Hi everybody,
I am originally from Lagrangeville, New York, in Dutchess County. Before my sophomore year of high school, my family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When I moved to Florida I decided to go to a boarding school called Hotchkiss which is located in the northwest corner of Connecticut. While these two areas are what I consider my home, I feel that New York has and always will be my hometown.
Dutchess County, New York was a very interesting area to grow up in. The suburbs of New York (mainly Westchester, the county south of Dutchess) are split with a harsh wealth gap. Dutchess County was a lot more rural and consisted of rolling farmlands in place of cities and mansions. Dutchess County is also home to Poughkeepsie, which pretty much sums up all of Dutchess County. The gist of the area is that there are the wealthy weekenders who have weekend mansions in the area, while the true residents of dutchess county live a modest life. I have lived a unique experience where I had both friends from the public school called Arlington, as well as my private school friends who lived a very different life.
Alternatively, Southern Florida's most prominent issue is the influx of homeless in and around the major cities. I am still new to Florida and am learning about how the city operates, but a common theme from Dutchess County is the immense wealth gap. This is just a little about some of the cities that I have lived in.
Thank you!