One of the earliest cities to be built in the state of New York is New Rochelle. It was first colonized by the Huguenots in the late 1680’s. There are many landmarks from that time period that still remain but they aren’t very present. The neighborhood was predominantly Dutch and French at that time, their influence still remains to this day. There are multiple street signs and landmarks named after the original settlers of New Rochelle.
The Huguenots had left France to escape religious persecution. They established a foot hold in New Rochelle and had spread out towards the Midwest. “Part of any family stayed in Easton Maryland where they had a land grant and another part went to Louisiana…But like any group I’m sure they spread out across the country”, Clark Le Compte. I couldn’t find any relevant information regarding the whereabouts of the modern day Huguenots but I was lucky enough to have come across one.
The People
There is a mix of people from almost every part of the world. I had interviewed Deandre Woods who has been a New Rochelle resident his whole life and asked him about the community and this is what he had to say, “It’s very diverse… people fell very welcomed… they come from different parts of the country or different parts of the world from foreign countries for their own reasons” Deandre Woods. Being a New Rochelle resident now I find his statement completely true I’ve meet people from all walks of life in New Rochelle. In the North there’s a high Jewish population and that area is predominantly white. Most of the people who reside in the area are typically wealthy. There are fewer stores and the area is more suburban. The eastern part of New Rochelle is a mix of white and black. There’s low income housing in that area as well. the area is a mix of suburban and urban the farther east you go. To the West is a high Hispanic population who have the highest influence in the community. A majority of the entrepreneurs in New Rochelle reside here. In the south and middle parts of New Rochelle is where all the communities converge. The area has access to the Metro North Railroad so most people come to the area to commute to work.
According to the 2022 U.S Census, “the 5 largest ethnic groups in New Rochelle, NY are White (Non-Hispanic) (42.2%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (18.5%), Other (Hispanic) (14.1%), White (Hispanic) (7.92%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (7.55%)“(Source#1). A small population is slowly making their way into New Rochelle because of the major project that is in place. No recent data shows that demographic but their impact on the community is major. A large majority of the New Rochelle population is in the middle class. Though the Hispanic population which makes up one third of New Rochelle’s population and the Asian population who is one of the lowest, they both have the highest influence in New Rochelle. A majority of family owned and privately run companies are operated by the Hispanic community and Asian community’s.
Their influence doesn’t stop in just New Rochelle, the different company’s go into the surrounding towns as well. A good friend of mine’s father owns a majority of the Dunkin donuts franchise in the New Rochelle and surrounding area. He has helped a few of our friends get a job right after high school at these different locations and offer benefits such as flexible hours for example. Businesses such as these are helping improve the community by providing opportunities to everyone in the area. These company’s are examples of what the city needs, rather than support company’s like this the city is slowly pushing them out.
The population of workers and those in low income housing are at risk of being forced out due to inflation. The high rise apartment buildings are the cause of this and the city is promoting it. According to the city website it states, “The City of New Rochelle has taken steps in recent years that have affected the quality-of-life for its residents and have had a dramatic effect on the physical appearance of the City. Downtown New Rochelle has seen high-rise buildings grow out of the ground, the construction of the first urban park built by the County of Westchester in decades, and improvements to the streetscape to create a more pedestrian atmosphere for all to enjoy. A 5 to 10-minute walk east on U.S. Route 1 takes you within feet of the proposed Echo Bay Project, located on Long Island Sound in an area that has historically been used for industrial purposes. It is the City’s intention to create a walkable community in this area with retail shops, open space, and mixed residential uses just a short walk from downtown. Other areas of the City are also seeing an insurgence of activity from new town homes on Pelham Road to luxury single-family homes in the North End.” (Source #2). There are currently nine new residential buildings that have been built and eleven more that are planned to be built. There are hardly any people living in these buildings but because of them rent has sky rocketed.
Though their population is one of the smallest and there isn’t any demographic information regarding the new residents of New Rochelle Their influence has cause drastic changes all around southern New Rochelle. The area is becoming gentrified. Just recently a Starbucks was opened in the area right next a low income housing community. In a recent Lohud News post, Deborah Jennings a local New Rochelle Entrepreneur is fearful of her business shutting down. “Jennings said she believes what is happening to New Beginnings is part of a larger trend, the gentrification of New Rochelle that is making it harder for existing residents and businesses to stay in the city… A lot of mom-and-pop stores have closed down,” Jennings said. “Some of the neighborhoods that weren’t popular before, you can’t afford to live in anymore” (Source #5)
Due to the plan a majority of New Rochelle’s population has moved and only a few people have actually moved into the new apartment complexes which isn’t helping the local community and small businesses. According to a recent Lohud news interview, “Walking a few blocks on Union Avenue means hearing more Spanish than English, with neighbors passing in the street often engaged in quick conversations that imply familiarity. Lucy Parente, who runs Tecalitlán Restaurant on the avenue with her mother Maria Barajas and brother Ruben Barajas Jr., spent part of her childhood in the apartment above the restaurant after they moved from Chicago. The family left Jalisco, Mexico, when she was 7. For her, the neighborhood is a special place.” (source #3) This will have a drastic affect especially on the families who live on Union avenue. I believe the reason for the project is to bring more funding to the city but at the price of kicking out the people in the low income communities. The location for these new residential buildings also make It convenient for commuters who work in the city, hence why there’s so many residents from New York city moving in.
Conclusion
The population in New Rochelle is at risk of losing its working and entrepreneur population because of the economic plan put into place. If nothing is done to help support them most of those family owned businesses will be forced out of New Rochelle or ultimately go out of business. I can’t see exactly how the development project will help the community. So far it has only harmed it. I believe in the near future New Rochelle will become unrecognizable because of the development. As more and more businesses leave the more influent company’s will make their way into New Rochelle and take it over. The people who run the development project are trying to turn this large community slowly into New York City at the price of its original population. In the near future the culturally rich and diverse community I know as New Rochelle will cease to exist.
Sources
Source #1
New Rochelle New York, DataUSA.io, 1 Jan. 2022. U.S census bureau, datausa.io/profile/geo/new-rochelle-ny?redirect=true.
Source #2
Major Projects, New Rochelle Ideally Yours, www.newrochelleny.com/316/Major-Projects.
Source #3
Muchnick, Jeanne. “‘A taste of home’: New Rochelle’s Union Ave. has welcomed generations of immigrant families.” LohudNews, 3 Nov. 2022, www.lohud.com/story/life/food/2022/11/03/new-rochelle-union-avenue-hispanic-community-food-tour/69524276007/.
Source #4
New Rochelle celebrates Hispanic populat. , News 12, 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVssAF8g-5o&t=1s.
Source #5
Tantillo, Nicholas. “New Rochelle wants to know: Is there gentrification in the city?” Lohud, Lohud News, 21 May 2018, www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/new-rochelle/2018/05/21/new-ro-wants-know-gentrification/624367002/.