Was diversity important for you? (gated, work, home)

[spotlight114]

I have been reading threads for a while and i have noticed that no one really ever asks whether or not a city is diverse? i have read where 1/2 of an interracial couple asked if she would feel comfortable in some city but other than that no one really asks. I was wondering how many of you considered diversity (in race, sexual preferences, etc) to be a priority in the criteria for the city in which you chose to live. It is personally a deal breaker for us, if a community is not mixed we're not interested

[cyntmac]

Diverse by sexual preference is very different from the racial/ethnic spectrum.
Stay on here for awhile and you will see many people asking about this - many different state forums. Many times they do not get specific but just use the term "diverse".

[star18]

Racial/ethnic diversity is important to me. I don't have that in my profession (so I am often the only AA female at events/meetings/work) and would very much prefer to live in a diverse community.

[FromDaSack]

Well yea, i would.
Im half white and half black, so i get poth perspectives. I grew up in one of the most diverse towns in the country (next 2 jersey city) hackensack.
And its more of u dont wanna feel uncomfortable or a minority. Like who wants to move to an all white town. NOT me.. who wants to move to an all black town...NOT me... etc..
You would want a lil bit of everything because then you wouldnt have the uncomfortability with someone of a diffrent race. Like me.. im 75% white, 25%black
but i feel that people consider me as a whole in the black view if i was in a white town. Just because its not that common, so having a mixed city/town/etc is good because they already have it all that they're all used do a diffrnet ethnicity.

I dont know how to explain it really, so i hope you understand what i meant.

[brookdaleresident]

Diversity isn't just about being black or white. My neighborhood is very diverse. black white, asian, Hispanic, etc. We have Turkish, Egyptians, Greeks, etc. All age groups also. As for sexual orientation, I'm not really interested as it doesn't affect my lifestyle. I can be neighbors with almost anyone

[findinghope]

i think there are very few towns that are not diverse by now. i lived in a VERY diverse area growing up and later my family moved to a more white area--but the truth is even that white town was diverse and getting more so as the years go by.
i hope that not seeing as many people asking means that A. all the towns/cities are at least somewhat diverse, and B. we dont care anymore because we all want to live in a diverse area

[spotlight114]

Originally Posted by findinghope

i think there are very few towns that are not diverse by now. i lived in a VERY diverse area growing up and later my family moved to a more white area--but the truth is even that white town was diverse and getting more so as the years go by.
i hope that not seeing as many people asking means that A. all the towns/cities are at least somewhat diverse, and B. we dont care anymore because we all want to live in a diverse area

that has not really been my experience. i live in linden and even though there is a good mix of people here (or at least i thought so) there seems to be a section where most of the blacks live and section where most of the whites live. I would not live in most of the surrounding towns (clark, metuchen, westfield...mostly white) I always thought i would love to live in montclair b/c it has a reputation for accepting all races, mixed couples, gay couples, etc...I really dont take issue with anyone who does not place diversity at the top of the list i was just wondering how many felt it was important

[findinghope]

you must realize that people like to live around what i familiar to them. 100 years ago when people were coming into this country to start a new life, they all segregated themselves into groups of their own kind--people from the same countries and even the same towns wanted to live nearby. people are afraid of the unknown, about how other cultures act day to day.
i think its still true today that people like to live near people with like attitudes. what would have happened if you had moved within your same town (linden) but in the opposite "side"?
would you have felt uncomfortable? would the people who lived there be uncomfortable to have you there? i hope that is not still true.
i think that is why i love montclair so much.

i do think people still believe its important and want to know they are moving to a diverse area because no one wants to live in stepford anymore.

[cyntmac]

Everyone has different priorities. Many people seek out a stepford like place but do it on a level that they can't seem to recognize. Many have just never had to think about this.

Economics have always played a heavy part of this as well. Not everyone has had the same crack at the American pie and neigborhoods formed around that and the effects are still felt today. This was historically true. What impact it still has can be debated by anyone. Many of the walls that kept people apart in regard to ethnicity started to come down after just one generation- as soon as people gained common language.

Personally I tend to equate sterile with whatever the opposite of diverse is. That is my own thing but I have lived in big cities so much of my adult life that I really don't give this issue much thought.

[doc1]

Diversity plays no part in deciding where I choose to invest in a home or raise a family.