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What the Neighbors ThinkA five-borough, 5,000-person poll.
In the last few weeks, we pounded the pavement of nine neighborhoods—the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, the Lower East Side, Central Harlem, the West Village, Astoria, Williamsburg, Melrose in the Bronx, and St. George in Staten Island—to survey nearly a thousand residents about their attitudes, lifestyles, and Yankees/Mets preferences. We cast a wider net online, posting the poll on our Daily Intel and Grub Street blogs, and received over 4,000 completed surveys. Then we conducted some highly unscientific (which is to say, statistically bogus) number-crunching.* Some results confirmed the obvious, but others seemed more revealing. If you’ve ever wondered who your neighbors are—what they think about Wall Street, God, organic food, and therapy—read on.
*A f E W C AV E AT S : O U r O n L I n E r E S p O n D E n T S S k E W E D f E M A L E A n D U n D E r 4 0 , W H I L E O U r n I n E n E I G H B O r H O O D S T r E E T p O L L S H A D A M O r E E V E n A G E - A n D -G E n D E r D I S T r I B U T I O n. W E C O M B I n E D A n S W E r S I n M O S T C A S E S . W E D I D n O T C O U n T n E I G H B O r H O O D S W I T H U n D E r 5 0 O n L I n E r E S p O n S E S . W E C O U n T E D S TAT E n I S L A n D A S O n E M E G A n A B E , S I n C E O U r p O L L WA S C O n D U C T E D I n A n D A r O U n D T H E f E r rY T E r M I n A L , G A r n E r I n G r E S p O n D E n T S f r O M A L L O V E r T H E B O r O U G H .
West VillageAstoria
Williamsburg
Upper West Side
Upper East Side
Chelsea
Staten Island
Melrose
Morningside Heights
Lower East Side
Harlem
where would residents from each neighborhood most like to move?
most obama supporters most bloomberg supporters
87%
Murray Hill34%
Harlem
86%
40%
Tribeca
highest percentage of less
votes
Midtown East
should wall street be regulated more or less?
highest percentage of more
votes
Prospect Heights
95%
should same-sex marriage be legal?
highest percentage of
yesvotes
Carroll Gardens/Gowanus
highest percentage of
novotes
Melrose
fewest obama supporters fewest bloomberg supporters
97%
of Fort Greene/ Clinton Hill
are self-described
liberals.
36.
%
The mostconservativeneighborhood is Midtown East,
at
Melrose
31%of all respondents would move to the west village if money were no object
Tribeca
Financial District
40%
99% 50%
Harlem
The Lower
East Sideis the
thirdgayestneighborhoodin New York.
Bested, obviously,
by Chelsea (#1) and the
West Village (#2).
biggest Yankees fans
biggest mets fans
Greenpoint
There are a higher
percentage of self-declared
atheistsin
Greenpointthan anywhere
else in the city.
Fewest immigrants
Central Greenwich Village
10%Most immigrants
Astoria
43%
East Village
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
s:
st
ev
e g
ra
nit
z/w
ire
ima
ge
(o
ba
ma
); p
at
ric
k m
cm
ul
la
n (
blo
om
be
rg
); g
et
ty
im
ag
es
(b
ul
l a
nd
ca
ke
to
pp
er
); h
an
na
h w
hit
ak
er
/ne
w y
or
k m
ag
az
ine
(p
eo
pl
e)
6564
Cobble Hill–Boerum Hill (96% say they’re happy)
TribecaUpper WestSide
Harlem
Gramercy-Flatiron
Prospect Heights
Lower East Side
Staten Island
Carroll Gardens–Gowanus
What do you love most about your neighborhood?
Greenpoint
highest concentration
of dog owners in manhattan
Lower East Side
highest concentration
of dog owners in brooklYn
lowest concentration of dog owners
anYwhere in new York
Cobble Hill–Boerum Hill
The Lower East
Sidehas the highest
concentration of
unmarried couples.
“This is where the
new Yorkers who run the world live.”
—upper east side
“Where else can you pick up a dime
bag, an eager Columbia
undergrad, and a bagel
within a seven-block radius?”
