Income Inequality in Poughkeepsie

1. Poverty in the United States is often reported in broad general terms. Poughkeepsie, “The Queen City of the Hudson”, once a bastion of shipping and an industrial powerhouse in the Hudson River Valley has long been in decline. As of 2009 the percentage of people living below the poverty line in Poughkeepsie was What is perhaps more intriguing is that Dutchess County, home to Poughkeepsie has seen a increase in medium income. The income gap is an unfortunate reality of current America. 26.8% 26.8% 25.6% Jason Shifter

2. This BBC report discusses how the 2010 census data will reveal the already known realities in places like Poughkeepsie, NY- that the amount of poor people is on the rise.

3. For decades, places like Poughkeepsie have seen more and more boarded up businesses. These companies have moved elsewhere to places like China and countries in South East Asia where low skilled labor is cheaper An abandoned building in Poughkeepsie

4. Businesses like Kem Playing Cards , which had once hired people from Poughkeepsie for low skilled labor have long since moved away causing a huge surge in unemployed especially among people without college degrees.

5. This was once a parking lot in a strip mall. Since the store in front in boarded up, the owners have decided to let nature take over it

6. In the same strip mall an entire “Walmart” sized store space remains vacant since the financial collapse in 2007

7. But while the poverty level has dramatically increased especially among these low-skilled workers who can't find jobs, the median income level has gone up mainly due to an influx of people from New York City looking for a higher standard of living in a cheaper area. Many of these old manufacturing centers are being taken over by housing developments and new money. This is a housing development for Marist College students

8. Housing developments like this one for Marist College students are an example of a sort of gentrification that is taking place in Poughkeepsie. This development is across the street from the Marist College campus where old housing, warehouses, businesses, and manufacturing once took place. The poor are being pushed out .

9. On either side of this house lay two Marist owned parking lots. It can be assumed that Marist College has offered money to take this property for more parking. This property owner has squatted while then rest of his neighbors have left.

10. This house on the other side of one of the parking lots is not being lived in. If it hasn't been bought up by Marist, it won't be long until this becomes more parking for students.

11. At the end of the day it becomes abundantly clear that the central problem isn't so much that people are less well off then others because that's been true in “Rust Belt” cities for decades. But that the poor are getting more numerous and poorer and the rich are getting richer and moving into cities like Poughkeepsie and pushing the them out