Houston diversity and segregation (San Antonio, Sugar Land: cheap apartment, how much, school)

[LizzySWW]

Houston: Clear racial divisions fan out from downtown


Note: Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, and Orange is Hispanic, and each dot is 25 people.

Read more: Check Out The Extreme Racial Segregation In America's Biggest Cities - Business Insider

Like it or not, most people in Houston live among their own races. The nice thing is that when we step out of our 'bubbles' we get along fine. You see mostly friendly interactions at work, in the parks, museums, Texans games, and so on. We have millions of residents with hundreds of different cultures, it's nice to go home at the end of the day & feel like you really fit in with your neighbors & can relate to their life experiences.


Edit: answering the question "what was the purpose of my statements":
I wrote this to share my experience living in Houston in terms of integration. I think we all get along pretty well when out & about. But living in mixed neighborhoods hasn't been my experience, nor has it been the experience of most of my minority friends who grew up in Houston. Some see Houston as an integrated place to live, I guess I don't see the city in that light but am open to hearing other POV's. I included the map to support my thoughts.

[jek74]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

Houston: Clear racial divisions fan out from downtown


Note: Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, and Orange is Hispanic, and each dot is 25 people.

Read more: Check Out The Extreme Racial Segregation In America's Biggest Cities - Business Insider

Like it or not, most people in Houston live among their own races. The nice thing is that when we step out of our 'bubbles' we get along fine. You see mostly friendly interactions at work, in the parks, museums, Texans games, and so on. We have millions of residents with hundereds of different cultures, it's nice to go home at the end of the day & feel like you really fit in with your neighbors & can relate to their life experiences.

Lizzy, that is true of the entire US. I honestly don't understand the purpose of these statements.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

Houston: Clear racial divisions fan out from downtown


Note: Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, and Orange is Hispanic, and each dot is 25 people.

Read more: Check Out The Extreme Racial Segregation In America's Biggest Cities - Business Insider

Like it or not, most people in Houston live among their own races. The nice thing is that when we step out of our 'bubbles' we get along fine. You see mostly friendly interactions at work, in the parks, museums, Texans games, and so on. We have millions of residents with hundereds of different cultures, it's nice to go home at the end of the day & feel like you really fit in with your neighbors & can relate to their life experiences.

Show me a map that shows better integration. The reality is that segregation is found in every city, but Houston is one of the better ones in terms of integration.

[OducksFTW!]

Interesting how the lady in the video mentions that "scholars" classify Houston as extremely diverse. I wonder what major cities with so many different ethnicities as not diverse.

Its true most other cities in the United States are more or less segregated than Houston, but what was interesting about that video is the second half where they talk about the diversity of the suburbs which rank more than the city of Houston itself.

But I have noticed the stink eye when I hang out with some of my white female friends here, which I didn't notice in Chicago(a much more segregated city than Houston). It seems that people up north are segregated much more for economical reasons than personal reasons. And during all-star weekend, plenty of stink eyes going around during Jam Session and other festivities, the white folks were just trying to mind their own business and keep their kids close. lol

What I find hilarious about all this is the fact that the US in general usually has a bridge or a main roadway divides the upper-scale predominant white neighborhoods to the lower-income neighborhoods. For Houston its 288, the difference between either side is night and day.

So for Houstonians to say that we're above the rest of the country when it comes to integration, I dont think that's quite true, but we're definitely not any more segregated than any other city.

Houston is on par with the rest of the country in my opinion. Now gentrification and these new developments that keep popping up might shove the lower-income people out, which would cause the consensus data to be skewed and inaccurate, might cause for Houstonians to believe we are integrated.

University of Houston is the most diverse and integrated schools you will see anywhere in the country, that absolutely suggests that there Houston as a whole is very diverse and integrated. I see many ethnicities that colloborate on projects, assignments, and presentations when I was attending. UH is the epitome of a diverse college and campus. Although now that I think about it, the sororities and fraternities were extremely segregated, but thats probably true of any University in the country.

On the other hand Texas A&M, they've had their racial issues in the past, considered by many as one of the most conservative non-religious affiliated university in the country. And where do a majority of those grads go? Houston. I remember walking around College Station and seeing buttons that read "Say No to Racism" and I just had to laugh, you know you have racial problems when you have to promote equality in the 21st century.

[14Bricks]

Segregation in Houston(like in most cities) has more to do with economics than it does race. People of the same tax bracket usually leave together. If you have money and can afford to live in River Oaks, Tanglewood, Piney point, I don't think nobody is going to stop you. And people at the poverty level usually reside in 5th ward, South park, Denver Harbor, Large parts of the South West Houston.

