Race Relations? Please Help! (Columbia, Greenville: fit in, find a job, university)

[southcarolinamove]

My family is considering a move to SC this summer. We are upper-middle class African-Americans from the North. We are wondering how well we would fit in the communites surrounding Columbia. We lived in NC for a few years (about 5 years ago). We saw very few symbols of negative feelings toward minorities. We always felt welcome and made great friends, even in a community where we were the only minorites for miles.

We have young children and do not want to make a mistake with this move.

Does anyone know about the state of race relations in SC? Are their towns or places that are stuck in the past?

I hope I am not offending anyone.

Thank you.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by southcarolinamove

My family is considering a move to SC this summer. We are upper-middle class African-Americans from the North. We are wondering how well we would fit in the communites surrounding Columbia. We lived in NC for a few years (about 5 years ago). We saw very few symbols of negative feelings toward minorities. We always felt welcome and made great friends, even in a community where we were the only minorites for miles.

We have young children and do not want to make a mistake with this move.

Does anyone know about the state of race relations in SC? Are their towns or places that are stuck in the past?

I hope I am not offending anyone.

Thank you.

You won't have any problems. Columbia has a huge African-American population and is one of the top ten metros in the country for net-migration of African-American people. There are probably a few (very few) small towns in South Carolina you wouldn't want to move to, but those are few and far between, and I' doubt you'd be moving to any of those types of places anyway.

[babigyrl5]

This may not be much help but my job sends me from Cincinnati (where I am based but I'm from Chicago) to Columbia and Greenville every week for 3 days and though it is a short time I get to go out and explore the area and Columbia is VERY diverse. I am actually considering relocating to Greenville, SC (1.5 hrs north of Columbia, near Spartanburg, SC). I love the small town feel and beauty of Greenville and the closeness of a bigger city (Columbia and Asheville, NC). You shouldny have any problems.

[southcarolinamove]

Thanks so much for all of the responses. That makes me feel better!

[Chi2Midlands]

Originally Posted by southcarolinamove

My family is considering a move to SC this summer. We are upper-middle class African-Americans from the North. We are wondering how well we would fit in the communites surrounding Columbia. We lived in NC for a few years (about 5 years ago). We saw very few symbols of negative feelings toward minorities. We always felt welcome and made great friends, even in a community where we were the only minorites for miles.

We have young children and do not want to make a mistake with this move.

Does anyone know about the state of race relations in SC? Are their towns or places that are stuck in the past?

I hope I am not offending anyone.

Thank you.

I think you will find Columbia a fantastic fit for your family. I live among the newer subdivisions northeast of Columbia and there are MANY middle/upper-middle class African-American families here with young children.

Are there town stuck in the past? Sure - but there aren't all that many, and they certainly aren't that near Columbia. Unfortunately those stuck in the past sometimes have a disproportionate impact on politics and the media (e.g., the whole Confederate flag on the state capitol issue), but don't let that skew your perspective on race relations here. I have lived in Chicago and near Washington, DC, and hands-down Columbia has the best race relations of the places I've called home.

[lishapisha]

Hi:

Columbia and it's surrounding areas are a great place to raise a family! This is the very reason we chose to move here. I am originally from NY and moved south because of the quality of life and the cost of living is great too. I'm also a realtor here and would be glad to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

[sandlapper]

You will have no problem fitting in Columbia. there are tons of middle-upper middle class African-Americans in Columbia. Areas to consider would definately be Richland Northeast. That's where I would move if I moved back to Columbia. in regards to having a well educated African American community Columbia is compareable to Atlanta (not size obviously), Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Tidewater, VA, etc...and as mentioned earlier it is a top ten destination for African Americans moving south for many of those reasons.

[Blackbarbiedoll]

Columbia, South Carolina is great for African-Americans who are part of the reverse-migration movement to the South. Remember the "Field To Factory" African-American Migration between 1915 and 1940, when blacks moved to major cities in the North, due to Jim Crow, segregation laws? Well there is a "reverse" of that movement, with blacks moving back South, from major cities now defunct due to a loss of manufacturing jobs, like Detroit, Saginaw, Flint, Dayton, Cleveland, and many others. Columbia, S.C. has several major employers: State Government, Fort Jackson, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, and The University of South Carolina. Go to: www.sc.gov, and you'll find a job. The best places for a move to Columbia would be: Northeast, St. Andrews, Broad River Road Area, Southeast Columbia (Garner's Ferry Road area). The per-capita income is low, but you can make it with (2) jobs, if you are unskilled or don't have a degree. Check it out. You'll love it!

[jlboney]

I think you will find Columbia to be a nice and deverse city for yourself and your family to live in.