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Jigar Patel
Jigar Patel has lived in America for six years. He works at the Continental Avenue Smoke Shop. I met him on April 15th, when purchasing a pack of Orbit gum and Cosmopolitan Magazine. He is Indian-African and currently resides in Forest Hills. When asked which immigrant groups he observes to be most prevalent in Forest Hills, he responded, "Russians, Chinese and South Asians." Jigar may appear to be uneducated, as he is 26 years old and works in a convenient store. Much to my surprise, he told me he finished High School and is currently taking night college classes. He says there are many immigrants in his classes, but he enjoys their company and they are all treated well.
Bob Fairbanks
Bob Fairbanks is a real estate agent in Forest Hills Gardens. He also lives in Forest Hills Gardens and lives in the same house as his father did when he was a child. He is in his mid-50s and attended Forest Hills High School. Bob said that even when he was in high school, he perceived Forest Hills High School to be relatively diverse. He had many Jewish friends as well as a few Chinese friends.
Bukharian Housing
There is much controversy in Forest Hills regarding the Bukharian style of building. They tend to build large brick mansions which do not follow the typical tudor-style houses. New zoning laws will restrict the height of the newly built houses. Many people are happy about this "People have been waiting for this for years," James Walsh of the Association of Old Forest Hills said of the plan.
"The whole character of the neighborhood is changing."[1] Walsh continues to say, "We welcome anyone [...] We just don't want the rules broken." Bukharians view their style of building to be a matter of the economy of home ownership. A Bukharian real estate agent in Forest Hills, Alexander Yakubov, defends the demolish of an old home by explaining that the house was old it would cost more to renovate it than to simply build a house from scratch, “Anybody would love to save money and move into a ready house,” he said. [2]
References
- ↑ "City proposal would prune Forest Hills McMansion plans." New York News, Traffic, Sports, Weather, Entertainment and Gossip - NY Daily News. 27 Apr. 2009 <http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/02/26/2009-02-26_city_proposal_would_prune_forest_hills_m.html>.
- ↑ "Questions of Size and Taste for Queens Houses." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 27 Apr. 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/nyregion/05forest.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&hp>.