Aronan, I lived there in the 70's, and there were plenty of Latin people already living there, but there was a diversity, you could see it in the train station going to work. Now all you see is one race, that's not diversity.
" Part of the reason why Forest Hills didn't suffer as much and Jackson Heights did is the people who were in JH when the going got tough, got out. They didn't stick around to see their neighborhood through the tough times"
We, and other people we knew, didn't move out because the going got tough. We got out because we started to see the neighborhood changing, and were afraid for our kids. Did you raise a family there? If you didn't have a family to be worried about, then your situation is totally diferent than those who have kids to worry about. I still know people there, and what they tell me is totally different to the way you feel. It is not easy to pick up and go, it is costly, and some people have to stay where they have been for many years because they don't have the means to be moving, and they have a job. I personally like to see neighborhoods moving up, not losing the quality of living, by making them dirty, and unsafe. 30-40 years ago JH was beautiful, and there were plenty of restaurants where to eat. We used to go to a restaurant, I don't remember the exact address, it was on Roosevelt Ave. and the 80's, it was called INCA, the food was very good, and they used to have a guy playing the harp, oh boy, that was beautiful music, and what an atmosphere. We also used to go to a Cuban place called Lido, on Roosevelt and 69th St. very good food. But the point is not whether the food is good, or not, the point I am trying to make is that the food in those restaurants they have today could even be better than the food in the 70's 80's. The point is that presentation, atmosphere, is also important, I don't enjoy going to a place that looks filty, doesn't matter how good it is. How about all those hundreds of men standing on 69 st. and 70st. and Woodside Ave.? Do you see this is safe? Do you know who those guys are? Is it comfortable for a woman to walk around there, and safe? I don't think so. So my point is, what kind of people would pay for an apartment in this kind of neighborhood $300K, if today you could find one for that price in Manhattan? or in a very nice neighborhood in NJ, 15 minutes away from Manhattan?