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Boston is unique is the only white favorable city on my list that was majority-non white 20+ years ago. It's also at least 3x more black than the other Black unfavorable cities.
Indeed, Bostons school-age 5-18 population is 2x more black residents (34%) than white residents (15.9%). So while blacks are the predominant group growing up in the city of Boston and have been at least since the 1990s (if not the 1980s_ it has that perception. Whites love it but generally won't raise their kids in the city itself the way they would in Seattle, Austin, or Portland.
Boston and its metro also appeal heavily to Black West Indians and Africans- just not Black Americans.
I think it’s important to provide context for Boston. It is very favorable in the Black West Indian population segment of the Black Diaspora. Boston is only unfavorable with American Black people and culture.
I think most Americans think Black people are all the same, but Black people are very dynamic. I don’t know if another race is more dynamic than Black people to be honest. You have Black American, Black African, and Black West Indian people with very distinct cultures that are completely different including language.
I think it’s important to provide context for Boston. It is very favorable in the Black West Indian population segment of the Black Diaspora. Boston is only unfavorable with American Black people and culture.
That's what I said in the last line of my post, yes that's correct.
I think it’s important to provide context for Boston. It is very favorable in the Black West Indian population segment of the Black Diaspora. Boston is only unfavorable with American Black people and culture.
I think most Americans think Black people are all the same, but Black people are very dynamic. I don’t know if another race is more dynamic than Black people to be honest. You have Black American, Black African, and Black West Indian with very distinct cultures that are completely different including language.
Black American and Black West Indian (American) are more closely related than Black African in my extensive upbringing with all three groups. Africans tend to disassociate from Black Americans and try to live in far-flung suburban places when possible. Black Americans and West Indians have a longer share history f music, fashion, language, and immigration, as well as chattel slavery. Growing up we KNEW who the African kids were very much so. You dint know who West Indians kids were. West Indian immigrants can serve as a midway between African and Black American culture but a 2nd gen west Indian is more American than a 2nd gen African in my opinion.
I don't know that black people are the most dynamic. All races have major differences within them. I still cant get over how different the Hispanics in Baltimore are from Boston- its massive, the difference. And huge variations in whites and of course Asians from Indian to Japanese to Cambodian..
Boston is unique is the only white favorable city on my list that was majority-non white 20+ years ago. It's also at least 3x more black than the other Black unfavorable cities.
Indeed, Bostons school-age 5-18 population is 2x more black residents (34%) than white residents (15.9%). So while blacks are the predominant group growing up in the city of Boston and have been at least since the 1990s (if not the 1980s_ it has that perception. Whites love it but generally won't raise their kids in the city itself the way they would in Seattle, Austin, or Portland.
Boston and its metro also appeal heavily to Black West Indians and Africans- just not Black Americans.
I don't know if I buy that this dynamic is really all that different than Austin. Boston has much smaller city limits despite being a much bigger city with a larger urban core, so it's difficult to get an apples to apples comparison. AISD has 50% more students than Boston schools and sprawls much further into suburban areas yet is still only about 30% white despite that. More than Boston's 15% perhaps but hardly filled with white people.
The dynamic I've noticed is that once a school is blighted nobody with means will put their kid in that school. This makes it very difficult to turn the school around, even if real estate prices around the school are now very high. There seems to be a binary separation between "Good schools" that people will put their kids in and "bad schools" that are extremely impoverished. As the inner city gentrifies the good schools are getting better while the bad schools stay the same or get worse.
I don't know if I buy that this dynamic is really all that different than Austin. Boston has much smaller city limits despite being a much bigger city with a larger urban core, so it's difficult to get an apples to apples comparison. AISD has 50% more students than Boston schools and sprawls much further into suburban areas yet is still only about 30% white despite that. More than Boston's 15% perhaps but hardly filled with white people.
The dynamic I've noticed is that once a school is blighted nobody with means will put their kid in that school. This makes it very difficult to turn the school around, even if real estate prices around the school are now very high. There seems to be a binary separation between "Good schools" that people will put their kids in and "bad schools" that are extremely impoverished. As the inner city gentrifies the good schools are getting better while the bad schools stay the same or get worse.
