loathsome. The vibe is it's for a bunch of investment bankers who skipped taking any humanities courses, hate paying taxes, and intimately know the ins and outs of the carried interest loophole. There might be a few math nerds mixed in who write algorithms for instant computer securities' trades to exploit perceived inefficiencies in the market. That is a "thing" now. Eww!

Oh the beach is all closed off its entire length to the public as well. Zero parking, and almost no beach access easements. You are just not wanted. Go to Coney Island if you want to get wet.

[Biden his time]

Yeah just to clarify when I say “community” I mean entire county or at least 50k folks if it’s in a denser  area. There are pockets of wealth but ig like I see people pointing all of a County such as Douglas County as wealthy and while yes it has a high median income, “poor” voters are still a large chunk of the electorate.

Weston, Florida fits the bill with 70K people, all of whom live in MacMansions and had their streets planned by the same group that developed Walt Disney World in Orlando

I've driven through the place a few times and can confirm it's pretty special

[cinyc]

This place does seem to be uniformly wealthy, almost antiseptically so since Sandy destroyed the place and so the rebuilt mansions are all of the same vintage. That said, you still have the servants who live in the maid's room or suites, or above the garage.



Yes, I found the place sterile and loathsome. The vibe is it's for a bunch of investment bankers who skipped taking any humanities courses, hate paying taxes, and intimately know the ins and outs of the carried interest loophole. There might be a few math nerds mixed in who write algorithms for instant computer securities' trades to exploit perceived inefficiencies in the market. That is a "thing" now. Eww!

Oh the beach is all closed off its entire length to the public as well. Zero parking, and almost no beach access easements. You are just not wanted. Go to Coney Island if you want to get wet.

Deal, NJ? Sounds like the perfect name for a place for investment bankers and math nerds to live.

There are plenty of places where, due to zoning, are uniformly rich, particularly, as others have said, in the Northeast. When even the “slums” of the town are upper middle class, you know you’re in one of these places.

[kwabbit]

This place does seem to be uniformly wealthy, almost antiseptically so since Sandy destroyed the place and so the rebuilt mansions are all of the same vintage. That said, you still have the servants who live in the maid's room or suites, or above the garage.



Yes, I found the place sterile and loathsome. The vibe is it's for a bunch of investment bankers who skipped taking any humanities courses, hate paying taxes, and intimately know the ins and outs of the carried interest loophole. There might be a few math nerds mixed in who write algorithms for instant computer securities' trades to exploit perceived inefficiencies in the market. That is a "thing" now. Eww!

Oh the beach is all closed off its entire length to the public as well. Zero parking, and almost no beach access easements. You are just not wanted. Go to Coney Island if you want to get wet.

Deal is a very unique locale. It sports the highest percentage of Syrian ancestry of any municipality in the United States, owing to its large Syrian Jewish populations. Plenty of synagogues in the town, along with the huge McMansions.

I don't know where the Syrian Jewish make their money, but I don't think the town's strictly for investment bankers and trading quants. The nouveau riche vibe of the town might be from that source, because it is not old money WASP.

The beach, btw, is open to the public for a $10 fee. Worth it versus nearby Belmar or Asbury Park, since it is never crowded and the local bathymetry makes for bigger waves than other towns.

[Roll Roons]

This place does seem to be uniformly wealthy, almost antiseptically so since Sandy destroyed the place and so the rebuilt mansions are all of the same vintage. That said, you still have the servants who live in the maid's room or suites, or above the garage.



Yes, I found the place sterile and loathsome. The vibe is it's for a bunch of investment bankers who skipped taking any humanities courses, hate paying taxes, and intimately know the ins and outs of the carried interest loophole. There might be a few math nerds mixed in who write algorithms for instant computer securities' trades to exploit perceived inefficiencies in the market. That is a "thing" now. Eww!

Oh the beach is all closed off its entire length to the public as well. Zero parking, and almost no beach access easements. You are just not wanted. Go to Coney Island if you want to get wet.

Deal is a very unique locale. It sports the highest percentage of Syrian ancestry of any municipality in the United States, owing to its large Syrian Jewish populations. Plenty of synagogues in the town, along with the huge McMansions.

I don't know where the Syrian Jewish make their money, but I don't think the town's strictly for investment bankers and trading quants. The nouveau riche vibe of the town might be from that source, because it is not old money WASP.

The beach, btw, is open to the public for a $10 fee. Worth it versus nearby Belmar or Asbury Park, since it is never crowded and the local bathymetry makes for bigger waves than other towns.

Someone on here kindly compiled the results from last year's gubernatorial election by town (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fo4_yxZMc_6gxHWseCO6QPARhj7O35FnXdPU8OfbQfQ/edit#gid=1986445431) and percentage-wise, Deal was Ciattarelli's best performance in the state.

I would suspect its unique demographics had something to do with that.

[Agonized-Statism]

How about Connecticut's Gold Coast?