SCHENECTADY Suburb in the city takes care of itself BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Woodlawn’s 2010 census results are offering the city hope for a prosperous future. Woodlawn is becoming far more diverse, with its black population increasing by 46 percent in the past 10 years. The number of Guyanese skyrocketed as well. But it’s not just the racial makeup of the neighborhood that’s intriguing city offi cials. It’s the fact that minorities are moving to a neighborhood that is predominantly made up of single-family homes, with far fewer apartments than the rest of the city’s neighborhoods. The neighborhood was annexed by Schenectady in 1923. Until then, it was a suburb — with wide lawns, no sidewalks and plenty of space between neighbors. It still looks suburban, and since it has so few apartments, most of the newcomers to Woodlawn had to buy a house. That indicates the growth of a minority middle class. “I think it’s wonderful. That’s how America was built,” said resident and neighborhood barber Lou Grasso. “To live here, you’re gonna have to be able to afford it. We do have apartments here, and they’re not cheap. So you’re getting a lot of middle-class people here.” There are also lots of children, especially for an area in which both recreational areas have been largely ignored by the city. Schenectady shut down the Woodlawn Pool in 2004, leaving antiquated playground equipment and one basketball court in the neighborhood’s only park. By this summer, the park was largely overgrown. The only remnant of the area’s Pine Bush ecology is also in Woodlawn, but the preserve has been nearly destroyed by invasive plants. Its one remaining sand bank has been mined and, more recently, badly eroded by ATV riders. Much of the rest was plowed over to build houses after World War II. It’s a loss that longtime residents deeply regret. “We used to play on that sand bank,” said John King, who lives in the neighborhood’s senior housing complex. “My friends and I used to catch frogs and cut off their legs and cook them on a couple sticks.” LITTLE CITY INVESTMENT Now there aren’t many public places for the 1,845 children in the neighborhood to play. To put the number of children in perspective, it’s nearly as many as live on Hamilton Hill, where there are programs for youth on nearly every street, as well as a park with a free summer lunch and camp program. There are 1,960 children on the Hill. But in Woodlawn, nearly every child has a large yard in which to play. Many residents have erected elaborate playgrounds in their backyards, going far beyond the traditional swings and slide. Now there are rock walls and climbing ropes. Woodlawn mirrors the rest of the city in one respect: The number of white people fell substantially, from 7,700 to 6,600 from 2000 to 2010, according to the census. More than 600 minorities moved in, but that wasn’t enough to fill all the empty houses in the neighborhood of just more than 9,000 people. According to the census, 247 houses and apartments were vacant in Woodlawn last year, far higher than it was in past decades. But the 6 percent vacancy rate was far lower than in other parts of Schenectady, and residents pointed to just a handful of houses that are true eyesores. Still, the empty houses rankle. Grasso wants the city to demolish three dilapidated and abandoned houses. “It takes down that little section of the neighborhood. It makes neighbors think, ‘Well, why should I take care of my house?’ ” he said. It’s just one symptom of what some residents say is the biggest problem in Woodlawn: the city’s lack of investment. Most of Woodlawn is made up of “dirt roads” — roads covered with a light coating of asphalt but built without the thick, long-lasting base used in most of the city. That means they break down faster, forming potholes and cracks. For decades, poor drainage also undermined the roads. Although the city engineer said that problem has been resolved, he said rebuilding the roads with proper bases would be too expensive for the city. City officials only agreed to repave one of the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares, Kings Road, after residents took matters in their own hands and posted signs asking trucks to slow down to save the road from further deterioration. .....................>>>>....................>>>>.........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00101&AppName=1
Woodlawn’s 2010 census results are offering the city hope for a prosperous future. Woodlawn is becoming far more diverse, with its black population increasing by 46 percent in the past 10 years. The number of Guyanese skyrocketed as well.
Woodlawn mirrors the rest of the city in one respect: The number of white people fell substantially, from 7,700 to 6,600 from 2000 to 2010, according to the census. More than 600 minorities moved in, but that wasn’t enough to fill all the empty houses in the neighborhood of just more than 9,000 people.
Can anybody PLEASE explain why in the first two sentences of this article, the reporter Kathleen Moore, has drawn the conclusion that the increase of the black and Guyanese population equals "hope and a prosperous future" for the city of Schenectady? Then in the second half of the article she gives the statistics that white residents "fell substantially".
