African American thinks there are not enough of his people in Western Fairfax (Alexandria: hair salon, apartment)

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Yes, money always trumps race. Its the dollar bill y'all. I do see some black families up in Fairfax Station - very rich black families.
Also - there are tons of mixed families up here - black and white couples mostly - so things are improving.

Also - one other thing - I am from New Jersey and there were always black people in my neighborhood living together - rich, middle and poor. Here in NOVA I notice the races do not live near each other as much.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

Why is there so many Black people in Eastern Fairfax along the Route One area and so few in places like Centerville?

The City of Alexandria was historically an independent city before metro DC reached out that far (well it was also at one point part of DC, but Im talking about more recently than the 1840s) with a significant african american population, as many southern cities had.

I believe the corridor of relatively heavy african american population which extends down route 1, from the City of Alex, through South eastern FFX, to eastern PWC, and now even down to Stafford, originates with that history.

Its not purely a matter of incomes - while the northwest corridor close to the upper Potomac is historically the higher income side of the metro area on both sides of the river, many areas in western and ffx have lower african am population than areas along the rte 1 corridor with similar income levels, I believe.

[Mr Spock]

If you were a very dark skinned African American person who had a very successful career and makes lots of money would you prefer to live in Alexandria with it's large Black population or a place like Clifton or Great Falls with it's very small Black population? (If you could find the house you liked in both communities)

[katyusha25]

Originally Posted by spencgr

So, it's possible to have been black before, but not be black now?

Michael Jackson.
Too soon?

[mcleanexec]

I saw a group of 5 AA walking around the Leesburg Flower show this weekend. I also saw several AA at Leesburg corner afterwards.

I can report I didnt see any AA on the bike trails in Vienna Sunday afternoon.

[Deeman804]

Originally Posted by katyusha25

Michael Jackson.
Too soon?

I thought that and opted for the Sammy Sosa comment. I do think it is still a little too soon. (...proceeds to hit the reputation link)

[hilsmom]

kay and deeman - HA

[IndiaLimaDelta]

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

Just because a bunch of people from Asia or the Middle East move into a previously all white town does not make it any easier on my friend to feel comfortable there. He grew up in a town that was mostly Black and those are "his people" as he said.

If he sees only people with his skin tone as "his people," there is nothing to be done. I find that sad, as a naturalized American who sees all his fellow Americans as his people (I can assure your friend that when American blacks are in sub-Saharan Africa, they are seen as Americans by the locals, not Africans or even blacks.)

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

It's the fact that my children could be ostracize for being different.

I've never seen children of blacks in my neighborhoods in Loudoun and western Fairfax ever being ostracized "for being different." People of all manners of phenotypes live in this region. As others have pointed out, I think income and status matter far more than race in this area. Being "ghetto" doesn't jive well with kids and parents with high educational and professional expectations.

Very few people would be comfortable being the only individuals of a group of anything in a neighborhood.

That depends on the people. According to the latest Pew study, Asians in America are the most likely to live in neighborhoods with other ethnic groups. Blacks not so much. I would argue much of this is based not so much on racism per se, but ideology/philosophy -- propensity for assimilation on the one hand (Asians) and self-segregation on the other hand (blacks).

Let me flip the script, would you feel comfortable moving to Capitol Heights in MD?

I am not familiar with the area, but I am fully comfortable with areas that are 100% black, 100% white, 100% Hispanic or 100% Asian provided the residents in question display low criminality and high education and, as a bonus, show some traditional Christian values.

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

If everyone was as open minded as the posters on this board are about hanging out with people of a different race, culture, color or economic status then there would be no ethnic enclaves.

I don't see any evidence to the contrary that the majority of people in western Fairfax and Loudoun are less open-minded than the average City-data forumite.

Originally Posted by mos1992

Im a Middle Eastern and when I was looking for a place to live my real estate advisor told me to avoid West Fairfax and beyond because they will be racist against diversity. I never been there so I don't know what it is like and I won't make a judgement on a single person's opinion. never met any racist Virginian so far people are nice here in NOVA

Aside from the illegality of this "real estate advisor," what he said is factually untrue (ridiculously untrue). Western Fairfax and Loudoun are home to many people who work in the Dulles Tech Corridor, where a substantial portion of the workforce and population are non-white.