[Huckleberry3911948]

As long as 50% of homicides r black on black




diversity will be slow
Bill white should have looked at that before bringing 130000 from new Orleans

[Scientific]

Houston is driven by socioeconomic class. End of story. Who is at the high and low ends of that class, is why we segregate.

As gentrification has started to drive the inner loop, those people are being displaced, and look for the most affordable areas to move in. Its why i dont think SW houston will ever truthfully get better. Not while cheap apartments and housing is there.

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

Bill white should have looked at that before bringing 130000 from new Orleans

What was he supposed to do? I remember back then how openly friendly everyone was at the idea, and the human responsibility we had to Katrina victims. What most had no idea about, was just how low class and ungrateful many many many of Louisiana and New Orleans residents were. To the point, even Houstonians in that end of the spectrum were getting annoyed by them. Anyone in the mayor's position would have done the same thing. The city as a whole, would have had a "racist" reputation had he acted differently.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by french paris

It seems that Houston is better that cities of Midwest or North about segregation !
Houston is probably number one for lots of things

It most definitely is better than Chicago and I love Chicago. But Houston is much more integrated than Chicago.

[jek74]

Originally Posted by Spade

It most definitely is better than Chicago and I love Chicago. But Houston is much more integrated than Chicago.

Chicago is by far the worst in the country in terms of segregation.

[jek74]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

Houston: Clear racial divisions fan out from downtown


Note: Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, and Orange is Hispanic, and each dot is 25 people.

Read more: Check Out The Extreme Racial Segregation In America's Biggest Cities - Business Insider

Like it or not, most people in Houston live among their own races. The nice thing is that when we step out of our 'bubbles' we get along fine. You see mostly friendly interactions at work, in the parks, museums, Texans games, and so on. We have millions of residents with hundreds of different cultures, it's nice to go home at the end of the day & feel like you really fit in with your neighbors & can relate to their life experiences.


Edit: answering the question "what was the purpose of my statements":
I wrote this to share my experience living in Houston in terms of integration. I think we all get along pretty well when out & about. But living in mixed neighborhoods hasn't been my experience, nor has it been the experience of most of my minority friends who grew up in Houston. Some see Houston as an integrated place to live, I guess I don't see the city in that light but am open to hearing other POV's. I included the map to support my thoughts.

One of the reasons in general why poor people live in or near cities vs the burbs (please don't get offended) is that there are virtually no welfare services in the burbs. They are all in the city. I've lived in NY and Chicago, FL, St. Louis and I have seen this all over. That's why a lot of minorities and poor people live close to the city and not far away in the burbs.

Another reason they don't live "far" out in the burbs is because many people rely on mass transit, yes, even in Houston. Gas is expensive, even in Houston.

Another thing about poor people and I'll talk a little bit about the great migration from Europe to the US both pre and post WWII. When the poor Europeans came over (German, Irish, English) they tend to assimilate better with their own culture. When people are poor, you really need to lean on your neighbors and the people around you much more then when you are rich. This is why all the Germans lived in the same area in NY and Chicago as well the Swedes, the Pols, the Russians. Even today they still do this, especially when their English is not very good. They rely heavily on their community. Obviously this goes for all the mexican immigrants as well who speak little to no English.

So all these factors contribute across the entire country to why people live where they live. It is NOT because white people don't want to live around blacks or Mexicans or vice versa. I have had this conversation before on this board with another poster where I explained that middle class whites do not want to live near "poor" blacks or mexicans. Not ALL blacks or mexicans, but "poor". So if a black family moved into the Woodlands and the husband and father was a doctor, nobody would blink an eye. If he was an engineer or pilot or oil and gas worker, nobody would care. But if a single black guy who dressed like a "thug" and drove a 1982 Cadillac and had all sorts of suspicious people coming and going from his house all hours of the day, then yes, that will bother most white folks.

I'll say it again, it's not skin color that makes people uncomfortable but economic status. Even among only whites, if a poor white family moves into a fairly affluent area, it does create some awkwardness. Because you know they don't belong there and they know they don't belong there and yet they will be your neighbor.

Let me make one more point. As many have pointed out here, Houston has been invaded by a lot of east and west coasters, most of them fairly affluent. Let me tell you something right now, these people are NOT, I repeat NOT, use to living around mexicans or blacks. They come from very affluent burbs in CT, Long Island, NJ and they move to Houston where chances are, they are surrounded by latinos, even in well to do areas. Unless they are living in River Oaks or Memorial or a few other places, because it's so cheap down here, many upwardly mobile blacks and latinos are going to move next door. These people from the north are NOT use to that. But local Texans? Not a problem, TX has embraced it's Mexican heritage and has really done a great job integrating the cultures. You won't see that in any other state.