Diversity in Denver (Aurora, Boulder, Littleton: cul-de-sac, living, restaurant)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by hello-world

i agree that there are some examples out there that might arguably supercede denver in these regards. generally, i think denver is relatively less diverse or integrated than most cities it's size, it's stature, it's prominance, and that denver metro can generally feel rather segregated and by and large, caucasian if you're caucasian, latino if you're latino, i'd imagine. during some times of the day, i would guess that denver might be one of the most caucasian places around (as many of the more white collar and caucasian populace comes into an already relatively less diverse place during those times). (the green chile's usually QUITE GOOD, REGARDLESS!)

I guess I'd like to know which cities you are comparing it to. Maybe I've been isolated in my little health care bubble for too long, but in most all of the health care institutions where I have worked, there is a diverse work force. That is true even of Avista in Louisville. And our patients certainly are diverse. So for me, the daytime reality is diversity.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I guess I'd like to know which cities you are comparing it to. Maybe I've been isolated in my little health care bubble for too long, but in most all of the health care institutions where I have worked, there is a diverse work force. That is true even of Avista in Louisville. And our patients certainly are diverse. So for me, the daytime reality is diversity.

i think you can see some of the talk of denver "diversity" echoes throughout the forum. or, if you were to be out and about throughout the city and metro, after having done the same throughout other cities and metros, you also might see some of the same. i've listed a bunch of the cities i think of throughout our posting back and forth here. and you see it in the numbers throughout the censuses, etc.. yes, there are some exceptions, while many are either midwestern or mountain western, or otherwise rather ethnic - but higher fraction white - so seeming more "diverse" (socioeconomically, ethnically). i would also imagine portland and seattle are distinctly caucasian. nice places in many ways, as well, though maybe not very "diverse" (a subjective term, to be sure).

in the end i like the area, overall, so please don't get me wrong. i just think some of this - some of the especially "white mid-american", along with some of the especially "quilted" or "segregated", though not terribly so and seemingly rather pleasant for many of us of various stripes - can be worth people keeping in mind.

[Katarina Witt]

The diversity issue comes up a lot in the Pittsburgh forum, too. I disagree that having a large "ethnic" population makes up for a lack of diversity of races. Most of these people's families have been in this country a long time. They do not see themselves as separate. As I said before, it was barely the case any more when I was in high school in the 60s, for the kids anyway. It was more important to the parents. And what separation there was, was not always good. Greeks and Italians were often discriminated against. I have probably heard every derogatory term there is for different eastern and southern European groups.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

The diversity issue comes up a lot in the Pittsburgh forum, too. I disagree that having a large "ethnic" population makes up for a lack of diversity of races. Most of these people's families have been in this country a long time. They do not see themselves as separate. As I said before, it was barely the case any more when I was in high school in the 60s, for the kids anyway. It was more important to the parents. And what separation there was, was not always good. Greeks and Italians were often discriminated against. I have probably heard every derogatory term there is for different eastern and southern European groups.

fair enough.

as for "diversity", the topic is "diversity", not diversity of race. nevertheless, i would say that in denver there can seem less diversity of race - as well as diversity, period - than in most cities the size and stature of denver. and it appears that the statistics support this, generally. there are some examples of cities that are also noted for a relative lack of "diversity", some of which you cite, that are comparable to denver or less "diverse", at the least in feel or exposure. and i never say that "diversity" is patently better. i think with it can come more exposure to differences, and so some more understanding or engagement. engagement can be "curiosity" and interpersonal interest, and it can be violent. many factors can seem to come into play in this (history, socioeconomics, etc.), and so sometimes diversity can result in strain and strife.

either way, sure, pittsburgh may seem less diverse to you. cincinnati can seem less diverse. or KC. boise. salt lake, maybe. etc.. considering the overall picture and the experiences for various people, it seems to me that overall, denver can seem a relatively rather non-diverse place. what many white non-hispanics see - in restaurants, on the buses, in the parks, etc. - can be quite white non-hispanic. i suspect many hispanic people tend to see largely hispanic people with some white non-hispanic people passing through. those are the two predominant races, e.g.. we could list all the cities proper in the US and i would guess that denver would be in the top 10% predominantly white middle/upper-middle class: i tried to think of some of the most likely "white" places in america, and denver seems to fall in the middle of that pack, while being significantly more white than most other larger cities i listed. during work day hours or friday nights from 5pm-1am, i would guess that denver might be in the top 5%, if not one of the most caucasian. not terribly scientific, i know, but very suggestive. i think that some of the census data supports this when considering cities the size and stature of denver. i think personal experience, across many experiences and not just a couple of cities in the nation that are noted as especially white as it is, supports it as well.