Um:.. that’s double. That’s a major difference.
Again I said they aren’t willing to raise them in [/b]Boston itself[/b] it’s borne out by the numbers. Nothing to actually disagree about. I never said it was filled or even implied that Austin was white people.
White people are willing to raise their kids in Austin because it’s more suburban and much less black as a city- that’s pretty obvious. White people move to municipalities that aren’t Boston when their kids turn 5 because they feel they have to the pressure to do that is much less in Austin.
You’re never gonna get apples to apples because ones in Texas and ones in Massachusetts. Fundamentally different states. I’d expect Austin to physically larger because it’s in a state that many multitude larger a than MA.
Also that’s the % of school age kids in total not the ones in NPS which is 14.5% not 15.9% idk what the similar number would be in Austin. But you’re not gonna see 2x as many black Holstein in Austin than white children..
Boston is a city of 680,000 people. There are fewer than 12,000 white school age kids in the city. Many of whom are immigrants.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 05-19-2022 at 03:53 PM..
Just so were clear, are you African American? I always assumed because of your screen name you were South Asian.
Since its a determination by race, its relevant.
Haha! No, I’m white (Irish more specifically). The name is a reference to a historical term for the Boston elite that I inverted (“Boston Brahmin”. No actual relation really to Hinduism).
Places that have a unique pull or push. Meaning mostly or inordinately supported or disliked by a certain racial group compared to the other 2/3.
White Favorable:
Boston
Austin
Denver
Black Favorable:
Detroit
Memphis
Houston
Asian Favorable:
LA
SF
NYC
Hispanic Favorable:
LA
Miami
NYC
White Unfavorable:
Houston
NYC
LA
Black Unfavorable:
Boston
Austin
Portland
SF
Asian Unfavorable:
IDK
Hispanic Unfavorable:
Pittsburgh
Houston/Boston are the best examples of being lauded by white or blacks and then pretty heavily maligned by white/black. The inverse of each other. And two basically polar opposite cities from a settlement/culture/development standpoint. Houston is a new, suburban, integrated, sprawling, hot, featureless, black mayor. Boston is old, highly urban, fairly segregated, minimal sprawl, generally cold, hills/beaches/lakes/rocky, never had an elected black mayor.
I’ve met a few black people who do not at all like Salt Lake City or Spokane. I’ve never visited either, but the paucity of Black people in both and discomfort that elicits probably has a lot to with it. I’ve also heard people throw shade on Indianapolis, a place I’ve only driven through.
I don’t think black folks view the big California cities as unfriendly or unlikeable—just unaffordable. Were it not for the high COL a lot more of us might be there. Sacramento might be an exception.
Because of high crime, weak schools, and poverty, Detroit, Baltimore, and Hartford are viewed badly by many whites, though all three have attractive upscale suburbs for people of all ethnicities.
Lot's of blacks are indifferent or hate Philadelphia. You mention Philly, you'll either get an "eww, it's too dirty and dangerous" or "It's alright, I don't hear about it too much though". Most of the love comes from progressive white urbanist.
Again I said they aren’t willing to raise them in Boston itself it’s borne out by the numbers. Nothing to actually disagree about. I never said it was filled or even implied that Austin was white people.
White people are willing to raise their kids in Austin because it’s more suburban and much less black as a city- that’s pretty obvious. White people move to municipalities that aren’t Boston when their kids turn 5 because they feel they have to the pressure to do that is much less in Austin.
Your mindset of "in Austin" as if that's meaningful doesn't make sense here. Austin has huge city limits and many parts of "the city" would be five suburbs out in Boston. I don't think the dynamics are different as much as city and school district boundaries are drawn differently.
Like if you are a white family in east Austin you end up with the same dilemma that you described in Boston. Do I put my kids in this school that is 3% white and 99% low income or do I move or go private? Yeah most white people aren't picking the 3% white school here either.
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