Comparison: East Village and Bay Ridge
From Decoding New York
| Introduction |
| The East Village |
| * Evolution |
| * Here v. There |
| * Economy |
| * What's Real |
| Bay Ridge |
| * Evolution |
| * Here v. There |
| * Economy |
| * What's Real |
| Comparison |
| * Photo Gallery |
| * Sources
|
Bay Ridge and the East Village have evolved in an interesting sort of tandem, contrasting and complementing one another. Both have served as home to successive waves of immigrants. In both neighborhoods, naturally enough, the earlier waves have by now effectively assimilated into the mainstream, leaving behind only scattered evidence of ethnic communities that once dominated their respective neighborhoods. As in many areas of the city, the most obvious traces left by the older immigrant groups are restaurants and stores, which often cater to tourists more than do businesses owned by more recent immigrants which serve current residents.
In addition to the various cultural and economic forces that arguably affect every area and ethnic group of the city, these neighborhoods have had to deal with their own unique influences. The East Village saw a great shift in the 1950s with the influx of artists from the West Village, which contributed eventually to the area's gentrification. Bay Ridge was also at the receiving end of a migration from a nearby neighborhood; in this case, however, the decline of the Atlantic Avenue area in the 1970s led to the relocation of the local Arab population, revitalizing and transforming Bay Ridge as an ethnic community with a new identity.
Whereas from the mid-1800s through at least the mid-20th century the East Village was home to working-class ethnic immigrant populations, Bay Ridge started out as a resort for well-off New Yorkers looking to escape the bustle of the city. Indeed, in the early 20th century, much of Bay Ridge's Irish population came from the ethnic enclaves of the Lower East Side, including what is now the East Village, on their way to greater affluence and assimilation. Now the roles have been reversed. The East Village is trendy, arty, with an increasingly marketed brand image of cool. The largest ethnic group, its Hispanic population, is clearly there, but it is relatively small and essentially integrated - if not without some tension - into the overall culture of the neighborhood. Bay Ridge, in contrast, is now home to a diverse collection of ethnic groups, assimilating in succession but gradually. The latest arrivals, coming from a wide variety of Arab countries, have made their mark on the neighborhood, with a strong, visible community. Arab ethnic businesses abound, and because of a definite language barrier, these cater almost exclusively to the local ethnic population. But the Arab residents co-exist peacefully with members of other ethnic groups, including Italians, Poles, and Greeks. Bay Ridge is far from a tourist attraction; gentrification, if it is to come at all, is a long way off.
