San Francisco vs. San Diego vs. Seattle vs. West Palm (Los Angeles: real estate, apartments)

[Onliner1]

Single, black male (lawyer, age 30) looking for a city with the following characteristics, listed in order of importance:

1. People move slowly, have time in their lives, and have time for family.
2. People there embrace blacks and are kind and friendly.
3. Excellent shopping - both high end shopping (i.e., good malls) and affordable shopping (i.e., Wallmart)
4. Democratic (not Republican) political values - i.e., and people who preferably prefer Obama over Clinton (an interesting litmus test for relocating purposes)
5. People who are warm to each other, are not overly materialistic (this rules out Atlanta, so please don't suggest it) or high strung or neurotically ambitious (this rules out New York).
6. Warm, sunny weather - preferably year-round or close.
7. The city has its own identity - it's relevant and has a meaningful economy that is connected to the world (so please don't suggest, for example, Nashville, although I am sure it's a wonderful, wonderful city.)
8. It's multicultural - and the multiculturalism has energy (not passivity to it) -- in other words, when you look at city government and the large local corporations, minorities are a definite part of the power structure. Minorities have a voice.
9. The job market is appealing and has an entreprenurial spirit to it.
10. It's a modern city with modern spaces.
11. It's good for allergies (not a pollen ridden city or one with an abundance of air pollution)
12. It has a sensible black culture. Please forgive me if this offends anyone, but Atlanta, for example, is not exactly a great example of sensible black culture - it's hip hop and materialism and so on (which is fine when you're young).

A couple of options I have come up with include San Francisco, Seattle, West Palm (Florida), San Diego, and some of the smaller areas in and around San Francisco such as Palo Alto.

Any help would be very gratefully appreciated -

Thanks -

[Woof]

Try Berkeley.

[jessemh431]

If you like sunny weather, Seattle is out. San Francisco is not warm. San Jose is though. It's a very new city with a good economy. However, the economy is mainly the technology industry and I don't think there's many blacks there. Hawaii would not be good for black people as there are pretty much none there. West Palm Beach is not very safe and FL is Republican.

Ladera Heights is part of Los Angeles and is one of the wealthiest majority black neighborhoods in the country. It's somewhat near the coast so the pollution isn't too bad.

I chose San Diego though since it has warm weather, sunny weather, it's laid back, there's diversity, the shopping is amazing since it's SoCal and LA is less than two hours away which, along with NYC, has the shopping in the US. If by entrepreneul you mean young, San Diego has a large young crowd and plenty of business since it is a city of 3 million. It's a very modern city with the downtown going through a revitalization. The ocean keep allergies from being too bad. LA's pollution doesn't reach SD.

Chicago could be an option. However, the winters are not warm at all.

What about D.C.?

[Onliner1]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

If you like sunny weather, Seattle is out. San Francisco is not warm. San Jose is though. It's a very new city with a good economy. However, the economy is mainly the technology industry and I don't think there's many blacks there. Hawaii would not be good for black people as there are pretty much none there. West Palm Beach is not very safe and FL is Republican.

Ladera Heights is part of Los Angeles and is one of the wealthiest majority black neighborhoods in the country. It's somewhat near the coast so the pollution isn't too bad.

I chose San Diego though since it has warm weather, sunny weather, it's laid back, there's diversity, the shopping is amazing since it's SoCal and LA is less than two hours away which, along with NYC, has the shopping in the US. If by entrepreneul you mean young, San Diego has a large young crowd and plenty of business since it is a city of 3 million. It's a very modern city with the downtown going through a revitalization. The ocean keep allergies from being too bad. LA's pollution doesn't reach SD.

Chicago could be an option. However, the winters are not warm at all.

What about D.C.?

D.C. has crossed my mind. But it strikes me as a bit stodgy. I've been a number of times, and it's just not really my atmosphere - a bit too serious, I think. I liked your analysis, in general, however. I had not really thought about San Jose. When you say technology, are you referring to Internet companies, healthcare, or technology generally - is there tech space that predominates there? San Diego, I agree with you, is an appealing choice as well, and for all of the reasons you mentioned - and I also agree with your political analysis concerning West Palm and Florida generally, although the last two general presidential elections I think were close between Dems and Reps. But too close for my preferences. But isn't San Diego about half and half too, between Dems and Reps?

[jessemh431]

Yeah, DC is pretty serious as the city is mainly politics.

San Jose is the headquarters of Apple Inc., Yahoo, etc. so pretty much all tech stuff. San Jose is actually the metro area in Silicon Valley. I'm sure you've heard of that.

