The average age that moms have their first child in NYC is 28.9 (according to a Cornell study published in 2023) and climbing, older than the national age of 27.5, and much older than it was in the ’60s (a DOH vital statistics report from 1963 showed that the majority of babies, nearly 60,000, were born to 20-24 year olds). And while plenty of people may consider Greenpoint and Williamsburg to be the stroller capitals of the city, Kings ranks third in births per 1,000 people behind Rockland and Jefferson counties.
But even so, while plenty of studies have been done in recent years on birthrate decline and women waiting longer to have children, in 1963, the illustrious RKO Greenpoint Theatre at Manhattan Avenue and Calyer Street was conducting a study of its own in honor of Mother’s Day, according to an article in The Greenpoint Weekly Star.
The theater, run by manager Bernard Wechsler, sought to find the youngest mothers in Greenpoint. And there was an incentive, of course: The youngest of all would receive a 17-jewel watch “of good make,” the second-place winner would get a 14-karat gold and diamond cross and chain, while third prize was simply a 14-karat gold cross and chain (no diamond).
Entering was as simple as registering your name and address with the theater along with proof of your claim. My guess would be birth certificates would suffice.
Sadly, the winners were never reported in subsequent issues of the Star, though the following week did include a sweet feature on the spiritual significance of mothers and Mother’s Day.
In any case, we can probably safely guess that the winner was a lot younger than 28.9.
Nice piece but you glossed over the demo nightmare confronting this country that is negatively affecting every institution ie the dramatic drop in marriage and having kids.
Back in the day up to 90% of people at any point were married. Be careful I got you guys. I said at any point not one given point which was about 78%.
It is down in the 60s now and with democrat women according to a major poll, Gallup it is down to 48%. One outlier poll had it down to 33%.
All of these stats are way below the replacement rate. We are heading in the direction of the Whig party and dodo bird, extinction.
Ok, let’s here if from the bait and switchers , it is so expensive to had a kid today. The birthrate in fire bombed cities during WW2 and Gaza now in Stone Age ruins were and are much higher than our rate.
Paul, we didn’t gloss over anything. For some reason, you are very fixated on leaving the same comment on every post, and we are not obligated to indulge that.
It is not the same comment. Some times I agree with you and some times I don’t. That is the nature of a free press and that is the problem now in America ie either you tote the extreme far right party line or the extreme far left party line or else you are cancelled.
I said it was a nice historical piece but the issue I brought up is off monumental importance. I see it in my eight unit bldg. As little as 20 yrs. ago there were kids running around the bldg. now there are none.