The river Vardar divides the town, with Macedonians on one side and Albanians on the other. Those on the 'wrong' side are busy arranging apartment exchanges. Nowadays it is rare to find Macedonians and Albanians living next-door to one another. The two communities keep to themselves. They have their own hairdressers, dentists, bars and discos.
Children attend separate schools from infancy.
In a recent opinion poll not one respondent said they would consider marriage to a member of the other community or allow their children to do so. The war in Kosovo has had a large part to play in this polarisation. While the Macedonian community was hostile to the activities of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, the Albanian community lent its support. Local youths attended the ceremony in old KLA uniforms and waved the Albanian flag. Representatives from the coalition government party, the Democratic Party of Albanians, also came along.