San Diego is definitely more Republican than LA or SF, but at least CA in general is a blue state. Well, I guess not really, just the large cities are blue such as SF/SJ, LA, and SD, but inland cities such as Riverside/San Bernardino, the whole Central Valley, and even O.C. are Republican. You won't feel like outcast with your political beliefs in SD like you would in say Texas or Oklahoma, but you share ideas with as many people as you would in the Bay Area or LA.

But, out of your choices, I would say SD w/o a doubt, and maybe even consider D.C., unless you think it's too serious, or Chicago, unless you don't enjoy cold and snowy winters.

[Onliner1]

This poll is also running in the U.S. General Forum - I apologize for the cross-post (I just joined this site and didn't realize a U.S. General Forum existed until after posting here). Thanks everyone for the comments thus far-

Omaha – except too cold
Seattle – except too rainy
Charlotte, NC
San Francisco – except not sunny
San Diego
Cayman Islands
Phoenix
Portland
Vancouver, BC
Berkeley, California
San Jose
Landra Heights, Los Angeles
Washington, D.C.
Chicago – except too cold

Any additional comments out there would be awesome - and I may have to move this discussion to U.S. General, so if you can post there and its not too much trouble, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this thing - thanks so much.

[alloriginals123]

Seattle has all that you are looking for. In fact in 2007, the county name "King County" was passed in the council to mean King County as in Martin Luther King County. So his picture is on all letterhead, signs etc. And this city majority white. Can you believe? And they love Obama. Sunny weather all year round? Sorry, 6 months of great weather. 6 months of up and down weather. And don't forget, you are right by Canada. Definitely embracing all all cultures. If you love darker skinned ladies, Seattle is not the place for you. But hey, according to your age, who cares about demographics? It fades with age.

Originally Posted by Onliner1

Single, black male (lawyer, age 30) looking for a city with the following characteristics, listed in order of importance:

1. People move slowly, have time in their lives, and have time for family.
2. People there embrace blacks and are kind and friendly.
3. Excellent shopping - both high end shopping (i.e., good malls) and affordable shopping (i.e., Wallmart)
4. Democratic (not Republican) political values - i.e., and people who preferably prefer Obama over Clinton (an interesting litmus test for relocating purposes)
5. People who are warm to each other, are not overly materialistic (this rules out Atlanta, so please don't suggest it) or high strung or neurotically ambitious (this rules out New York).
6. Warm, sunny weather - preferably year-round or close.
7. The city has its own identity - it's relevant and has a meaningful economy that is connected to the world (so please don't suggest, for example, Nashville, although I am sure it's a wonderful, wonderful city.)
8. It's multicultural - and the multiculturalism has energy (not passivity to it) -- in other words, when you look at city government and the large local corporations, minorities are a definite part of the power structure. Minorities have a voice.
9. The job market is appealing and has an entreprenurial spirit to it.
10. It's a modern city with modern spaces.
11. It's good for allergies (not a pollen ridden city or one with an abundance of air pollution)
12. It has a sensible black culture. Please forgive me if this offends anyone, but Atlanta, for example, is not exactly a great example of sensible black culture - it's hip hop and materialism and so on (which is fine when you're young).

A couple of options I have come up with include San Francisco, Seattle, West Palm (Florida), San Diego, and some of the smaller areas in and around San Francisco such as Palo Alto.

Any help would be very gratefully appreciated -

Thanks -

[fjtee]

Hi. I've lived in the following places, so I'll give you feedback on those:

Seattle - It's sunny only 2-3 months out of the year and what I would call summer lasts for about 2 weeks (I grew up in Maryland, so summer means wicked hot). The people are nice and liberal. My husband didn't have any racial issues there when he was in grad school. My memory is mostly white people and Asians. Despite the horrible weather, I love Seattle and miss it.

Vancouver - Really nice, but it's still the NW. Brrr. Did I tell you how the damp just gets into your bones?

Portland - See Seattle, but the shopping will be worse. So will the culture. It's nice, but not as nice as Seattle. The job market SUCKS there - especially for attorneys (unless the past year has seen a change). I don't miss this city.

DC - The people are mean. Really mean. And, don't look toward Baltimore - it's a pit.

Florida - I shudder to think of you there. I spent 7 years in that state and it felt like 14. I'd cut it off and send it to Cuba if my mother and grandmother didn't live there.

San Jose - I spent a year here and loved it for the weather. The people were nice, but not as friendly as in the NW. But you're young and single and I'm a SAHM of 2 small children. You'd probably need to make the hour trip up to San Fran for a lot of the culture and shopping. And, I think there might only be 40 black people in this city - it was unnerving. I saw them mostly running and cycling - very fit, at least.

