Sort of Utopia: Scarsdale, (New York), 1891 - 1981

By Carol A. O'Connor

Book Overview

Scarsdale, New York, is a small community with a large reputation. Long before it had gained general recognition as a source of fad diets and the presumed site of sensational murders, it was well-known in upper-middle-class circles for the rigor of its zoning, the excellence of its schools, the splendor of its houses, and the wealth of its residents. Indeed, Scarsdale is, what one observer has called, "a sort of utopia"-a capitalistic version of the ideal community.

In this clear and well-written study, Professor Carol O'Connor explains how Scarsdale came to be the classic rich suburb. Using a wide range of sources-from local newspapers, to village and school board records, to real estate deeds and census tracts-she shows how its residents have invested time, effort, and their own tax dollars in making Scarsdale a wealthy, attractive, convenient community. She also discusses the question of who rules in Scarsdale and examines one group, its domestic servants, who, at least in the past, have played an important but invisible role. Professor O'Connor analyzes the reaction of residents to national events, from their unquestioning nationalism in the First World War to the deep divisiveness of the Vietnam era. What emerges in these pages is not simply a chronicle of what occurred in Scarsdale, but an insightful perspective on many national trends of the twentieth century.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873956605
• ISBN13: 9780873956604
• Release Date: June 1983
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Valuable historical reference on growth of Scarsdale NY

The author, who wrote this book as part of her doctoral thesis, has thouroughly researched the development of Scarsdale New York. This is an unusual, and valuable book which charts the turn of the century factors such as growth of transportation systems, emergence of a professional upper-middle class, real estate developers displacing farm land, etc. which led to the emergence of Scarsdale, and many other suburbs in the US, as a preferred residential area. It then chronicles the factors which have maintained Scarsdale as a desirable place to live for over a century. Professor O'Conner's research was thourough and provides a wonderful context to understand the development of Scarsdale. Perhaps because of its research orientation, the book sometimes does not provide potentailly interesting anecdotal information such as how the various Scarsdale neighborhoods (e.g., Fox Meadow, Greenacres, etc.) were named. On balance, this is a valuable book which would be of interest to residents of Scarsdale, people interested in the development of suburbs in the US, and people interested in social history.