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Charlotte is very interesting to me, since its a booming city, much larger than people think, more diverse than people think, nice airport, a huge destination for blacks leaving the Northeast and Mid Atlantic, and one of the few cities were its city proper black population numbers and percentage are increasing.
for anyone familiar with or living in Charlotte: Is it still cheap? Where are the middle and upper class blacks concentrated in Charlotte/Mecklenburg county? whats the status of expansion of public transportation there?
Like all growing cities, especially in the Sunbelt, Charlotte isn't as cheap as it used to be and the city is actually experiencing an affordable housing crisis at the moment. Practically all of the new multifamily housing consists of swanky, expensive new apartment buildings and gentrification is in full effect. That said, if you're making decent money, you can typically find something within your budget in a decent part of town. The west side of the city has historically had the largest concentration of Blacks, but you can also find a good bit of Black folks east and north of Uptown, and in select parts south of Uptown. I'd say most middle/upper class Blacks will be found in the University (of NC at Charlotte, or UNCC) area, but middle/upper-middle class parts of Charlotte are more integrated than in most other cities. The expansion of public transportation is in full swing; an extension of the light rail line opened two years ago (almost to the day, March 16, 2018) which goes from Uptown to the University area and the second phase of the streetcar line which goes from the historically Black west side of the city to the east side is projected to start service this year sometime. Of course, that's a big part of what's driving gentrification in the city but for the residents who remain, they will certainly benefit. Also, last year the city approved funding preliminary studies for the proposed light rail Silver Line that will go from the eastern suburb of Matthews to the western suburb of Belmont and provide rail access to the airport but funding sources for actual construction have yet to be identified.
Black people going with private schools seems to be more of a thing in the Northeast and Midwest, as even in the Rust Belt cities, it is not uncommon to find Catholic or other private schools with substantial to high black percentages.
True. I think in the South, charter schools are a more popular alternative to public schools than private schools are given the history of many of them as segregation academies that were founded in the wake of mandated desegregation in public schools by the federal government.
Charlotte is very interesting to me, since its a booming city, much larger than people think, more diverse than people think, nice airport, a huge destination for blacks leaving the Northeast and Mid Atlantic, and one of the few cities were its city proper black population numbers and percentage are increasing.
for anyone familiar with or living in Charlotte: Is it still cheap? Where are the middle and upper class blacks concentrated in Charlotte/Mecklenburg county? whats the status of expansion of public transportation there?
Charlotte's black middle and upper class population is primarily concentrated on the north side of the city near the northeastern portion between the University City edge city and Northlake Mall areas. There are also booming pockets of black middle class households in Southwest Charlotte in and near Steele Creek. The funny thing is how surprisingly racially and ethnically diverse many of the areas are throughout Charlotte although it has rapidly growing black professional and entrepreneurship classes.
It is relatively cheap compared to other Tier 1 major cities overall. Although the cost of living is going up because of its explosive growth.
Public transit is rapidly expanding. The LYNX Rapid Transit light rail has the Blue Line operating, the Gold Line streetcar is being expanded at the moment, and the Silver Line is being designed at the moment. There are several express bus and bus rapid transit in operation radiating from the Uptown area. There are several managed express lanes in the works. I-77 has managed lanes that allows its usage as a bus rapid transit way from the northern suburbs to Uptown Charlotte. Most of the regular bus services radiate from the Blue Line transit stations and multiple park and ride lots throughout the metro. For its size, Charlotte has a robust public transit network that works for those who prefer its usage.
I attended undergrad in metro Charlotte and lived in the region for a couple of years after graduation and still visit regularly, so you aren't telling me anything I don't know in terms of domestic migration and local politics. But I think you're conflating a larger Black population with a better-off Black population, and they aren't necessarily the same. Understand that I'm not saying that there's a big gap between the two places with respect to their Black populations (there's not), and it can be a bit difficult comparing a metropolitan area that revolves around a single big city with one that's led by multiple smaller cities. But looking at some of the relevant statistics, the Triangle edges out Charlotte a bit. For instance, according to the Forbes 2018 "Where African Americans are Doing the Best Economically" list, Raleigh ranked #5 and Charlotte ranked #6. Both have similar Black homeownership rates (41.3% and 41.6% respectively) but Raleigh has a higher Black median household income at $49K compared to $42K in Charlotte.
Charlotte certainly fares better in terms of local political representation with city council being half Black and the county board of commissioners having a Black majority, but the Triangle isn't so shabby either. Raleigh/Wake and the city and county of Durham have less Black members on their city councils and the boards of commissioners, but the police chief, the sheriff, and the county manager in Raleigh/Wake and in the city and county of Durham are all Black which is similar to Charlotte/Mecklenburg (minus the county manager but Charlotte does have a Black fire chief). I do think Charlotte has a distinct advantage in having a more metropolitan, big city profile which brings more attention to it and helps to draw more Black folks in ways that go beyond the economy, schools, crime, etc. l
I'm aware of the Forbes article. I read it in 2018 when it was released. Charlotte is pulling in more black folks than Raleigh/Durham because of its higher standing, black business network and prominence amongst major cities. Charlotte still pulls more younger black professional class because it's centralized geographically within the Carolinas and more ethnically diverse with a variety of first and second generation African immigrants and Caribbean along with native born black Americans. For a period of the 2010s, they were close to one another, but Charlotte is moving ahead with blacks more than Raleigh-Durham these days.
BTW, I'm an urban planning professional by trade who was recruited to Charlotte for my expertise with stats and data along with transportation. Those 2018 numbers, which are based on 2017 estimates, are old in the data world these days.
True. I think in the South, charter schools are a more popular alternative to public schools than private schools are given the history of many of them as segregation academies that were founded in the wake of mandated desegregation in public schools by the federal government.