[Katarina Witt]

In any event, I think we have given a newcomer a good picture of Denver.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

In any event, I think we have given a newcomer a good picture of Denver.

but i still think that as far as "diversity" goes... kidding.

hopefully, any newcomers will weigh the abundance of tasty green chili ("pork" or "porkfree") in any decisions, too. and other such delicious influences of the latino population.

[jessallen]

I live in Stapleton and while it's fairly white racially, I'd say at least 20% is non-white. In my neighborhood there are hispanics, Asians (south and far east) middle eastern, African American - and mixed race couples aren't anything uncommon. It's very liberal too. We're a mixed race gay couple with mixed race twins on the way, and we feel very comfortable here.[/quote]


Congrats on the TWINS! I am excited for you. I love Stapleton because of the mixture of my neighbors. It is a better life-education for my kids than any 'burb I've seen where everyone looks the same and shares the same politics, etc.

[Katarina Witt]

I live in Stapleton and while it's fairly white racially, I'd say at least 20% is non-white. In my neighborhood there are hispanics, Asians (south and far east) middle eastern, African American - and mixed race couples aren't anything uncommon. It's very liberal too. We're a mixed race gay couple with mixed race twins on the way, and we feel very comfortable here.

Congrats on the TWINS! I am excited for you. I love Stapleton because of the mixture of my neighbors. It is a better life-education for my kids than any 'burb I've seen where everyone looks the same and shares the same politics, etc.

Well, yes, first off, congrats on the twins. But aren't the statements in bold contradictory? I mean, if Stapleton is predominantly liberal, doesn't that mean most people share the same politics?

[Fallingwaters]

Glad to read that Denver isn't generally hung up on interracial couples.

Just on the "diversity" issue, I think mainly it affects two things:

What kind of food can you find?
Are you going to commonly encounter negative racial attitudes?

When people ask this question, I think it's a politically correct way of really asking "any racial hang ups where I'm looking to move -- we really don't need to deal with all of that" more than "what's the percentage of population demographic xyz specifically?"

You can infer what attitudes really are in threads on other states -- such as forums for those areas where people respond to posts in mock-spanish to make a point in a negative way that an area of town is predominately that ethnicity -- or the moderators end up cutting threads because they've turned into ethnic or ideological flame-wars. Or when your read news editorials in regional local papers where more than just one crackpot opines that all of the area's problems are caused by a single minority group. Not to mention data on places where the bad attitudes are more institutionalized with some controversial attempt to practice racial profiling in law enforcement.

WA state is a good example of a place with a generally accepting attitude toward "diversity," (they always talk about their "diversity," -- they're really trying to say "hey, we're not racist up here!") even though just looking at statistical ethnic make-up, it lacks it (I think even more so than Colorado -- exception probably being WA having a higher asian population). The biggest drawback I've found to this is that you don't always find the variety of ethnic restaurants you might see in other areas.

I think I'm hearing similarities between Seattle and Denver on this thread (except for the restaurant thing, looks like Denver has more "diversity" than Seattle in that regard) enough to be able to compare the two and figure out that it wouldn't be a drastically different environment.

[Katarina Witt]

You can find racial diversity statistics on City-Data's main page for each city. I don't really know how Denver compares to Seattle.

Some people on this forum see Denver as very "white bread", homogenous, etc. Some see it differently. It seems to me, it may depend on how you spend your day. In a health care institution, there are usually people of different races and ethnicities working together. In an engineering firm, perhaps not. If your kids are in school, they see different races and ethnicities as well.

Ethnic restaurants are popular in Boulder. I don't go out to eat much in Denver proper, so I'm not sure. There are a lot of ethnic restaurants near the University of Denver.