Why does NJ have a blue collar image and CT have a wealthy image?

[Anonymous]

Both states have very similar levels of income and demographics. Yet New Jersey has a more "blue collar" image and Connecticut has a more "patrician" image. Why is that?

[Anonymous]

most outsiders are only familiar with Fairfield County CT

[Anonymous]

CT is super rough in spots. I don't see it as more white collar than NJ.

[Anonymous]

Big gap between perceptions and reality. Connecticut in particular is not true to its reputation, in my experience. When I was growing up, I thought CT would be so fancy (who’s the Boss!), but when I finally spent some time there in my college years/20s, it was solid middle class. Housing is super affordable too.

[Anonymous]

NJ and CT are more similar than different. Both have blighted cities and affluent suburbs. Both have one Ivy League university. Italian is the most common ancestry in both states. Incomes, educational attainment about the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:most outsiders are only familiar with Fairfield County CT

Home to Bridgeport

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big gap between perceptions and reality. Connecticut in particular is not true to its reputation, in my experience. When I was growing up, I thought CT would be so fancy (who’s the Boss!), but when I finally spent some time there in my college years/20s, it was solid middle class. Housing is super affordable too.

What part of CT were you in ? Fairfield county is not super affordable, lol

[Anonymous]

Because NJ is made money and CT is old money. For the most part, and I do agree there's plenty of rough places in CT with blue collar workers.

[Anonymous]

Bruce Springsteen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big gap between perceptions and reality. Connecticut in particular is not true to its reputation, in my experience. When I was growing up, I thought CT would be so fancy (who’s the Boss!), but when I finally spent some time there in my college years/20s, it was solid middle class. Housing is super affordable too.

Interesting, I went to college in Fairfield County and lived there after college. Some areas are very wealthy, much more so than here. I also have family in a very wealthy part of Bergen County, NJ. It's lovely and also much more expensive than here. I think of them both as fairly blue collar expect for the wealthy people who work on Wall St. Both have pretty gritty areas. Both have many areas that are a LOT richer than anything in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Newark vs New Haven? Same is same is.

But honestly, I think more Wall Street types go to CT because there’s better transit from CT and the nice bits are closer.

The country side of CT and the Garden State are both lovely; NJ is flatter while CT has more varied geography

[Anonymous]

The blue collar parts of NJ are closer to NYC so there is more interaction - in the city, your plumber or carpenter may be coming in from NJ but less likely so from CT.
Since a lot of pop culture originates from NYC, this perception has been amplified.

Then there's the Boss...who, by the way, has never held a blue collar job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because NJ is made money and CT is old money. For the most part, and I do agree there's plenty of rough places in CT with blue collar workers.

That's not really true. There is plenty of new money in CT and plenty of old money in NJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The blue collar parts of NJ are closer to NYC so there is more interaction - in the city, your plumber or carpenter may be coming in from NJ but less likely so from CT.
Since a lot of pop culture originates from NYC, this perception has been amplified.

Then there's the Boss...who, by the way, has never held a blue collar job.

Lots of people come into NYC from CT, but I think they tend to be in white-collar professions.

My guess is media, though. Bruce Springsteen, for sure, but the NJ blue collar stereotype gets used all the time. And people outside of the area aren't familiar with either state, really, but they've likely heard of Greenwich as being very wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The blue collar parts of NJ are closer to NYC so there is more interaction - in the city, your plumber or carpenter may be coming in from NJ but less likely so from CT.
Since a lot of pop culture originates from NYC, this perception has been amplified.

Then there's the Boss...who, by the way, has never held a blue collar job.

Lots of people come into NYC from CT, but I think they tend to be in white-collar professions.

My guess is media, though. Bruce Springsteen, for sure, but the NJ blue collar stereotype gets used all the time. And people outside of the area aren't familiar with either state, really, but they've likely heard of Greenwich as being very wealthy.

With Connecticut, you have people like Katharine Hepburn, who was the ultimate blueblood. Also, Martha Stewart's farmhouse was in Connecticut.