Midtown for African-American Gay Men?? (Atlanta, Decatur: environment, relocating, gated)

[FromDC]

I'll be relocating to Atlanta in the next several weeks from DC (I am accepting a job offer, and will soon enough be pursuing a post-graduate degree).

I am an east-coast-kinda-guy at heart, and am especially interested in living in an environment both urban and urbane. At first blush, Midtown Atlanta appears to offer the sort of neighborhood in which I would be most comfortable (walkable, with neighborhood-serving retail, MARTA-served, etc.). It's comforting, too, that Midtown has a reputed and visible gay population.

However, I'm wondering how "welcome" I would feel in this "gayborhood" as an African American (and, one in his early 30s)? Especially as an African American who is decidedly black-identified, and who counts no homosexual men among his (admittedly few) white male friends?

I recall reading somewhere that there were "lots" of gay black men on the "west sides" of Midtown and Buckhead, but I wonder if this was no more than an attempt at racial steering, residentially speaking? After all, Atlanta remains a segregated city... From what I can tell, though, the "west sides" of those neighborhoods appear somewhat less desirable, in terms of amenities, developments, investments, infrastructure, etc. The area around Lenox Square was mentioned, too, but the "neighborhood" (such as it is) struck me as awfully "suburban" and car-centric when I was last in Atlanta.

So, to anyone with local expertise (and especially my gay brothas, though everyone's insights are welcomed): is Midtown the neighborhood for me? and, what other neighborhoods might I find appealing, and how do those other neighborhoods compare to Midtown?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[sweettea1]

You will be absolutely fine. We lived right in the heart of midtown and I can tell you it really is a wonderfully diverse area in terms of color. I'd say I kinda felt like the minority being straight! Midtown is really one of the only places where you can walk to restaurants, shopping and work as well as hop on the MARTA. Do not be concerned about there not being a big enough African American gay population. I'd say this is your area. It is as close to living in NYC as you'll ever get here. In terms of where to live...tons of condos, the Spire, the Dakota...rentals at Post on 10th and Piedmont, lots of eclectic homes with apts for rent (check Craigslist). Juniper...fabulous street. You'll love it.

[George Chong]

Well I am not an African American brotha - but an Asian American gay man that has lived in Atlanta since I was a child. I lived in Midtown in my 20's and hence moved to Inman Park. No one "should" really care about your sexual orientation or your race in Midtown. It is gay central as, hello, the gays "made" Midtown! Atlanta is a very auto-centric City. Sorry the MARTA system (public transportation) is nothing like DC's. But in Midtown - you will be able to walk to local shops, restaurants, bars and theaters. MARTA might be a good option for you if you attend GA Tech or Georgia State for graduate school. Check out their website at MARTA - Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority .

Atlanta has a huge gay population. I think that New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and DC have larger gay populations that Atlanta. Why we have Pride during the summer when it is sweltering in Atlanta is beyond me. (I know history blah-blah.) Piedmont Park is also where Pride is held every year.

Lesbians seem to congregate in Decatur. They even have a social organization called "The Digging Dykes of Decatur". Maybe all those lesbians were educated at Agnes Scott College in Decatur and just decided to stay there. No so many gay men in Decatur though.

Since you mention urbane, I would suggest Castleberry as a possibility for you too. Its a loft district that has lots of artists and other fru-fru people living there :-). Very industrial chic if you would like a loft. Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association is the website.

If you want a house, Grant Park and my hood, Inman Park have lots of gays too. Inman Park's motto is "it's hard to be odd in Inman Park!". Inman Park is the neighborhood's website.

Westside of Midtown? I don't think that there are any more concentration of brothas there. Midtown is a wonderful urban oasis. To get a feel of what Midtown is up to - check out the website of the Midtown Alliance. They are a non-profit group that is shaping its direction. Midtown Alliance

I am not much of a bar hopper - but Blakes on the Park seems to have lots of color at the bar. I don't think that we gay men of color seem so much of a "novelty" as when I was coming out in the late 80's. Although there is this "social organization" called "Asian and Friends" and the white members are always stalking me at Pride inviting me to their soirees. I don't think that they would like me - as I am too mouthy of a gay man and I would not meet their criteria of being a geisha doll (just my opinion as I never see Asian men inviting me to the events)

I love DC and if I were to ever leave Atlanta and wanted to stay on the east coast - I would certainly move there! The burbs are no place for a urbane gay man (snore). Who wants to spend all their time driving into the city to enjoy it?

