best neighborhood for blacks??

[bbr1973]

There is a largely middle-class/upper-middle class black neighborhood in Minneapolis - it's the Homewood district of Minneapolis, and to a lesser extent the greater Willard-Hay neighborhood (more so the blocks closer to Theodore Wirth Parkway). Homewood in particular is 85-90% owner-occupied, mostly by professionals (lawyers, business owners, doctors, and a crazy number of educators). I have lived in Homewood since '08, so I can vouch for this - they're my neighbors.

I can't say how much longer that will remain the case, though, because of the dramatic turnover in the last 4-8 years. Older black homeowners (retirees), many of whom have lived in the area for 20-50 years, are either dying or downsizing (moving out of the neighborhood to smaller residences). Virtually everyone who has moved here during the last four years has been white. 20-30-40something white professionals. I know this flies in the face of what everyone thinks of the North Side, but it's the truth and it's happening so fast it'll make your head spin. The 2010 census results showed the leading edge of this phenomenon, but it's accelerated since last year's tornado.

Homewood boundaries: Plymouth Avenue on the north, Penn Avenue on the east, Oak Park Avenue on the south, Theodore Wirth Park on the west. Willard-Hay is everything west of Penn between West Broadway and Highway 55, though some of the neighborhood lies east of Penn and north of Plymouth.

[sandlapper]

Just don't think that demographic is here in the Twin Cities to the extent it is down south. The area just doesn't have that type of history that say Atlanta, or DC does in regard to the black middle class. No Historical Black Colleges or Universities nearby, that I know of, that would have provided the foundation for a large black middle class in the area. That's not to say this isn't a good place to be a minority. I have enjoyed my experience here. However if you are looking for high to middle income demographic that you would find in Atlanta, or DC it exist but it is not as prevalent here. Great city none the less though!

[west336]

Originally Posted by bbr1973

There is a largely middle-class/upper-middle class black neighborhood in Minneapolis - it's the Homewood district of Minneapolis, and to a lesser extent the greater Willard-Hay neighborhood (more so the blocks closer to Theodore Wirth Parkway). Homewood in particular is 85-90% owner-occupied, mostly by professionals (lawyers, business owners, doctors, and a crazy number of educators). I have lived in Homewood since '08, so I can vouch for this - they're my neighbors.

I can't say how much longer that will remain the case, though, because of the dramatic turnover in the last 4-8 years. Older black homeowners (retirees), many of whom have lived in the area for 20-50 years, are either dying or downsizing (moving out of the neighborhood to smaller residences). Virtually everyone who has moved here during the last four years has been white. 20-30-40something white professionals. I know this flies in the face of what everyone thinks of the North Side, but it's the truth and it's happening so fast it'll make your head spin. The 2010 census results showed the leading edge of this phenomenon, but it's accelerated since last year's tornado.

Homewood boundaries: Plymouth Avenue on the north, Penn Avenue on the east, Oak Park Avenue on the south, Theodore Wirth Park on the west. Willard-Hay is everything west of Penn between West Broadway and Highway 55, though some of the neighborhood lies east of Penn and north of Plymouth.

I'm surprised and then I'm also not....surprised because my feeling was that the perception of the North Side was (exaggeratedly) negative, which I thought would keep most local white people from wanting to move there (fear of crime more than race relations). But I'm also not surprised because I have begun finding that I, myself, would consider the North Side as a cheaper alternative to living in the city (vs. South Side), as long as I could find a great 'hood. That being said, maybe the 20-30-40 somethings moving there aren't local and are price-leery transplants who will take advantage of a good deal when they see one and aren't afraid of the stereotypes. That's my guess.

[northsub]

Originally Posted by bbr1973

There is a largely middle-class/upper-middle class black neighborhood in Minneapolis - it's the Homewood district of Minneapolis, and to a lesser extent the greater Willard-Hay neighborhood (more so the blocks closer to Theodore Wirth Parkway). Homewood in particular is 85-90% owner-occupied, mostly by professionals (lawyers, business owners, doctors, and a crazy number of educators). I have lived in Homewood since '08, so I can vouch for this - they're my neighbors.

I can't say how much longer that will remain the case, though, because of the dramatic turnover in the last 4-8 years. Older black homeowners (retirees), many of whom have lived in the area for 20-50 years, are either dying or downsizing (moving out of the neighborhood to smaller residences). Virtually everyone who has moved here during the last four years has been white. 20-30-40something white professionals. I know this flies in the face of what everyone thinks of the North Side, but it's the truth and it's happening so fast it'll make your head spin. The 2010 census results showed the leading edge of this phenomenon, but it's accelerated since last year's tornado.

