The Homes of Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs, NY is known for being the home of the horses. Thousands of people flock to the small city in Upstate New York to see the Saratoga Thoroughbred races. The town is also home to many residents of high social class; the average household income in Saratoga Springs is $67,000 (the national average is $53,000). Drive down Broadway, the main street, and you’ll see homes so big, so fabulous, and some so outlandish that you won’t be able to resist taking a picture.
The high financial status of Saratoga residents makes sense, considering betting on the horse races usually costs more than a couple of bucks. But go down a few blocks further, off of 2nd or 3rd street, and you’ll see homes that don’t quite fit in with the glitz and glamour of the horse town.
While these homes are charming and have their own kind of elegance, they simply do not compare with the spectacle that are the multi-million dollar mansions. The economic disparity between a couple of blocks is shocking. Out of over 3,000 counties in the United States, Saratoga is ranked 28th in income inequality. Clearly, this is a much bigger problem than a few houses. We are seeing this trend of economic disparity throughout the entire country, from cities like New York, Oakland, and Miami. This discrepancy gets even worse when race and gender is taken into account.
Living as a student at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, I will take it upon myself to further my knowledge of this injustice that’s happening within a mile-radius from my own home.