My husband says, "Speaking for black people everywhere, LA and San Francisco are not too bad." I'll buy San Francisco (cold), but LA? Ahh, his clarification is that the LA area is so big that there will be great pockets. But, the air pollution is legendary. He said after those two, he'd go back to Seattle.

Good luck!

[robertpolyglot]

Hey, I've lived in some of these.

Excuse me for not reading all of the thread, but where is it that you come from or are located now? That would help me some.

I said SF. You really didn't need to list SF or area, because it would be difficult to define where I should put Berkeley or Oakland or the Peninsula. There, the progressiveness is real and the black community is "real," too. I think Seattle and Portland have a "namby pamby" liberalism that seems inclusive, but isn't. You may not like it. Instead, the Bay Area (all of it) seems to have it all. Hence the real estate prices. But, you'll be paid more.

Someone said Ladera Heights. Good choice! I grew up in LA, within 10 miles of Ladera. Again, the black community in LA is large, vibrant and active, from what I remember. Plus, Ladera is in a great location and the area along Centinela has nice apartments until you decide where and what you want to purchase.

San Diego is gorgeous, no doubt, but it has the stereotypical bubble-headed hedonistic So. Cal. mentality. It's not for me. But it IS beautiful.

West Palm got no votes. Hmmm. So. Florida is so divisive. It has features that grab people and features that turn people off. In short, it is dichotomous. That one depends on a "weighted average of your variables." I lived in Atlanta too, but it has gotten too big and has lost some of the "feel" that made ATL great some 10 or 15 years ago.

So, in the end, screw Seattle (and Portland). Correct, screw DC...it is stodgy...just talking to my friends who are attorneys there (2 of them) puts me to sleep. And, lastly, screw anyplace cold. I went to grad school 134 miles south of Chicago and departed for the Left Coast 2 hours after my last final, never to return.

Hope this helps!

BTW, white over-40 business type (by education) but I am a good observer and analyze everything...my Dad wanted me to be a lawyer. And, hey, some of my best friends are black (that should fetch a chuckle). Actually, a couple are indeed.

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by Onliner1

Single, black male (lawyer, age 30) looking for a city with the following characteristics, listed in order of importance:

1. People move slowly, have time in their lives, and have time for family.
2. People there embrace blacks and are kind and friendly.
3. Excellent shopping - both high end shopping (i.e., good malls) and affordable shopping (i.e., Wallmart)
4. Democratic (not Republican) political values - i.e., and people who preferably prefer Obama over Clinton (an interesting litmus test for relocating purposes)
5. People who are warm to each other, are not overly materialistic (this rules out Atlanta, so please don't suggest it) or high strung or neurotically ambitious (this rules out New York).
6. Warm, sunny weather - preferably year-round or close.
7. The city has its own identity - it's relevant and has a meaningful economy that is connected to the world (so please don't suggest, for example, Nashville, although I am sure it's a wonderful, wonderful city.)
8. It's multicultural - and the multiculturalism has energy (not passivity to it) -- in other words, when you look at city government and the large local corporations, minorities are a definite part of the power structure. Minorities have a voice.
9. The job market is appealing and has an entreprenurial spirit to it.
10. It's a modern city with modern spaces.
11. It's good for allergies (not a pollen ridden city or one with an abundance of air pollution)
12. It has a sensible black culture. Please forgive me if this offends anyone, but Atlanta, for example, is not exactly a great example of sensible black culture - it's hip hop and materialism and so on (which is fine when you're young).

A couple of options I have come up with include San Francisco, Seattle, West Palm (Florida), San Diego, and some of the smaller areas in and around San Francisco such as Palo Alto.

Any help would be very gratefully appreciated -

Thanks -

Washington, D.C. is polluted, Seattle, beautiful but rains a lot, not so good for allergies. San Francisco is a great city, but I froze for a week in the winter. West Palm Beach, Florida, is hot, humid, the soil is all sand, if you are a gardener is not so appealing, and is full of New Yorkers, like me, and traffic. And San Diego, that is my favorite city of all, except you as a Black person, will do fine in the city, but do not attempt to get a house in Fallbrook, Bonsall, or any area in NORTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY, with the exception of the coastal area. Tom Metzger, the HEAD OF THE WHITE ARYAN NATION, lives in Fallbrook and headquarters in SANDPOINT, IDAHO. The mentality of most of the people there, leaves a lot to be desired. They treat the MEXICAN hard-working population with conptemt. I love the weather in San Diego!