What do you love about the twin cities? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: 2014, home)

[millcityleo79]

Originally Posted by treemoni

Diversity? LOL

Would you care to explain your "very well thought out" post?

[treemoni]

Originally Posted by millcityleo79

Would you care to explain your "very well thought out" post?

If you think Minneapolis is diverse, you need to get out more. A LOT more.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by millcityleo79

Would you care to explain your "very well thought out" post?

hey! he's from Chicago you know

[Yvanung]

Originally Posted by millcityleo79

- The diversity - everyone is everywhere...I'm originally from Sacramento (one of the most, if not THE most integrated/diverse city in the country) and this is the closest I've ever come to that level of diversity! I love seeing different faces and cultures here, there, and everywhere!

You either prefer to live around the U or in Whittier...

[millcityleo79]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

hey! he's from Chicago you know

One of the most segregated cities in the country...ok.

[Dennis Schroeder]

Minneapolis is sort of diverse, but nothing like Sacramento, which I believe is the most diverse city in the country.

[millcityleo79]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

hey! he's from Chicago you know

One of the most segregated cities in the country...ok. As I mentioned, I'm from Sacramento...one of the most (if not THE most) integrated city in the country, at the city and neighborhood level. Chicago is diverse at a city level...but, from a neighborhood level, not so much...it's very segregated (for the most part...and for many reasons). That's not so much the case here. Yes, we have pockets with higher African-American or Asian-American or Hispanic-American population. But, we also do have a LOT of people from a LOT of countries and backgrounds living here side by side with each other little to no racial issues. So, yes, we are a diverse city...and we're getting more diverse...and most that I know embrace that diversity and those different cultures wholeheartedly.


http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/index.html

Zoom in for better detail...clearly more integrated at a neighborhood level than most of Chicago.

[millcityleo79]

Originally Posted by Dennis Schroeder

Minneapolis is sort of diverse, but nothing like Sacramento, which I believe is the most diverse city in the country.

You're right...it's not quite like that. I should clarify. It's probably one of the most diverse in the Midwest...outside of Chicago.

[Dennis Schroeder]

Originally Posted by millcityleo79

You're right...it's not quite like that. I should clarify. It's probably one of the most diverse in the Midwest...outside of Chicago.

I don't know about that, either. Most other midwestern cities have much larger black populations. Outside of Chicago, the percentage of hispanic and asian people in any city in the midwest, including Minneapolis, is very small. The stats are available.

The Somalis, Hmong and Vietnamese maybe make Minneapolis / St. Paul seem more diverse than it really is.

Like many places in the USA, certain suburbs are becoming more diverse than the metro area to which they are attached. Brooklyn Park, for instance, is more diverse than Minneapolis proper.

[millcityleo79]

Originally Posted by Dennis Schroeder

I don't know about that, either. Most other midwestern cities have much larger black populations. Outside of Chicago, the percentage of hispanic and asian people in any city in the midwest, including Minneapolis, is very small. The Somalis, Hmong and Vietnamese maybe make Minneapolis / St. Paul seem more diverse than it really is.

They make Minneapolis/St Paul more diverse...period! (and I don't mean that in an argumentative way...I'm just saying). Take a look at the map I linked to before. You will see that, yes, there are large African-American populations in most bigger Midwest cities. But, often times, they are crammed into certain neighborhoods or sides of town (see Milwaukee, Detroit, St Louis, Kansas City as examples). Here, we do have an area that has a higher population of African-Americans (both from Africa and of African descent...centuries ago). But, it is not as segregated as the other Midwest cities.

As an example, the highest % of African-American's in any census tract in the Twin Cities is 72%. That is one tiny census tract with only a few others in the 50%s and 60%s. Compare to Chicago...nearly the whole south side of Chicago has 90+% African-American census tracts with many having 0% white population. That is CLEARLY not diversity...and CLEARLY segregation. Again, not to say anything bad about Chicago...I LOVE Chicago. But, on a tract by tract basis, most of our core cities (Minneapolis and St Paul) are more diverse on a neighborhood level than at least 2/3 of the city of Chicago.

Also, a lot of our suburbs are integrated more than many American suburbs. If you look at the census tracts (see the link to the map below for reference), many of our suburbs that are on the urban/suburban edges still have a good amount of diversity. Compare with other Midwest cities (or even other cities around the country), and we have more integration of our suburbs as well. For example, many of our suburbs have White population in the 70%'s and 80%'s. Compare to Milwaukee...most of their suburbs have 90+% (some as high as 97 or 98% white population. Again...segregation. Chicago, I will say, does have a great amount of diversity in their suburbs.

One is not greater than the other. It depends on how you like to live. But, to dispute our diversity (especially relative to our region...and nation as a whole) is to dispute the facts...and to dispute the anecdotal evidence that we welcome all these cultures with hardly any racial strife.



Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census - NYTimes.com