Question about Cincy (Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton: middle-class, lawyers, houses)

[Mint Green]

I do not know anything about Cincy accept for the race problems they have had in the city. I was led to believe that the city is extremely racist, yet there is a black mayor. So, I was wondering, do I have the wrong idea about Cincy? Because, imo, more than just AA would have to vote the mayor in because it seems that the city is pretty much balanced between whites and blacks. So, again, do I have the wrong idea about Cincy?

[yayoi]

No the Cinti metro area does have racial issues. The city itself is more democratic while the surrounding burbs tend to be more republican. Mallory was elected becuse he was a dem and the guy running against him (also a dem) is reviled by many. Most of the white surburbanites didn't want him elected but couldn't vote.

[Ohiogirl81]

Cincinnati has racial issues, yes; please let me know what large city does not.

And Mark Mallory is not the city's first African-American mayor. By a long shot.

Most of the white surburbanites didn't want him elected but couldn't vote.

That's what they get for abandoning the city. A choice they'll have to live with.

[lydunn]

To me living in Cinti for 10 years it's a whole different place I have live in the South and sad to say I was treated better there. I think the ignorant people you meet are uneducated individuals who don't like change. and that's correct Mallory is not the first African American mayor (I hear that the reds are calling for him) haha

[zorst]

Gawd again with the race issue. I live here. I've lost count of the number of times I've been called a cracker or a white boy. I've lost count of the number of times I've hugged a black woman or drank beer and cut-up with a bunch of black guys. Read elsewhere and you'll read about white racism towards black people. What does that say about Cincinnati? It's double minded it's racist and not racist. It's friendly and hostile. Some people want to help you, some people want to hurt you. Now where is the Nirvana that this does not happen?

[dayton_ohio]

Cincinnati racism is slightly worse than other bigger cities in which I've lived.

Notably, Atlanta (for most blacks) is nirvana, because there are very nice all-black neighborhoods, a strong black middle class, black businesses, etc., and nobody blinks an eye at wealthy black folks. A lot of white folks in Atlanta suburbs also have a number of black middel-class colleagues. (Travel one hour from Atlanta, however, and things change very quickly... it feels less comfortable for white northerners, much less blacks).

Cincinnati has a huge black underclass and some wealthy black P&G managers, lawyers, doctors, etc., but there isn't a large black middle class. Few people want to live in the all-black neighborhoods in Cincinnati... even the people living there now. When white people in Cincinnati think about blacks in Cincinnati, they think about the riots, the latest black-on-black OTR shooting, the scary changes to formally nice neighborhoods in the West side, etc., because most whites in the Cincinnati area live in predominantly white neighborhoods, maybe with some Indian or Asian families, but very few blacks. Cincinnati is segregated... but more by income than purely by race. It's hard to empathize with other people when you rarely interact with them.

Cincinnati also has a HUGE poor white population, including a lot of Appalachians who moved into the city for the now disappearing industrial jobs. These folks are very parochial... very insular... and (in my opinion) not very tolerant of other folks. This doesn't help the racial mix.

[Bigbluelandrover]

Dayton,
I am enlightened by your post and I have to agree with you 100%. I am a AA female and college educated. I aspire to have the finer things in life and I AM a hard worker. One day I want a nice beautiful home. On occasion my husband and I will go to open houses in the predom white areas and get looked at like "why are you here?". Plus we don't see others like us that are doing that well. Sure there are a few blacks in WestChester, Fairfied, Mason etc...But I would love to see more progression amongst my own race. Isn't that what the civil rights movement was all about?

Then you do have the people with applachian roots. Lord Jesus!. I worked for the county for a very short period of time and these people have a lot of needs. Go deep into the woods of West Va and you'll be shocked at how some people still live. Some of these people migrated here and stopped in places like Price Hill, Hamilton Ohio, Northside--just to name a few. I think this is where alot of the bigotry comes from. You also have so much division that it is not uncommon for whites to come out of school with no interraction with other cultures period.
Now I see more cultural/class differences here than anything.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by dayton_ohio

there isn't a large black middle class. [snip] most whites in the Cincinnati area live in predominantly white neighborhoods, maybe with some Indian or Asian families, but very few blacks. Cincinnati is segregated... but more by income than purely by race. It's hard to empathize with other people when you rarely interact with them.

Golf Manor, North Avondale, Bond Hill, Madisonville, Madison Place, Westwood, Winton Place, Forest Park ... How are these not middle-class, integrated communities?

[Bigbluelandrover]

Golf Manor, North Avondale, Bond Hill, Madisonville, Madison Place, Westwood, Winton Place, Forest Park ... How are these not middle-class, integrated communities?

Golf Manor does have a mixture of mid/low income blacks
North Avondale-Mixed area..some "old society" AA's live there.
Bond Hill--sorry but it is a dump-with the exception of Paddock Hills. Too much crime.
Madisonville --that is the hood--unless they have bulldozed the place.
Westwood --see above
Winton Place has a mixture but there are some pockets where the demographic is low income--not middle class.

I think what we are looking at are "Upper Class" areas, a lot of those ares are older, lower middle class communities. Like what you see in Atlanta, Charoltte, Maryland etc... There are nice areas in Forest Park and that is a diverse area..Liberty Township fits that bill to some extent. It still isn't as large as it could be.

[dayton_ohio]

Thank you landrover... you said what I haven't had time to post.

Honestly, most of the neighborhoods you mentioned are integrated because there are older white folks who can't afford to move out. Middle-class families are moving to Mason, West Chester, Loveland, Milford, Anderson, Batavia, Northern Kentucky, etc. -- not Westwood, Bond Hill, or Winton Place.

It's actually laughable to call those neighborhoods "middle-class", unless your definition of middle class starts at dirt-poor and ends at working-poor.

Somebody else has been pushing Westwood as a good option. I was born in Westwood on one of those charming "suburban-urban" streets, but my parents, my family, and all of my parents friends have moved out of the area. It is not a good option for most buyers -- end up on the wrong street (or right behind the wrong street), and you are in one of Cincinnati's most dangerous neighborhoods.

I agree with landrover -- there is no "integrated Mason" or "integrated Mt. Lookout". You visit the outdoor mall in Norwood or a grocery store in Mason and it looks like Cincinnati is 95% white.