minorities (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport: how much, living, statistics)

[new2iowa]

Is Iowa minority friendly? Don't see very many around Des Moine, Ottumwa area.

[iowegian]

Iowa is a very white state, this is true. But I think larger cities in Iowa will be as friendly and welcoming to minorities as any comparable city in another state. That being said I could see why you might feel kind of alone as a minority in Ottumwa, it's not one of the state's most progressive (or diverse) areas. I am white so I guess I don't have any proof of this but I really don't think there are places where people will treat you poorly for being a minority in this state. In my experience, Des Moines (which is 82% white, making it the most diverse city in Iowa) and Iowa City (87%) are very tolerant cities. I see people of all ethnicities here in the IC area and it is really a non-issue.

[new2iowa]

Thank you for your response. That makes me feel alot more comfortable. You seem like a really nice person.

[symboliq]

I spent all of last week there (DM, Marshalltown, Cedar Falls/Waterloo) and was surprised how diverse parts of Iowa were. I'm being hired because of my 2nd language skills which are becoming more in demand there. Waterloo was extremely diverse with white as the minority and black as the majority. There's also a lot of Bosnian refugees who have made it their home.

I feel this will be a fine move for me and my family; I have no worries.

[mrkool]

Originally Posted by symboliq

Waterloo was extremely diverse with white as the minority and black as the majority.

Good grief...
Please do not give such false information to people.
Waterloo is 80% white, and only 14% black.

[IAaintsobad]

It's funny to me how people seem to only consider the black race as the only minority. I live in Cedar Rapids and have many Vietnamese and Hispanic friends as well as black (not that these are the only minorities). I hate how these stereotypes are pressed on the midwest!

[waloo67]

Waterloo is the most diverse city in iowa.The city is onley 75% white not including the thousands of bosnian refugees living here. The city is 15% black, 5% hispanic, 1% asian and 3% other. It should be noted that the city of waterloo is probably much bigger and more diverse than the statistics show because many hispanics/bosnians do not fill out the census forms ,thus the city is a lot larger then 66,000 people. There are at least 75,000 people who live in waterloo.

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by waloo67

Waterloo is the most diverse city in iowa.The city is onley 75% white not including the thousands of bosnian refugees living here. The city is 15% black, 5% hispanic, 1% asian and 3% other. It should be noted that the city of waterloo is probably much bigger and more diverse than the statistics show because many hispanics/bosnians do not fill out the census forms ,thus the city is a lot larger then 66,000 people. There are at least 75,000 people who live in waterloo.

For future reference, "Hispanic" and "Bosnian" aren't races. Most Hispanics and Bosnians are caucasian. If you are implying that Waterloo would appear more racially diverse statistically if more Hispanics and Bosians would fill out the census forms, you are most likely incorrect.

If you are talking about cultural or ethnic diversity you may havea point, butit's pretty clear from your post that you are talking about race.

[Chicago60614]

There are about 300,000 minorities in Iowa, so there certainly are some. Hispanics are going to be more common in the small to medium size ares. Most of the 80,000 black people in the state live in Des Moines, Waterloo, Davenport and the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids areas.

Des Moines has the largest population of minorities, with around 80,000 total in the metro.

[econboy]

Chicago60614 nailed it. This is the most accurate numbers and data available.

The Des Moines and Iowa City areas are the fastest growing in terms of Minorities being added in metro areas in Iowa.

I have actually been surprised in the last few years how much more diverse Des Moines has really become. Especially compared to a city of it's size a decade before.