Black Couple seeking CA City - Santa Ana? (Sacramento, Oakland: housing, work)

[POOKIE36]

I reside in Florida and have an 18yr old son (who happens to be black) moving to Santa Ana with his 19yr old Mexican girlfriend. She is originally from Mexico but has resided in California for the past 5yrs. She speak English pretty well but her friends and family do not. She has been living with me here in Florida for 1yr now and is returning back to California within the next few months. I have never been to California but have heard alot of stories about the Mexican and blacks ganging each other. Can anyone give me some feedback. He is my only son. Is this a bad move on his part considering the risks and danger if any.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by POOKIE36

I reside in Florida and have an 18yr old son (who happens to be black) moving to Santa Ana with his 19yr old Mexican girlfriend. She is originally from Mexico but has resided in California for the past 5yrs. She speak English pretty well but her friends and family do not. She has been living with me here in Florida for 1yr now and is returning back to California within the next few months. I have never been to California but have heard alot of stories about the Mexican and blacks ganging each other. Can anyone give me some feedback. He is my only son. Is this a bad move on his part considering the risks and danger if any.

There's not enough blacks left in Santa Ana to cause any problems for the Mexican gangs. Go up into LA and its more of a problem but not in Santa Ana. Santa Ana's 100% owned by Mexico these days. I wouldn't recommend he move to Santa Ana just because its not a very nice city, not because he's black.

[clhooks]

Santa Ana is primarily Hispanic in population. I would reccommend living in Costa Mesa nearby. OC is very diverse and non-racist for the most part. I am white and was married to a dark skinned black man for the past 10 years here and we always felt comfortable about it.

[ocexpo]

How about the Eastvale area in the Inland Empire of California (Riverside County). It is north of Corona (in the 92880 zip code) and is new and affordable. REALLY diverse population. I think its 35% white, 25% hispanic, 20% asian, 7% African American, 13% other. It is extremely diverse, nice, and clean.

[caliguy92832]

If I were you I would move to Oakland area. Oakland, the city itself is 30% black.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by citybilly

I thought about Long Beach also. Probably only a dozen or so miles from Santa Ana and might be worth a look. Be aware that Orange County has a few skinheads, and racism is not unheard of. And, people in some areas will look down on everyone equally regardless of color . Good Luck.

though i would say the skinheads are more the neo-nazi type than the kkk type.. different brand of hate towards different people primarily.

long beach is a great city for you, but maybe a bit far. try some of the other local cities like costa mesa, huntington, fountain valley, etc. plenty of diversity and everyone gets along pretty well.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by lyonsword

Thanks for the responses. If we move out of California, what states would you recommend for a black couple?

Alabama, Huntsville to be specific. Hiring like crazy, excellent homes in the $100/sqft price range. Four seasons, outdoorsman's paradise. (Maybe I'll see you there someday.)

This place is for real.

Huntsville Alabama USA - National Recognition

(Non copywritten photo.)

[OCinvestor]

I would'nt reccomend Santa Ana to anyone regardless of race. Bad schools & gang problems. As other posters have suggested, you may find more fertile feilds in the inland empire.

[antibes]

Originally Posted by lyonsword

We are a black couple, in our 50's, living in San Diego. We've encountered subtle racism while living here and seeking work. The wages here has not kept up with the cost of living here. Hubby has general billing/medical billing experience. He has been temping, but can't seem to find steady work. I'm an experienced word processor, but jobs are getting hard to find and they don't want to pay for my 25 years of experience. I can't do Administrative Assistant work, as I wear a hearing aid and am lousy with answering phones in an office.

The company I managed to find work with has only an on-call Word Processor job in San Diego. But I'm applying for full-time word processing jobs in their offices in Santa Ana, Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Barbara.

Any suggestions? We're in our 50's and need jobs. We're burned out living in New York (hubby) and Los Angeles (me). We want to get out of SD. I'm light skinned, but hubby is dark skinned, and encountered more racism than me. We want to live in a diverse and afforable area. Any suggestions on those cities I mentioned (Santa Ana, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Oakland)?

I'm sorry to hear that you have experienced racism. I am always surprised to hear this because in my entire life, the 'white' (if I may use these superficial terms) groups around me never, never accept racial remarks or even opinions about other ethnic groups and take offence. Even healthy discussions are avoided. My personal take (of course I may be wrong) is not that you are target of racism at all, but that you are more target of ageism.... Its tough out there to get good work if you're above 35. Lets admit it; its California and old is simply not gold here. I have a friend who is bordering 50 and she is very concerned and has difficulties finding a better job even if she's a fantastic and responsible employee. And she's white as a tylenol! She's exploited real bad by her employer and can't move on because of the difficulty finding work. Wasnt that difficult when she was younger even if she was less experienced than now.

I think Long Beach may be a good area for you if you feel left out in the cold in white neighbourhoods although I honestly would doubt that you would be (we just may be more boring and reserved - but hey, thats to everyone and has nothing to do with color! Lol!). Santa Ana is getting much better, and downtown area is become very active with so much music and lively events happening; I think the crime issue has reduced a lot and you can find pockets quite pleasant in Santa Ana. They are reforming the whole area.

[Mississippi Joe]

This will sound weird to you, because you've probably heard horrible stories about Mississippi...but I would suggest relocating to South Mississippi. Gulfport or Biloxi. We are a multi-culture/race/religion area due to our Casinos and proximity to New Orleans. Folks such as you and your husband, in their 50's, can find steady work at the Casinos or in Construction offices. We are rebuilding due to Katrina and the opportunites are endless for an experienced worker such as yourself. The living here is very affordable compared to California. You can buy a 2000 sq. ft, 4 BR house with an acre of land for roughly $170K. If you would rather rent, you can easily find a 2 BR apartment for 800 to 900 dollars per month. I cannot reccomend any other part of the State because, in all honestly, there isn't much opportunity elsewhere. If you're wondering how in the world I found this forum, just so happens my company is relocating me to Orange County in about a month...so I was actually seeking advice myself. However, I'm lucky because I'll be provided a living allowance to help out. Hope my advice helps! We welcome everyone with open arms in South Mississippi!