Are there towns, outside of Boston, that are culturally diverse??? (Cambridge: real estate, apartments)

[HItoNC]

I'm thinking of moving to MA but am undecided where I should live. I was checking into Beverly, Handover, and Shrewsbury, but those areas are approximately 99% white. I need some diversity!!! Anybody have any suggestions other than Boston? Qualities that I'm looking for include:
Relatively Safe
Plenty of Activities (I have 2 teens)
Able to rent a 3 br/2 ba townhouse for $1500 or less
Decent schools
Culturally diverse
Somewhat liberal
Anybody that has suggestions, please respond. Thank you in advance for your time and help.

[airedaly]

Lexington is a culturally diverse community - many Chinese and Indian residents, and many single-sex parent couples. The real estate prices are quite high - I think the rents may be more than 1500/month. It tends to be liberal politically. The schools are excellent. The high school is a very active place - music, arts, theater, sports, academic teams. It is a very safe town and has good MBTA service and also a little bus service for in-town only. Arlington and Watertown are two other towns that have a mix of ethnicities and may be slightly more affordable. I hope this helps!

[holden125]

Maybe Framingham. It's more affordable and is about 75% white with the rest being a mix of all sorts of backgrounds. A lot of towns outside Boston are very, very white. Some people knock the Framingham schools but that may be relative since there are a lot of very expensive towns with great schools around Framingham. Others may have more specific info on the schools.

Lexington is 15% nonwhite but less than 3% black and Hispanic, and might be too expensive. Arlington and Watertown might be a good fit, they both offer fairly easy access to Harvard Sq. and Boston depending on where you live. A lot of the apartments in that price range will be in 2- or 3-family houses but many are very nice.

[willdufauve]

Both the above posters are right on. I would add Burlington to the possible list; it's only a little further out than Lexington but not as expensive.

You will not likely find a 3bedroom/2 bath townhouse near Boston for $1,500 or less. You might want to consider whether or not your family could live in a 2 bedroom/1 bath for $1,500.

What kind of cultural diversity are you looking for? Sharon, Lexington and Marblehead are more Jewish than some areas. There's a lot of Armenian ancestry people in Watertown, Hispanics and Greeks in Lynn, Portuguese in Gloucester, African-Americans in Central Square, Cambridge, etc.

[MovingForward]

When you say "culturally diverse," do you really mean "racially diverse"? Because most people living in the U.S. share the same culture. Even so, "White" is a pretty meaningless description, just as is "Black" or "Hispanic." People, in general, tend to be diverse.

[HItoNC]

I mean both culturally and racially diverse. I don't want to live in an area that's 90+% Caucasian. I want a mix of people from all around the world. Asian, African American, Jewish, Hispanic, Polynesian, Jamacian, Australian, etc.

[smarty]

We limit the number of people coming into this country by having quotas. Different countries have different quotas. Someone already decided what the population mix should be. We love to have only our relatives come into this great country. We love cultures just as long as they don't take our jobs away.

One funny thing... we have Asian, African American, Jewish and Hispanic kids at our house the other day... They all just want to play video game. They could not get rid of their culture fast enough to be an American.... With media blast, we are thinking more and more similar regardless if you are Asian, Jew, Black or Hispanic... we think... cars are more powerful and bigger the better, electronics small the better, BIG TVs, hip outfits, making money is sole purpose in life, we want the latest... so buy, buy and buy... In my mind, the future of diversity is the range of "have" and "have not" instead of culturally and racially diverse. I find more people discriminate based on social status.

[neil0311]

Diversity is the most over-used and politically correct word thrown around today. I prefer to subscribe to Dr. King's view of the world where people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, etc.

The problem today is that we spend so much time trying to achieve some ideal "diversity", and instead of treating people as individuals, we treat them as a demographic. It's getting worse and worse, and the "dream" that MLK had is not coming true, not because of discrimination, but because of this need some have to treat people as part of a demographic group, instead of just as individuals. If a person is an idiot or a moron, it's because of the fact that they're an idiot or a moron, and not because they belong to some group.

[miu]

Originally Posted by HItoNC

I mean both culturally and racially diverse. I don't want to live in an area that's 90+% Caucasian. I want a mix of people from all around the world. Asian, African American, Jewish, Hispanic, Polynesian, Jamacian, Australian, etc.

Then live in a tent outside the United Nations building in NYC. I think that what you are looking for is both unrealistic and unnatural. People live where they want to live for selfish reasons, not because they have a grander purpose of creating an ideal melting pot.

[smarty]

Miu,

Birds of the Same Feather Flock Together....

That is why we have Chinatown, NorthEnd, SouthBoston, ... etc. I see nothing wrong about neighborhoods with different ethnic concentrations. From time to time, it is a good idea to get out of a very homogeneous environment. It does open minds. My kids live in the suburb, and I do have to remind them to look both ways before crossing streets in Boston.

Many American students have "culture shock" when going to China. They do not appreciate bathrooms with flush toilets, ADSL internet, clean bed sheets... Instead, there is a lot of complaining. The bathroom smells. The food is bad. I can’t drink the water. Yes, it’s what is termed “culture shock.” Well it should really be termed “privilege shock.”

My point?... Go travel to the country and live with locals (don't stay in a 4star hotel)... immersion... you'll learn so much more.