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

Just because there is a lot of Asian and Middle Eastern people and a few Hispanics in Western Fairfax does not mean Black People will feel comfortable.

Well, Asians, Middle Easterners and Hispanics were apparently comfortable enough to arrive in the region in the first place when the population was mostly white. Why not blacks?

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

Then it talked about in the article about PG, how certain black people like having their kids around black professionals.

Black professionals are not all that rare in western Fairfax.

I would imagine similar things can be said across other races. For those individuals, they find a comfort in knowing that their kids have role models that look like them. Can't imagine it being much different with other races.

You might not be able to imagine it, but other ethnic groups are not nearly as obsessed with that. Many Asians and Hispanics I know are perfectly comfortable with their kids growing up around white professionals. If they wanted to live with mostly other Asians or Hispanics, they'd have stayed in Asia or Latin America, not come to a country (and a region) where whites are the majority.

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

As far as blacks being in PWC and Maryland, it's really simple, it's about cost of living in those areas. The reason why you don't see many black people in Vienna, Centreville, Clifton or places like that is because a majority of blacks in this country cannot afford those places. Remember, according to Census data whites have 20 times more wealth than blacks. I can't understate this point. Wealth gives many of us a means to even get into real estate in the first place, and to also get pricier real estate. If you don't have a generation of wealthy before you or at least a really, really high paying job, odds on out, you aren't going to be able to afford the $700k+ homes in those areas. In places like PWC and parts of MD, you can buy a nice house around $300k.

Well, I am sorry it's not possible to get a high priced house without "really, really high paying job." Two of my immediate neighbors who live in seven figure homes are children of immigrants. Their parents worked blue collar jobs, saved money and put their kids through advanced education. Their children are highly paid professionals.

Originally Posted by cdrmike

Maybe they are smart enough not to accumulate so much junk, that they need a 3500sqft McMansion to house it all. Wish I had been that bright.

3500 sqft is not "McMansion" or any type of mansion in Fairfax!

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

If you were a very dark skinned African American person who had a very successful career and makes lots of money would you prefer to live in Alexandria with it's large Black population or a place like Clifton or Great Falls with it's very small Black population? (If you could find the house you liked in both communities)

Only if you obsessed about race, would that matter. When I lived in Ashburn, one of my close neighbors was a very dark black guy from what some people here call "RoVA." He went to college on a scholarship, the first one in his family to do so. I asked him why he picked Ashburn and his response was along the lines of safety, affluence, good schools and cleanliness of the area. He couldn't care less whether there were a thousand black people or none around him. If he were so desperate for the company of black people, he went to see his parents and siblings.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Mr Spock

If you were a very dark skinned African American person who had a very successful career and makes lots of money would you prefer to live in Alexandria with it's large Black population or a place like Clifton or Great Falls with it's very small Black population? (If you could find the house you liked in both communities)

It will be interesting to see the answers to that question. I might consider adding two other assumptions to make the comparison more equal: 1) the commute is equidistant between the three areas (Falls Church?) and; 2) the children, if applicable, would be educated at a private school. FCPS would otherwise trump APS except for the most dedicated city dwellers.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by IndiaLimaDelta

Well, Asians, Middle Easterners and Hispanics were apparently comfortable enough to arrive in the region in the first place when the population was mostly white. Why not blacks?

As mentioned earlier in this thread, there is a perception that when choosing a place to live in the DC area, Virginia is not as welcoming to Black Americans as Maryland and the District. A lot of this is based on residual history of racial strife. The Loving v. Virginia decision, for example, was decided in barely two generations ago (1967). The movie Remember The Titans was set in 1971 during the bumpy integration process of Alexandria's TC Williams High School. Those other racial and ethnic groups, while possibly enduring some prejudice of their own upon arriving here, don't have quite the same history.