People

Residents in Hamilton Heights are very unique.  They range from Latinos to Asians, with African Americans and Whites in between.  This area is undergoing much change and will continue to experience this.

There are many different types of people living in Hamilton Heights.  Some include “shoestring singles,” or urban singles making minimum wage and working in service jobs with little education, along with the foreign-born and the aspiring urbanites.  The foreign-borns have a very wide age range and have some education while the urbanites are middle income, have decent education, and even have management-level jobs.

In our experience of interviewing people, they were very knowledgeable regarding their community and were eager to speak.  This neighborhood is undergoing gentrification, which has varying effects on the residents.  Some are embracing and accepting it while others are resisting.

At the community board meeting, we saw a huge emphasis on keeping the culture present in the town.  This included preparation for an international jazz concert along with summer activities through Columbia University. This diverse population lives together with a low rate of violence.  As gentrification continues, however, there will be an increase in white residents and a decrease in minorities in the community.