Good point about private schools in the South. Charter schools are getting traction in the Northeast as well, but the private schools have had a head start, in a sense.
Another school that comes to mind and is actually in the same area as the Avenue of Fashion in Detroit is this all male Catholic school that at times has had black valedictorians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Univer...ol_and_Academy
Some also may go with schools in NE NJ like The Patrick School in Elizabeth, Hudson Catholic and St. Peter's in Jersey City, Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey and Paramus Catholic in Paramus, among others.
Black people going with private schools seems to be more of a thing in the Northeast and Midwest, as even in the Rust Belt cities, it is not uncommon to find Catholic or other private schools with substantial to high black percentages. Not to divulge too much, but to just illustrate the point, here are some in Upstate NY that come to mind: https://bishopmaginn.org/ https://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/sc...te&ID=00923969
So, this may come down to where it becomes a more viable option for schooling.
By all means I wasn’t implying that this is the case for all of Black America but for a large percentage we don’t have many options of choosing a good diverse or predominantly private school in a community in the inner city or a gentrifying area where you can stay put and still give your child the best education and comfortable environment. Theres some exceptions though. NYC does have more of those options in comparison to other cities in America. Chicago might be another option where you have more than just a few. Other than that that combination of good neighborhood close to the city core and highly rated diverse or predominantly Black school is hard to come by. Not saying it doesn’t exist just it’s harder for Black Parents. But hey maybe I’m not looking in the right places outside of Atlanta/Houston and Dallas.
By all means I wasn’t implying that this is the case for all of Black America but for a large percentage we don’t have many options of choosing a good diverse or predominantly private school in a community in the inner city or a gentrifying area where you can stay put and still give your child the best education and comfortable environment. Theres some exceptions though. NYC does have more of those options in comparison to other cities in America. Chicago might be another option where you have more than just a few. Other than that that combination of good neighborhood close to the city core and highly rated diverse or predominantly Black school is hard to come by. Not saying it doesn’t exist just it’s harder for Black Parents. But hey maybe I’m not looking in the right places outside of Atlanta/Houston and Dallas.
I think it is one of those "there aren't as many as there should be, but there are more than we think" type of things. Some of this may be due to places that have this are overlooked due to size and/or a perception in terms of not thinking it is available. For instance, the Detroit example I just gave is actually in this predominantly black and middle class area of the city: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4324...2!9m2!1b1!2i37
I'm aware of the Forbes article. I read it in 2018 when it was released. Charlotte is pulling in more black folks than Raleigh/Durham because of its higher standing, black business network and prominence amongst major cities. Charlotte still pulls more younger black professional class because it's centralized geographically within the Carolinas and more ethnically diverse with a variety of first and second generation African immigrants and Caribbean along with native born black Americans. For a period of the 2010s, they were close to one another, but Charlotte is moving ahead with blacks more than Raleigh-Durham these days.
I agree with the reasons Charlotte is attracting more Blacks overall these days. What I find somewhat interesting is that when it comes to the factors influencing Black migration, Charlotte is more akin to Atlanta while the Triangle is similar to DC. While both cities have a large white-collar employment base, that's even more true for the Triangle which has a heavier concentration of STEM and government jobs, so it tends to attract more college-educated professionals of all races. The Triangle lacks the visibility and more central location of Charlotte which affects its Black domestic migration rate to an extent, but otherwise it is a solid performer.
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BTW, I'm an urban planning professional by trade who was recruited to Charlotte for my expertise with stats and data along with transportation. Those 2018 numbers, which are based on 2017 estimates, are old in the data world these days.
That's true, but the 2018 ACS statistics were only released a few short months ago and I haven't seen any rankings related to this particular subject yet, so for the most part the 2017 numbers are what we have to go by in most cases. Furthermore, I doubt there's been any significant changes to the numbers in the course of one year, or even up until today. Charlotte has probably closed the Black median household income gap a little bit but something monumental and unprecedented would have had to happen for it to overtake Raleigh in the span of 2-3 years.
I just think that when it comes to places with sizable Black populations where Blacks are doing relatively well but don't have the visibility or even hype that other places have, the Triangle is the posterboy. Overall it's a pretty impressive place and even somewhat unique for the South. My overall preference is for Charlotte as I consider it my second home and no doubt its recent rise is also impressive, but I also don't mind giving credit where it is due when it comes to other places.
I agree with the reasons Charlotte is attracting more Blacks overall these days. What I find somewhat interesting is that when it comes to the factors influencing Black migration, Charlotte is more akin to Atlanta while the Triangle is similar to DC. While both cities have a large white-collar employment base, that's even more true for the Triangle which has a heavier concentration of STEM and government jobs, so it tends to attract more college-educated professionals of all races. The Triangle lacks the visibility and more central location of Charlotte which affects its Black domestic migration rate to an extent, but otherwise it is a solid performer.
That's true, but the 2018 ACS statistics were only released a few short months ago and I haven't seen any rankings related to this particular subject yet, so for the most part the 2017 numbers are what we have to go by in most cases. Furthermore, I doubt there's been any significant changes to the numbers in the course of one year, or even up until today. Charlotte has probably closed the Black median household income gap a little bit but something monumental and unprecedented would have had to happen for it to overtake Raleigh in the span of 2-3 years.
I just think that when it comes to places with sizable Black populations where Blacks are doing relatively well but don't have the visibility or even hype that other places have, the Triangle is the posterboy. Overall it's a pretty impressive place and even somewhat unique for the South. My overall preference is for Charlotte as I consider it my second home and no doubt its recent rise is also impressive, but I also don't mind giving credit where it is due when it comes to other places.
Both are impressive, but Charlotte outshines the Triangle because the culture is more diverse. I would choose Charlotte as well.
Is this the longest running thread in city data history?
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