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i was born and raised in new hampshire. i honestly can't recall ever encountering any racism here, not from anyone i know or strangers - on the other hand, i hardly ever saw non-caucasians. an african-american would stand out to me. someone mentioned being stared at and that might be the worst you'll face, if you live in a more rural area. i lived in a very small town in between manchester and concord. it's another story in the cities and college towns - more diversity there, at UNH in particular.
i encountered far more racism down south, where i lived for close to a year. at first it struck me as odd that there was so little racism in NH with very little diversity, but i think people have pointed out why that is - we don't tend to bother each other here, it's a very "live and let live" atmosphere. if you come here, i hope you can adapt to the lack of diversity; that would be my only concern. on the flip side, i was able to adapt to all the diversity in the south.
i'm not sure if this is true, but it might be more diverse in southern new hampshire. you have the two largest cities (manchester and nashua) and you're close in proximity to boston and mass in general.
all in all, i don't think you have anything to worry about. this is a lovely place to call home. best of luck with your decision.
No one here is going to care if you are black. They also won't care if you are white... The relevant questions:
- Are you a good neighbor?
- Are you a net-taker or net-contributor to society?
Move to Keene or Manchester presuming that you want to be in the activist scene. I am also black and live in Nashua. I don't know where you are moving from but expect a DIFFERENCE.
I am originally from a big city and still find it harder to cope with it all. Nightlife options are limited. Other than Free Staters, locals keep to themselves. You got to talk people to start up conversation because they won't be the first to. I hope you have a car. The best public transit is in Nashua. Otherwise, it'll be a bit challenging to get around. As one stated earlier, Nashua and Manchester are the most diverse cities in the state. Black population is higher in Manchester than Nashua.
Racism/prejudice....it's here. But then again it is not to the extent of what it is like in the South. As I tell everyone, come to visit for a week (preferably). And if you like it, then make the move.
If you are going move here, move here with at least $2000. Don't come here with no money. Some people have came here expecting to live off people for a while and then realized that no one would help them when they came with little or no money.
Last edited by kallenfranchise; 11-16-2011 at 10:03 PM..
In New Hampshire, nobody really cares what color you are. Oh, there may be a jerk here or there that can have an issue, but I think that THEY are definitely in the minority. Hopefully you will come to visit and have a good experience. My recommendation is to come in winter, or one of our other BROWN seasons. November is a brown month (grass is brown, leaves are down and turning brown). And March/April are brown months, also known as MUD season. Since you're from a southern state, I don't know how much experience you've had with cold, snow, ice, but here, it can go on for what feels like months and months. Oh yeah, it DOES go on for months
After living only in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, I was totally unprepared for the racism that I saw when we moved to Missouri. My son always had a diverse group of friends at the house, boy, girl, black, white, hispanic, gay, straight, etc... with all of their piercings, tattoos, and hair of all colors. So I was never surprised at who came through the door (and they all knew better than to break Mrs. C's house rules: no drugs; if you drink, I own your keys until the next morning unless your mama comes for you, and if you break my stuff, you WILL pay for it one way or another). Anyway, he moved to MO a couple of years after we arrived, in his early 20s. Now, he'd been taking the T (public train) to Boston for day trips since 15 or 16, so he was well used to train etiquette. On one particular day in St. Louis, he was chastised by his friends because on the train, he made random conversations with group of black people that were on the same car. To him, it was no big deal: he liked a band on one of their t-shirts. He told me it was the weirdest thing--while the black dudes seemed surprised that he walked up, sat down with them and started a conversation, they were friendly and they ended up trading email addresses. His friends, on the other hand, were horrified and sure that he was going to get beat up or worse...
Manchester, Nashua, the college towns(Keene, Durham and Hanover), the Seacoast cities(Rochester and Portsmouth), Concord and Dover, along with a few others will have at least noticeable Black populations/communities. Manchester has the highest, but Nashua is right up there and has quite a few Hispanics of African descent(Dominicans and PR's). Seacoast cities have some diversity due to the military presence(Portsmouth Naval and Pease Air Force Base). Hanover has Ivy League Dartmouth, which has its share of Black students. Here's some information that could help give you an idea through numbers and history: US2010
As others have mentioned in rural areas you may at first get a doubletake. Very few people here are recist. At first they will assume you are a tourist.
If you are hardworking and honest you will just be viewed as a person.
If you decide to come , welcome. But it is an awesome state just as it is, please dont try to change it.
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