Racially Diverse Neighborhoods (Boston, Cambridge, Brockton: rentals, new home, safe area)

[lorrhob06]

I have been looking into moving to the Boston area (I will be working in Andover) and I'm still looking for suggestions on where to live. A lot of people have suggested Wakefield, and he price looks good, but I was wondering if there was a similar town with good schools, low priced rentals (3BR from 1200-1500), safe area but more racially mixed. My kids and I are all bi-racial (black and white) and I'd like to continue to raise them in a multi-racial environment.

[holden125]

This is tough because unfortunately most of Boston's suburbs are like 96% white and the others are significantly non-white but often have problems with the schools or crime. I think there are a lot of towns where your kids would be accepted without any problems, but I can't really think of anything near Andover that's more diverse other than troubled cities like Lawrence. Peabody is among the "more diverse" but still over 90% white.

The few (relatively) more diverse towns outside of Boston are pretty far from Andover and/or expensive.

[brightdoglover]

A friend of mine is married to a black woman and has coffee-colored kids, raised in Wakefield. He said there have never been any problems. Both kids graduated college and are doing great.
Data point.
There simply aren't as many black/mixed-race people in the area. The percentage of black people in Boston is lower than the national average. There was never an industry or a movement to move here from the South, although there was a significant freedmen community way back when. No war-time industry to draw people the way other cities did.
The neighborhoods that are mixed with a lot of Latinos tend to be very poor (Lawrence, Lynn.
Wakefield is a fine community in general, and well located. I do think communities are at least as stratified by income/profession as it is by race, once you leave the Dorchester/Roxbury area.

[TomDot]

Originally Posted by lorrhob06

I have been looking into moving to the Boston area (I will be working in Andover) and I'm still looking for suggestions on where to live. A lot of people have suggested Wakefield, and he price looks good, but I was wondering if there was a similar town with good schools, low priced rentals (3BR from 1200-1500), safe area but more racially mixed. My kids and I are all bi-racial (black and white) and I'd like to continue to raise them in a multi-racial environment.

Anywhere is fine. I personally have two biracial couples as friends. They do not seem to have any issues. One couple is in Natick the other is in Nashua, NH, on the MA border.

[UrbanQuest]

Try Lexington, Burlington or Bedford. All below 90% white, especially Bedford and Lexington.

[lorrhob06]

Thanks so much for your replies. I looked at Bedford think it's going to be too expensive. I am a single mother of two and will be making about 60K/yr. Right now my top two are Wakefield and Amesbury because they seem like nice towns that I can afford and are close enough to Andover. Someone mentioned Peabody to me, would that be any better? I will be renting and am looking for a 3bed for 1500 or less. Thanks again everyone!

[lorilou]

Have you checked out Canton & Mansfield? We have met a number of bi-racial kids from both towns at track meets...all seem like great kids to me.
Coincidentally, we are a bi-racial family living in Franklin...but we might be the only ones! We've had no issues whatsoever.
Best of luck to you in your search for a new home!

[enpan13]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

There simply aren't as many black/mixed-race people in the area. The percentage of black people in Boston is lower than the national average.

I must say I disagree. Boston currently stands at over 25% black..which is much higher than the national average, and about average for cities across the nation. However, you are certainly correct in your assesment of many upper echelon areas. Unfortunately, many of these suburbs are almost exclusively white, which may turn someone away. Much of the poorer towns and cities tend to be dominated by blacks or hispanics. Some towns i might suggest that would still provide safety and okay schools could be perhaps Cambridge, Malden, Medford, Somerville, Randolph, Revere, Waltham??? Im not really sure what standards you might be holding, sorry if I'm a little off...

[lorrhob06]

As far as standards I'm looking for a safe "family" town with good schools, nearby parks etc. I will be working in Andover so I'd want a decent commute. I looked at some of the cities mentioned in the last post and found most to be too expensive. I need a 3 bed and I have to have 2 bathrooms (which is proving to be hard to find). I am coming up this weekend to visit and look around, and I guess I'll get a better idea of where I want to be after I see it.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by enpan13

I must say I disagree. Boston currently stands at over 25% black..which is much higher than the national average, and about average for cities across the nation. However, you are certainly correct in your assesment of many upper echelon areas. Unfortunately, many of these suburbs are almost exclusively white, which may turn someone away.

You can't measure by the city of Boston. The city of Boston is majority non-white now, and there are significant non-white populations in other municipalites in the area (Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Randolph, Quincy, Brockton, Framingham come to mind), but the percentage of black residents in the area as a whole is relatively low. Other northern cities have much larger black populations. New York has a higher percentage of black residents, and Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Newark are majority black. Many of those areas have more racially diverse suburbs as well, which Boston does not. The overall picture is whiter, and as you point out, many suburbs are almost exclusively white, which is unfortunate as I, too, would like to see some diversity in my town (racial, economic, age, etc.). This is not only the upper echelon towns, though. It's also towns like Wakefield, Wilmington, Billerica, Melrose, and Stoneham, which are nice places to live but not "upper echelon" by Greater Boston standards, and are all well over 90% white, if not over 95%.