[stvincent]

I would suggest you move to Midtown as well. You've chosen a great area of town and should stick with it. Buckhead is now kinda boring for the single professional crowd and the city is trying with all its might to suck the remaining life out of that community. Atlanta as a whole(the city of) is a VERY liberal city so I doubt you will face too many issues in regards to your sexual orientation.

Midtown and Intown (Virginia Highlands, Morningside, Inman Park, etc) are the most popular neighborhoods among the 20s to 30s crowd of every ethnic group and both orientations. There are so many great restaurants, cute boutiques, and late night spots, you'll be exploring the area and admiring the convience your new neighborhood offers to the best Atlanta has to offer for months. Also, Atlanta has the second highest concentration of Black gay men in the country. I am sure you are well aware you are moving from the number one spot. The vast majority mix into white communities to live so I wouldn't imagine you would ever feel like you are the only Black gay man around. The white gay community is very open minded so you wouldn't have to sit on pins and needles about trying to fit in if that's the community you would feel more comfortable associating with.

A few clubs and bars to check out would include Wetbar(midtown), Bulldogs(midtown), the Red Chair(midtown), Chapparel(Noth Atlanta), and The Mark(downtown). Popular clubs with mixed crowds of gay and straight people include the Decatur Social Club(Decatur) and MJQ Concourse(on Ponce in Midtown). If restaurants and/or gyms is more our scene Midtown has a huge selection of cafe's and fancier restaurants to choose from and given that it's a gay neighborhood, once again you won't end up feeling out of place. There are also a huge selection of gyms to choose from but most of the new condo buildings have gyms for their residents.

You will need a car in Atlanta, evn if you live in Midtown, which is one of the most transit friendly areas. While midtown and its surrounding neighborhoods are great because they are so walkable, you will be limiting yourself in what you can experience in Atlanta if you only have Marta as a means of transportation. The trains constantly break down delaying trips, the busses are often times late, and the new "Breeze" system is more of a hassle than anything. I would suggest using it still as it saves on gas, just do so when you don't have to be somewhere by a certain time. Marta has not yet advanced to accomodate people who have to be on time to work, school, appointments, etc. I guess they are still working on that. I take it to the airport...but then again, I have time to spare usually so it serves my needs.

If you ever feel like venturing outside of the Midtown and Intown commnities to see more of what Atlanta has to offer, I still think you would be accepted as a gay man with no worries. There is such a large gay population here that most inside the city of Atlanta are no longer phased by it. The suburbs are the more conservative parts of Atlanta but as long as you remain single I would see no real need to venture into suburban territory. Most burbs in Atlanta are boring and all resemble eachother in that they all have the same stores(Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Publix, etc) and most have no real personality. Some places do violate this rule but they are few. Most people move to the suburbs because they have kids and want good public schools and also because the homes are cheaper in the burbs(on the whole) If you decide to have kids one day I would suggest staying in Atlanta proper, it'll provide the tolerant atmosphere you are looking for and there are plenty of good school options, public and private, in these areas.

As for where to live, there are too many great buildings and neighborhoods to choose from. But, my personal favorite place to reside in Midtown is in the neighborhood which flanks Piedmont Ave. and bordered by Piedmont Park(9th St., Myrtle St., Charles Allen Dr., etc) There some amazingly beautiful homes in this historic and some old condos as well. I am a sucker for historic residences so I am partial to areas like these(which are EXTREEMLY rare in Atlanta, because the focus is always on the new). My favorite building is the Reid House(actually a high rise building) designed by renowned Atlanta architect Neil Reid and built in 1925. It's in North Midtown up near the Brookwood district. The newer condos will offer more than the 1920s to 1930s era condos and homes in terms of amenities but I just love the charm of these old residencs.

[greg_atlanta]

The only concern I would have is that most gay black men tend to be "selectively gay" (closeted) and that makes others leery of being too personal with gay black men for fear of crossing a boundary. So if you get any bad vibes that may be why. If you're out and proud and not hiding anything, you won't have any problems at all. I think Atlanta has very healthy race relations because we're not afraid to talk about race. So many other places everything about race is hush-hush -- but with an undercurrent of racism.