Demographics
The community board meeting was interesting and an eye opening experience. There I was able to learn quite a bit about the state of the community, and the problems they were facing. There was an energy present in the room, I felt it immediately upon entering. The people were genuinely happy to see one another and their shared enthusiasm for the community was present every time they spoke. The people there spoke avidly on behalf of their community, embraced when they saw one another as if they were long lost friends, and were all ecstatic to be a part of it. There were some people that disagreed on certain topics, but no voice was ever raised, and noopinion was shut down. The general sense I got when they spoke to one another was one of mutual respect.
Hamilton Heights Community Board Meeting
When we arrived the first thing I took note of was the racial make-up of the meeting. I estimated that the room was made up of 60% black, 20% white, and 20% Spanish. There were no Asian people present at the meeting, which was shocking, seeing as they are growing in residency quite rapidly in the area.
The irony of today’s situation can be found in the latest demographic trends of the area. Hamilton Heights is currently going through the process of gentrification, where a large number of high income whites moving into the area are displacing minorities already residing there. The irony is the fact that whites had voluntarily left the area in the 20th century, only to begin trying to reenter in the beginning of the 21st. Whites have increased their living and moving to the region rapidly. In 2000, there were only 1,811whites living in Hamilton Heights making up 2.9 percent of total population, by 2010 there were 7,733 whites living in the region that made up 15.6 percent of the total population.
Similarly, the trends seen in other minority groups reveal how quickly gentrification is truly occurring. Hamilton Heights lost over one-quarter of its black population from the years 2000-2010 alone. On the same timeline, there were 36,000, or 56%, people of Hispanic origins living in the Hamilton Heights area in the year 2000. Not surprisingly, by 2010 only 31,000 of the population identify as Hispanic origin, a ~10% decrease. All other groups; excluding Asians who have grown along with whites, even more rapidly; have been steadily decreasing presence in the area. The gentrification is apparently attracting a new Asian demographic, which can be seen in their increased residence in Hamilton Heights area 38% by 2010, but still only made up 1.6% of total residents.
Not to be forgotten, gentrification is not about the demographics ethnic group changing, but the income levels of the region changing as a whole. The median household income in the year 2000 was only $32,110, with a mean income of $60,237. As of 2010 the median income has risen to $39,840, and the mean income of $67,795. With these numbers it can be ascertained that Hamilton Heights is a more inviting place for wealthier people, the real question is whether in the grand scheme of things, is that a good thing. Will another rich white community produce any more art, contribute more to society than the one in place there? What about the people living there already, where will they go? All of these questions will only be answered with time.