Homewood boundaries: Plymouth Avenue on the north, Penn Avenue on the east, Oak Park Avenue on the south, Theodore Wirth Park on the west. Willard-Hay is everything west of Penn between West Broadway and Highway 55, though some of the neighborhood lies east of Penn and north of Plymouth.

Interesting area. I'm getting census data saying the home ownership rate is more like 70%, but that's still fairly high (and there are blocks with 100% rates).

By census tracts you will find the most number of black residents with bachelor's degrees in the following tracts: [tract number, number of black residents with bachelor's degree, % of black residents with bachelor's, % of all residents that are black, census tract population (but includes those under 25), general location]
268.20 / 391 / 44% / 12% / 12114 / Brooklyn Park north of 610
424.01 / 370 / 76% / 10% / 5767 / Maplewood near Maplewood mall
268.16 / 278 / 32% / 29% / 4566 / Brooklyn Park near North Hennepin Community College
268.11 / 241 / 29% / 29% / 5651 / Brooklyn Park south of Edinburgh golf course
710.18 / 236 / 74% / 5% / 12597 / southeast Woodbury
1258 / 220 / 38% / 25% / 4782 / Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis
268.14 / 209 / 35% / 22% / 6475 / Brooklyn Park around Norwood Park
268.12 / 207 / 46% / 15% / 5401 / northwest Brooklyn Park
268.10 / 206 / 15% / 37% / 6098 / Brooklyn Park including Central Park
32 / 203 / 26% / 60% / 1812 / Willard-Hay (includes Homewood district)
268.15 / 200 / 52% / 17% / 5136 / Brooklyn Park along Mississippi River, south of 610

The census tract in Willard-Hay has a low population of which 1068 is 25 years and over. So, that gives about 19% of the 25+ population in the census tract being black with a bachelor's.

The Maplewood census tract has a population for ages 25+ of 3993. That gives about 9% of the population being black with a bachelor's. It's a bigger tract than Willard-Hay, so probably there are parts of it that are quite a bit higher than 9%.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by west336

I'm surprised and then I'm also not....surprised because my feeling was that the perception of the North Side was (exaggeratedly) negative, which I thought would keep most local white people from wanting to move there (fear of crime more than race relations). But I'm also not surprised because I have begun finding that I, myself, would consider the North Side as a cheaper alternative to living in the city (vs. South Side), as long as I could find a great 'hood. That being said, maybe the 20-30-40 somethings moving there aren't local and are price-leery transplants who will take advantage of a good deal when they see one and aren't afraid of the stereotypes. That's my guess.

could be, but for what it's worth I know multiple people who grew up in Minneapolis who live over there now; many of my friends from high school who grew up in SW neighborhoods like Linden Hills grew up and found themselves priced out (especially given that so many of us went into nonprofit work or education, and make respectable but not huge salaries), didn't want to move to the 'burbs, so started exploring other Minneapolis neighborhood options. (another big bunch all ended up around Nokomis). I think they were perhaps less likely to write off entire parts of the city because they knew from personal experience that the "city" had a huge range of neighborhoods and that stereotypes can be really off (and that neighborhoods can change drastically in just a short distance). The other people I know who live over there grew up outside of the Twin Cities and relocated here for work or for school and stayed, so perhaps they fit into your theory.

[west336]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

could be, but for what it's worth I know multiple people who grew up in Minneapolis who live over there now; many of my friends from high school who grew up in SW neighborhoods like Linden Hills grew up and found themselves priced out (especially given that so many of us went into nonprofit work or education, and make respectable but not huge salaries), didn't want to move to the 'burbs, so started exploring other Minneapolis neighborhood options. (another big bunch all ended up around Nokomis). I think they were perhaps less likely to write off entire parts of the city because they knew from personal experience that the "city" had a huge range of neighborhoods and that stereotypes can be really off (and that neighborhoods can change drastically in just a short distance). The other people I know who live over there grew up outside of the Twin Cities and relocated here for work or for school and stayed, so perhaps they fit into your theory.

Well there's my theory about the majority of the residents (transplants) and there's the example of the priced-out local (myself) that may be the remainder of the residents. Are you saying that it's the opposite? Otherwise we're agreeing.