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Stay away from Houston and Austin, and Texas in general. Those are still Southern cities and still have many of the issues found in other parts of the South. Houston specifically is very conservative and has a large black population. Seattle, Denver, and San Diego would all be good choices. Also look into Boise and Billings, which are up-and-coming Western cities.
Houston is too big to be JUST conservative.
Also, you have to understand that many of the major cities and college towns in the South are more "liberal"/open minded/tolerant than the rural and small town areas of the South.
Stay away from Houston and Austin, and Texas in general. Those are still Southern cities and still have many of the issues found in other parts of the South. Houston specifically is very conservative and has a large black population. Seattle, Denver, and San Diego would all be good choices. Also look into Boise and Billings, which are up-and-coming Western cities.
If you think running to the West will free of these type of problems; than you are wrong. The West (outside of CA) lacks a large vibrant black community compared to other regions of the country. You can't say places like Denver and Seattle are progressive and not racist; when they have incredibly small black populations for their size.
Houston is very conservative???; yet Harris County (Houston) voted blue in the last election and just recently elected a lesbian mayor. You claim to not have problems with blacks, but you point out we have a large black population as if that makes things worse.
Why don't you just stop hiding your true feelings and ask "Which cities in the West have the least black people?"
I'm glad you're narrowing things down. I know a lot of people gave you a hard time on your other thread about being non "stereotypical" and looking for a place that is truly open-minded when it comes to race. Your list is a pretty good one.
I lived in Seattle one summer for an internship and found people to be very community-minded, fair, and tolerant. Though Seattle's black population is fairly small, I saw plenty of friendly interaction between the two races. Also, the fact that there really isn't a bad neighborhood in Seattle that is nearly all-black helps the situation. I walked around Seattle's "black" neighborhood a few times and saw a very good mix of people coexisting. The Pacific Northwest really doesn't have a history of racism, and due to the small black population and absence of "ghettos" that can be found in other regions of the country, people likely aren't socialized to fear blacks and think negatively of black neighborhoods as they are in other regions.
I don't know too much about Denver but I've heard good things with regards to diversity and integration. Houston is diverse, but more segregated than Western Cities, minus Los Angeles. San Diego is known to be home to a lot of conservatives (whom lots of people presume to be more racist than liberals... but that often is NOT the case at all), but I have heard that there are better race relations there than further north in the Los Angeles area.
Finally, I think it would be worth looking into Austin as well. Central Austin and the hills to its west and northwest are known to be home to a lot of tolerant people. There aren't too many blacks there either and it is right on the border of where the South stopped and the West began, so there really isn't much of a legacy of racism or fear of blacks there, to my knowledge. Also, due to the University of Texas being a highly-respected research university, there are plenty of intellectuals who care more about what you read or what you aspire to do than about the color of your skin. I don't have much experience with Austin, though, and am primarily going by what friends who have lived there before tell me.
Whatever you decide, best of luck!
Western cities can't be as intergrated as Houston when they lack a large black community.
I'm glad you're narrowing things down. I know a lot of people gave you a hard time on your other thread about being non "stereotypical" and looking for a place that is truly open-minded when it comes to race. Your list is a pretty good one.
I lived in Seattle one summer for an internship and found people to be very community-minded, fair, and tolerant. Though Seattle's black population is fairly small, I saw plenty of friendly interaction between the two races. Also, the fact that there really isn't a bad neighborhood in Seattle that is nearly all-black helps the situation. I walked around Seattle's "black" neighborhood a few times and saw a very good mix of people coexisting. The Pacific Northwest really doesn't have a history of racism, and due to the small black population and absence of "ghettos" that can be found in other regions of the country, people likely aren't socialized to fear blacks and think negatively of black neighborhoods as they are in other regions.
I don't know too much about Denver but I've heard good things with regards to diversity and integration. Houston is diverse, but more segregated than Western Cities, minus Los Angeles. San Diego is known to be home to a lot of conservatives (whom lots of people presume to be more racist than liberals... but that often is NOT the case at all), but I have heard that there are better race relations there than further north in the Los Angeles area.
Finally, I think it would be worth looking into Austin as well. Central Austin and the hills to its west and northwest are known to be home to a lot of tolerant people. There aren't too many blacks there either and it is right on the border of where the South stopped and the West began, so there really isn't much of a legacy of racism or fear of blacks there, to my knowledge. Also, due to the University of Texas being a highly-respected research university, there are plenty of intellectuals who care more about what you read or what you aspire to do than about the color of your skin. I don't have much experience with Austin, though, and am primarily going by what friends who have lived there before tell me.
Whatever you decide, best of luck!
That part is not necessarily true. Just ask people in that region about NE Portland, the Central district of Seattle or the hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, among others.
If you think running to the West will free of these type of problems; than you are wrong. The West (outside of CA) lacks a large vibrant black community compared to other regions of the country. You can't say places like Denver and Seattle are progressive and not racist; when they have incredibly small black populations for their size.
Houston is very conservative???; yet Harris County (Houston) voted blue in the last election and just recently elected a lesbian mayor. You claim to not have problems with blacks, but you point out we have a large black population as if that makes things worse.
Why don't you just stop hiding your true feelings and ask "Which cities in the West have the least black people?"
I think it's just coincidence that those cities have a relatively low black population. It's not the reason why they're so popular/'cool.'
I don't think that is what the article is saying. What it is getting at is that it is ironic that they have lower than usual Black communities for being so "liberal". I know that their location and costs, among other things, have a lot to do with why the percentages are lower than usual too.
The thing with Austin is that it's pretty close to areas with a sizable black community. I doubt Seattle or Denver are going to have popular black events like the Texas Relay.
The thing with Austin is that it's pretty close to areas with a sizable black community. I doubt Seattle or Denver are going to have popular black events like the Texas Relay.
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