You Told Us is a regular feature highlighting comments from users in the communities DNAinfo covers.
UPPER WEST SIDE — Median home prices hit an all-time high of $1.1 million last year — and for some locals that was a symbol of a neighborhood changing too much, too fast.
Residents described the increasing home prices as "frightening" and contributing to negative changes in the area:
► "You look at what's happened on the UWS and all of Manhattan for that matter and it makes total sense why the outer boroughs, Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood are being bombarded with upper middle class gentrifiers. It's a scary, scary thing we are witnessing here folks... Frightening," said one Neighborhood Square user.
► "UWS???? Upper Rich Side. this is no longer my neighborhood. i used walk down the street and hear people practicing violin or piano, hear singers warming up, see non-star actors walking about, meet 'normal' interesting, (actors, artists, regular job people with interests in the arts, intellectual pursuits) friends and hang out...there were mom and pop stores where you could get things which didn't cost a fortune everywhere instead of huge stores and banks, just a real neighborhood," added another Neighborhood Square user.
Others expressed sadness that they're being forced to leave after a long run in the neighborhood:
► "Pricing me out and leaving after 13 years. The over-priced retail, closing of mom & pop stores and change in the neighborhood are sad," wrote a Facebook commenter.
► "I had to leave after living on the Upper West Side for 35 years. Too expensive now," another said.
► "Absolutely ridiculous. I moved here in 2000 because of the diversity in the area that has always been a solid neighborhood. The developers have ruined the area," a Neighborhood Square user chimed in.
However, not everyone thought the price increases were a bad thing:
► "Well I own property on the UWS so this makes me happy :)" said one Neighborhood Square user.
