Neighborhoods of Albany, New York
Arbor Hill is an historic neighborhood in northeastern Albany near the Hudson River. Arbor Hill encompasses the area from Clinton Avenue (formerly called Patroon Street) north to the Livingston Avenue Railroad Bridge (where North Albany begins) and from the Hudson River west to Henry Johnson Boulevard. Arbor Hill was outside Albany's first boundaries as set up in the Dongan Charter of 1686. The original name of the area was Colonie. Incorporated as a village on April 9, 1804, Arbor Hill was annexed by the city in 1815, at which time Patroon Street became Clinton Avenue. The name "Arbor Hill" comes from the nickname of the Ten Broeck Mansion, an important cultural and historical destination in the neighborhood. Arbor Hill includes Dudley Heights, a residential neighborhood north of Livingston Avenue that was the first location of the Dudley Observatory. Arbor Hill contains many other historic and cultural spots including the Palace Theatre, Quackenbush House, Church of the Holy Innocents, the Stephen and Harriet Myers House, and the former St. Joseph's Church. Demographically, Arbor Hill is predominantly African-American.
Sag Harbor, New York
After the Second World War the neighborhoods of Sag Harbor Hills, Ninevah and Azurest, Eastville and Chatfield's Hill were available to African-Americans. Mrs. Hunter J. Terry (born 1887, died 1968) was a summer visitor here where there was a coastal woodland acreage that she called Azurest. She urged the owners, the Gales, of Huntington, L.I. to develop the land as a peaceful resort. Lots were cheap, although loans were not available at that time. Thus lots and houses are small. The streets Terry Drive, Richards Drive and Meredith Avenue were named for members of her family. The roads Walker and Milton were named for African American whalers. Cuffee Drive was named for an early Native American family. The first homeowners and two generations have lived here near the beach by the time of Mrs. Terry's passing in the late 1960's. Later a few African-American celebrities and prominent New York businessmen made their summer homes there. The communities are friendly and neighborly. However, as of the 2010s, there is pressure from investors who, consolidating lots and planning to build larger houses than is customary, pose a threat to the character of the neighborhoods. In 2016, a collective group was formed to study these impacts on the neighborhoods of Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Subdivisions called known by the acronym SANS. They have begun a survey of the Historic Resources of this area with the hope of becoming listed as a historic district on the State and National Register of Historic Places.