For me, it is difficult to describe New York City is few words because there are just so many various characteristics that distinguish New York City from other major cities in the United States. In the first paragraph of the “Intimate Strangers: Immigration to Queens”, the authors use the elevated number 7 train to paint a picture of how diverse New York City actually is. I have taken the 7 trains multiple times but I never thought that the ride from Times Square to Flushing could actually depict the city as if it were “in transition”. The article notes such interesting details about a mere train route. From times square (a major commercial district), the 7 train goes through Northwestern Queens (the home to a large Central American, South American and Asian populations) and it finally ends in Flushing (a thriving immigrant enclave).
The article also points out that despite a decline in factory jobs (contributing to an increase in unemployment rate), the rate of immigration into NYC still increased because many immigrants were “swept” into low skilled labor. This influx of immigrants contributed to “white flight” and does not only occur when Latinos moved into Jackson Heights. As we have seen before, an increase in Asian immigration in Flushing also contributed greatly to the “white flight” in the region, thus proving that “white flight” generally occurs whenever minorities establish a significant foothold in a neighborhood.
Also, the conflict between the white residents and immigrants (in general) is not fairly new either. This brings up the question: should immigrants try harder to assimilate or should the native residents be accepting of the immigrants’ ways? In the article, the white residents of Jackson Heights associated large immigrant populations with increased in criminal activity and an increased detachment from their original community/neighborhood. Many white residents want these immigrants to behave in an “acceptable” manner, although different groups may consider different things to be acceptable. For example, the article states that the playing of loud music is common in Latino culture however, to white residents, this is not “acceptable”. This continuous tug of war between immigrants and native residents still continues today, as various ethnic groups are moving into largely white neighborhoods, thereby changing the racial and cultural demographics of the area. In the end of the article, the authors consider the lifestyles of the Latino and White residents to be to be “parallel” to one another even though they all share the same spatial area. Although there is some disagreement between the groups due to their differences, it is still very remarkable to see how these communities coexist in a relatively peaceful manner and contribute to the Jackson Heights’ diversity.
