Chester County= Rudeness

[NeedHelp_08]

I've lived in west chester in 10 yrs. its awesome place to live. people are friendly... schools are safe... clean place to live in... not very expensive... a lot of resturants... but let me tell u something not all people there are rude or mean... some people are rude/ mean... while other people are friendly/ talktive/ nice... its a really great place to live trust me, i wish i still stayed there...
good luck

[Southern Transplant]

My husband and I are relocating to the Chester County area soon and a lot of what I have read here can be pinned on any area really. I am originally from Kentucky and have lived in Baton Rouge, LA for over 5 years now. When my family comes to visit us, they comment on how rude people are here. So much for southern hospitality, huh? With population increase set aside (exponential growth cannot be stopped entirely), what are race relations like up there? I know that there is not a utopia where everyone lives in absolute harmony but surely things have got to better between races there than they are here, or am I being naive? I really want my children to love and respect people based on their character, not on their skin color and I will have a hard time cultivating that in them here. Can anyone give me any insight on this?

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Southern Transplant

My husband and I are relocating to the Chester County area soon and a lot of what I have read here can be pinned on any area really. I am originally from Kentucky and have lived in Baton Rouge, LA for over 5 years now. When my family comes to visit us, they comment on how rude people are here. So much for southern hospitality, huh? With population increase set aside (exponential growth cannot be stopped entirely), what are race relations like up there? I know that there is not a utopia where everyone lives in absolute harmony but surely things have got to better between races there than they are here, or am I being naive? I really want my children to love and respect people based on their character, not on their skin color and I will have a hard time cultivating that in them here. Can anyone give me any insight on this?

First of all, welcome to the area!

As far as race relations go here, I'd say they're slightly above average -- better than more rural areas of the state where you find small, overwhelmingly white towns that are not used to much diversity. That's not, of course, to say things are perfect. On the plus side, you'll see plenty of friendly interactions between people of different color -- children playing, chatting, interracial relationships -- but the tensions MOST manifest themselves in socioeconomic divisions. West Chester in Chester County is a perfect example of that where the nicer areas of town are overwhelmingly White while the visably poorer areas, of which there are few, are nevertheless overwhelmingly populated by both African-Americans and Hispanics. I hope that gives you some insight, because although some unfairly pin down Pennsylvania as the "Dixie of the North" for some notable racism, it's nothing worse than what you'd find in most other states.

[pennylove76]

Wow, I would think that your encounter was an isolated incident. I am a minority & my family is one of only 2 minority families in our all caucasian neighborhood in West Chester. However, I can tell you that I have felt nothing but love from all of my neighbors. When we moved in (about 2 years agao) we were the youngest by about 10 years on our block, but we were very welcomed. Yeah, some of it may have been curiosity, but people stopped by with food & welcome to the neighborhood gifts. Also, when we had our first child people brought gifts and did the same on her birthday. I often walk around my neighborhood for exercise and everyone is very friendly. I can't speak for all of Chester County but I can say I really enjoy West Chester. You may also want to look at your own actions because typically you receive what you put out.