The Gazette has reached a NEW LOW. This is the most racially divisive article I've ever read by ANY news organization. I cannot believe the Gazette is doing this. When you are finished reading this article, the conclusion is, whites are bad for a prosperous city, while the blacks and Guyanese are the hope of the city. I cannot believe this is the Democrat narrative going into November.
The deterioration of the properties and the lifestyle of Woodlawn has been exponential in the past 5-7 years. That is a fact.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Can anybody PLEASE explain why in the first two sentences of this article, the reporter Kathleen Moore, has drawn the conclusion that the increase of the black and Guyanese population equals "hope and a prosperous future" for the city of Schenectady? Then in the second half of the article she gives the statistics that white residents "fell substantially".
The Gazette has reached a NEW LOW. This is the most racially divisive article I've ever read by ANY news organization. I cannot believe the Gazette is doing this. When you are finished reading this article, the conclusion is, whites are bad for a prosperous city, while the blacks and Guyanese are the hope of the city. I cannot believe this is the Democrat narrative going into November.
A hundred years ago ( when my grandfather came here ) Guineas, Wops, Dagos, Greaseballs weren't ' white ' Schenectady has always been a magnet for a certain collective retarded thinking . Arrested development - YOU people now also substitute Democrat for white- black or whatever. You have made it a race.
A hundred years ago ( when my grandfather came here ) Guineas, Wops, Dagos, Greaseballs weren't ' white ' Schenectady has always been a magnet for a certain collective retarded thinking . Arrested development - YOU people now also substitute Democrat for white- black or whatever. You have made it a race.
Huh??? I didn't conduct the Census survey and I didn't write the article. Reread the article, and look at the first two racially charged sentences. Those two sentences set up the rest of the article. There are MANY statistics that the census bureau collect, the Gazette decided to use racial statistics with housing numbers to measure the prosperity of a neighborhood, as if the racial make up of a neighborhood is directly related to its prosperity. Where are the statistics for Woodlawn's median household income, or average level of education attained, or the difference in home values over the past 10 years, or property tax rates over 10 years?
This article was a kumbaya feel good story pandering to minorities.
The Gazette has reached a NEW LOW. This is the most racially divisive article I've ever read by ANY news organization. I cannot believe the Gazette is doing this.
This is one of the worst articles I've ever read as well. No matter how you interpret it, its totally off the charts. You would NEVER see such a racist article in the TU.
This article was a kumbaya feel good story pandering to minorities.
Exactly! There is nothing positive to report so wax on about diversity. Taxes are way up, resale values are way down, abandoned properties are everywhere. But it's all wonderful if you are a moron that still reads the Gazetto. Reading the Gazetto for news is like looking in Pravda for truth. I can't wait for the glowing articles on the DEM "progress" in Mt Pleasant, Vale and Ham Hill!-lol-
Huh??? I didn't conduct the Census survey and I didn't write the article. Reread the article, and look at the first two racially charged sentences. Those two sentences set up the rest of the article. There are MANY statistics that the census bureau collect, the Gazette decided to use racial statistics with housing numbers to measure the prosperity of a neighborhood, as if the racial make up of a neighborhood is directly related to its prosperity. Where are the statistics for Woodlawn's median household income, or average level of education attained, or the difference in home values over the past 10 years, or property tax rates over 10 years?
This article was a kumbaya feel good story pandering to minorities.
I m not blaming YOU for anything. I am basicly saying not much has really changed in the last hundred years except the gathering of information ( demographically ) and the way it is now used - by politicians- including the price chopper advantege card-
Cumbaya story ? You have cancer but not in the thumb on your left hand. So try and find something to be happy about .
I m not blaming YOU for anything. I am basicly saying not much has really changed in the last hundred years except the gathering of information ( demographically ) and the way it is now used - by politicians-
This is a NEWS ORGANIZATION using racial demographic in this case - NOT POLITICIANS. Unless you are agreeing with many, that the Gazette is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Schenectady County Democratic Party.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Logged
Exactly! There is nothing positive to report so wax on about diversity. Taxes are way up, resale values are way down, abandoned properties are everywhere. But it's all wonderful if you are a moron that still reads the Gazetto. Reading the Gazetto for news is like looking in Pravda for truth. I can't wait for the glowing articles on the DEM "progress" in Mt Pleasant, Vale and Ham Hill!-lol-
