Chicago's Great Migration: Blacks Leaving Historic Neighborhoods To Return South (Oak Lawn: sales, real estate)

[cali3448893]

Trust me black people are not going to go down south. I know a lot of black people in the chi and they all cant stand the south. They all say how it reminds them of the old days.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by cali3448893

Trust me black people are not going to go down south. I know a lot of black people in the chi and they all cant stand the south. They all say how it reminds them of the old days.

There are mutually-exclusive viewpoints frequently expressed on this board that Chicago is more segregated and racist than the South, yet few black people actually seem to prefer living down there.

What are the rest of us missing that explains this? I'm genuinely curious, as is the South just that awful for people of all backgrounds (that has certainly been my impression from every Southerner I've ever met who transplanted to Chicago) or is Chicago indeed just that bad for your average black person (a viewpoint we certainly also hear a lot)?

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

There are mutually-exclusive viewpoints frequently expressed on this board that Chicago is more segregated and racist than the South, yet few black people actually seem to prefer living down there.

Your first mistake is assuming that a few posters on the Chicago board constitute the truth about how Black people feel. Of course there are people that prefer Chicago to Atlanta, or Chicago to Houston. The rantings of a few people dissatisfied with Atlanta does not invalidate the fact that there is net outflow for Black people from north to south.

Then you say that "few" Black people prefer living "down there." Yet I believe the majority (greater than 50%) of Black people in the US live in the south. So your statement is incorrect and ill-informed.

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

What are the rest of us missing that explains this? I'm genuinely curious, as is the South just that awful for people of all backgrounds (that has certainly been my impression from every Southerner I've ever met who transplanted to Chicago) or is Chicago indeed just that bad for your average black person (a viewpoint we certainly also hear a lot)?

The "south" encompasses so many different possible cities and lifestyles that it is impossible to lump it all together. If someone moves from Chicago to a rural town in Arkansas and doesn't like it, is it because they moved to the south or because they moved to a rural area? Had they moved to Cairo, IL (a "northern" rural town) they probably would have been just as unhappy.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Your first mistake is assuming that a few posters on the Chicago board constitute the truth about how Black people feel. Of course there are people that prefer Chicago to Atlanta, or Chicago to Houston. The rantings of a few people dissatisfied with Atlanta does not invalidate the fact that there is net outflow for Black people from north to south.

Then you say that "few" Black people prefer living "down there." Yet I believe the majority (greater than 50%) of Black people in the US live in the south. So your statement is incorrect and ill-informed.

The "south" encompasses so many different possible cities and lifestyles that it is impossible to lump it all together. If someone moves from Chicago to a rural town in Arkansas and doesn't like it, is it because they moved to the south or because they moved to a rural area? Had they moved to Cairo, IL (a "northern" rural town) they probably would have been just as unhappy.

I did not make any assumptions whatsoever, nor did I claim that the posters on this board speak for any larger group.

I think you misread my question altogether, I was not referring to the black people who have always lived down there, just ones who grew up in Chicago and moved later in life.

Specifically, I don't understand what the "old days" were that were mentioned as being undesirable, which is why I responded to/quoted:

"Trust me black people are not going to go down south. I know a lot of black people in the chi and they all cant stand the south. They all say how it reminds them of the old days."

[ChicagoMeO]

its too humid down south

[Atlanta_BD]

JacksonPanther,

You say that the majority of Blacks in the US live in the South. Well that would make sense, given that when Africans were taken as slaves and brought to the Us, they were taken to the Southern states to work the plantations there.

I think that most American blacks living in the South is more of a reflection that many blacks remained in the South while only smaller numbers headed North or West.

I think it would be fair to say that this majority you mention is made up of black slave descendents who never left the South as opposed to huge numbers of blacks fleeing South from the North in recent decades.

This may not apply to all of course but in my 15 years of living in GA, the most common reason blacks have given for moving here from other places is that they wanted to own a house. Others bought into the myth that Atlanta is a Mecca for blacks, only to learn that the wages are low and there aren't a lot of resources, and unless you are a part of black fraternaties, sororities or elite black professional groups or alumni associations, you will be on the outside when it comes to finding good-paying work.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

Others bought into the myth that Atlanta is a Mecca for blacks, only to learn that the wages are low and there aren't a lot of resources, and unless you are a part of black fraternaties, sororities or elite black professional groups or alumni associations, you will be on the outside when it comes to finding good-paying work.

Sounds kind of like the myth of America, to be honest.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

Sounds kind of like the myth of America, to be honest.

Don't get me wrong. Many blacks come here and do well, but it is usually the highly educated and it depends on their field. But it's not a free-for-all for the average black person as mnay have been led to believe.

I have a black friend who moved here from WI with a bachelor's 8 years ago and couldn't find work. So she got her master's and she till couldn't find decent work and have been evicted many times because she just could never find a job that pays enough to pay rent. This happens a lot to blacks who come here thinking it is the promised land. She said lots of pepole hyped Atlanta up to her that she could come here and do well and that just wasn't the case.

[Atlanta_BD]

It was just reported in the news 30 minutes ago that Georgia is in the top 5 states with people living in poverty with the majority of them being black. The issues being there is no job creation in Georgia's private sector, with employers claiming that there aren't enough skilled people here to do the jobs.

There are lots of educated blacks here, many who moved down here from the north for better opportunity. In the Atlanta forum and other forums I have read, so many blacks still want to move here and I see more and more IL plates every day.

This news report is pretty much spot on about the economic situation in GA and I don't understand what so many black people think is down here. They definitely don't follow GA economic and business news. I have known many black people who moved down here with degrees and end up living pillar to post or don't make $30k a year when they do get jobs.

[ParkerP]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

It was just reported in the news 30 minutes ago that Georgia is in the top 5 states with people living in poverty with the majority of them being black. The issues being there is no job creation in Georgia's private sector, with employers claiming that there aren't enough skilled people here to do the jobs.

There are lots of educated blacks here, many who moved down here from the north for better opportunity. In the Atlanta forum and other forums I have read, so many blacks still want to move here and I see more and more IL plates every day.

This news report is pretty much spot on about the economic situation in GA and I don't understand what so many black people think is down here. They definitely don't follow GA economic and business news. I have known many black people who moved down here with degrees and end up living pillar to post or don't make $30k a year when they do get jobs.

Its just grass is greener syndrome. They'll be back lol. I will say though, it seems Atlanta is good for black entrepreneurs (but I say that as an outsider. don't know the real truth).