—morningsideheights
“feweryuppies than
the Slope.”—windsor terrace
“I pay nothing for my huge apartment.”
—bedford-stuyvesant
“The mobkeeps it safe.”
—carroll gardens
“The weirdos.” —red hook
“Sunday mornings don’t have the
hung-over feeling of downtown.
people are actually
happy to be alive.”
—upper east side
“Hearing opera singers practicing.”
—inwood
“Authentic Thai, Chinese, Malaysian,
Vietnamese, Colombian,
Mexican, Argentine, Filipino,
and Indian food.” —elmhurst
“Boy-watching.”
—chelsea
“Bird- watching.”
—staten island
Who’s Happiest?
2
More Upper East Siders take a taxi to work (8%)—and more West Villagers bike (5%)—than any other neighborhood.
Sohohas the highest
concentration of
singles.
22% 20%
6%
CentralGreenwich
Village
East Village
Fort Greene–Clinton Hill
Williamsburg
Soho
Park Slope
Astoria
Greenpoint
MidtownEast (13% say they’re unhappy)
Half of all Morningside Heights respondents have been in therapy, making it either the most self-actualized or most neurotic neighborhood in the city.
Cobble Hill–Boerum Hillhas the highest
concentration of
married couples.
Murray Hill:What the Upper East Side used to be.
50%of Melrose households
lost a jobrecently, and
28%
don’t have health
insurance.
34%of Staten Island
respondents—more than anywhere else
in the city—saythey feel “somewhat
unsafe to very frightened”
walking home after dark.
Tribeca postedthe city’s highest
percentage of
millionaires,and the highest
percentage
(21%)of those who always
buyorganic
food.
for decades, the Upper East Side has had a reputation for being the least diverse, most straitlaced, farthest-from-bohemia neighborhood in Manhattan. perhaps no longer. Our polls suggest that Murray Hill is outpacing its uptown neighbor as the borough’s primary outlier. A demographic glance:
89% are native to the U.S. (compared to 80% in the Upper East
Side), and both neighborhoods
are 83% white.
85% think Mike Bloomberg
is good for new York (second
only to Tribeca, and 3% higher
than the mayor’s neighbors).
28% describe themselves
as conservative—5% more
than on the Upper East Side.
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
: g
et
ty
im
ag
es
(t
he
ra
pis
t);
ha
nn
ah
wh
ita
ke
r/n
ew
yo
rk
ma
ga
zin
e (
pe
op
le
)
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
s:
ge
tt
y i
ma
ge
s (
ma
rr
ied
co
up
le
); h
an
na
h w
hit
ak
er
/ne
w y
or
k m
ag
az
ine
(p
eo
pl
e)
And by the way, only 20%
have visited a therapist (fewer than any other
neighborhood in new York).
96% are straight (more than any other
neighborhood in new York).
66 n e w y o r k | a p r i l 1 9 , 2 0 1 0 a p r i l 1 9 , 2 0 1 0 | n e w y o r k 67
Melrose
where can each of the movies nominated for a best picture oscar find its biggest fans?
Who goes out?What do you like least about your neighborhood?
Who works out?
“Momageddon.”—park slope
“We don’t have a movie theater.”
—williamsburg
“It’s impossible to find an egg-and-
cheese when you’re hung over.”
—fort greene–clinton hill
“The lack of green.” —greenpoint
“no one wants to visit, because they think I live
in the Bronx.”—inwood
“No one flirts.” —upper east side
“The liberals.” —upper west side
“It’s turning into Meatpacking
2.0.” —lower east side
“The guys who aggressively
attempt to hand out flyers on all major streets. It’s like live-
action spam.” —astoria
“It feels like I never left Long
Island.”—murray hill
“We have tons of rats, urban
woodsmen, and other garbage.”
—nolita
“The disturbing prevalence of
bedbugs.” —midtown west
“Came home to four stray cats in my
kitchen this week. Can’t wait for
my lease to be up.” —bushwick
“It’s become a police state.”
—melrose
And almost half of Harlem and Staten Island
respondents say they never drink.
how manY drinks drunk per week?
EastVillage
9.2 Tribeca...9.1 Nolita...9 Soho...8.5
Williamsburg...7.9 Park Slope...7.7
Lower East Side...7.5 Chelsea...7.1
Carroll Gardens...6.8
Upper East Side...6.6
Brooklyn Heights...6.2 Upper West Side...6
Astoria...5.4 Cobble Hill...3.5
Harlem...3.4 Staten Island...2.7
an education
Melrose
Staten Island
Harlem
Astoria
Upper West Side
The seven most gym-going neighborhoods are all in Manhattan (Tribeca, Midtown East, Chelsea … ), and the nine least are in the outer boroughs ( … Astoria, Greenpoint, and Melrose).
most noise complaints
Plus a few more neighborhood snapshotsaccording to Census data, city reports, and other more-or-less official stats:
whites Tottenville-Annadale, Staten Island ..................... 92%
african-americans Flatbush ............................................90.2%
asians Flushing-Whitestone ..............................................43.6%
hispanics/latinos Washington Heights–Inwood ........72.1%
single men Chelsea–Midtown West–Flatiron ...............74.7%
single women Morrisania, the Bronx ..............................79.4%
neighborhoods where the average respondent goes out more nights than not:
Central Greenwich VillageWilliamsburg Financial DistrictEast Village
The neighborhood with the highest campaign contributions to
John McCain was the Upper East Side ($2.6 million), and the one with the lowest was
Cambira Heights ($0).
Barack Obama’s biggest haul came from the Upper West Side ($10.3 million), and his smallest came from South Ozone Park
(where a lone supporter donated a total of $500).
1
2
3
4
inglourious basterds
avatar the blind side district 9
the hurt locker precious up a serious man up in the air
Carroll Gardens–Gowanus
and 21% of Midtown East respondents saw none of them.
Nolita Staten Island Harlem
MelroseLower EastSide
Park Slope Nolita Midtown West
highest percentage of …
most rodent complaints
most religious institutions
Bedford-Stuyvesant
203
in the 2008 election …
and 18% of Soho goes out five times a week.
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
s:
ge
tt
y i
ma
ge
s (
wo
rk
ou
t);
ha
nn
ah
wh
ita
ke
r/n
ew
yo
rk
ma
ga
zin
e (
pe
op
le
); k
er
ry
br
ow
n/c
ou
rt
esy
of
so
ny
pic
tu
re
s c
la
ss
ics
(a
n e
du
ca
tio
n);
fr
an
co
is
du
ha
me
l/c
ou
rt
esy
of
tw
c (
ing
lou
rio
us
ba
st
er
ds
); w
et
a/c
ou
rt
esy
of
20
th
ce
nt
ur
y f
ox
(a
va
ta
r);
ra
lp
h n
el
son
/wa
rn
er
br
os.
/ev
er
et
t c
ol
le
ct
ion
(t
he
bl
ind
sid
e);
so
ny
p
ict
ur
es
en
te
rt
ain
me
nt
/ev
er
et
t c
ol
le
ct
ion
(d
ist
ric
t 9
); j
on
at
ha
n o
ll
ey
/co
ur
te
sy o
f s
um
mit
en
er
ta
inm
en
t (
th
e h
ur
t l
oc
ke
r);
co
ur
te
sy o
f l
ion
sga
te
(p
re
cio
us
);
co
ur
te
sy o
f d
isn
ey
/pix
ar
(u
p);
wil
son
we
bb
/fo
cu
s f
ea
tu
re
s/e
ve
re
tt
co
ll
ec
tio
n (
a s
er
iou
s m
an
); d
al
e r
ob
ine
tt
e/c
ou
rt
esy
of
pa
ra
mo
un
t p
ict
ur
es
(u
p i
n t
he
air
)
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
s:
ge
tt
y i
ma
ge
s (
gl
as
s a
nd
mo
us
e);
ha
nn
ah
wh
ita
ke
r/n
ew
yo
rk
ma
ga
zin
e (
pe
op
le
)
Who stays home?percentage of respondents who go out once a week or less:
48%
41%
35%
25%
20%
Bedford-Stuyvesant
approximately
794last fiscal year
2,456last fiscal year
Upper East Side