Relocation (Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler: salons, crime, homes)

[ministers]

Hello city data forums. Me and my wife have some questions about the Phoenix area. We feel strongly about moving to the Phoenix area. We want to move somewhere where we do not know anyone, and get a completely fresh start. We like the Phoenix area because it is a warm climate, unfamiliar, and it seems untapped from a ministral standpoint. Yes we have a ministry, and plan on building our congregation in the Phoenix area. We are a black family, in our 30s with 4 kids 12, 9, and 8 month old twin girls. Our sons are homeschooled, but for the right school we may consider placing them in a good suburban public school or private. Please tell us where the good areas for blacks are or good diverse areas for families. I do not want to move in a crime infested area, this is one of the reasons we are moving out of Milwaukee. We thank you for any information that will help us.

[Finger Laker]

What would you define as a good area for blacks?

You will note that from a purely numbers standpoint the black community in the phoenix metro is rather small (approx 5%) and is not really concentrated into a neighborhood. Statistics also show that the black population in Phoenix tends to be more educated and higher wage earners than the national averages.

This ties back into how neighborhoods are setup out here. They are driven by economics. People typically congregate with those in a similar socio-economic range. Areas within that have a more educated population with higher wage earners will have better performing schools, etc.

With that when you tend to get some ethnic spots within communities that will cater to a certain population - however, often you wont find enough critical mass in one area to create a neighborhood environment.

You can search these boards and get a good idea for a lot of things that black families are looking for out here (one of the most common questions relates to barber shops) - this is a decent example of what to expect ...... while you will have no problems finding a place that does it, you may have trouble finding a good selection or a place that feels "right"

There are also a lot of ministries out here - some small, some mega and many denominations/faiths are represented ..... you could definitely find your place with your own style and message and build a good congregation .... however, it is a competative space ..... you have everything from the ones operating out of a home, to a school, to a strip mall to the large campus driven churches

As a general note, when moving to get a fresh start make sure you understand what is really driving the move and if it's something that you can really simply just move away from ....... we get that a lot out here where people trade one weather extreme for the other and find that some of the peripheral stuff that didn't like travelled with them and they simply replace old annoyances with new ones.

With that said, this could be the perfect move for you & your family .... only you will know that.

Come on out and visit - travel around and speak to some fellow ministers and get a feel for the community .... if at all possible visit in the summer to get a feel for our extreme weather

[Ponderosa]

You might do well in the southwest valley - say Avondale or Goodyear. There are quite a few black folks out this way in comparison to many parts of the city and they are underserved by churches that cater to their "style". Maybe a good preaching church would find a footing here.

But I agree with the other poster, you need to come have a look and talk to some people. It is very different demographically and in many other ways from Milwaukee.

[S. Chris Webb]

I just want to echo what Finger Laker said. Very good post.

[ministers]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

What would you define as a good area for blacks?

You will note that from a purely numbers standpoint the black community in the phoenix metro is rather small (approx 5%) and is not really concentrated into a neighborhood. Statistics also show that the black population in Phoenix tends to be more educated and higher wage earners than the national averages.

This ties back into how neighborhoods are setup out here. They are driven by economics. People typically congregate with those in a similar socio-economic range. Areas within that have a more educated population with higher wage earners will have better performing schools, etc.

With that when you tend to get some ethnic spots within communities that will cater to a certain population - however, often you wont find enough critical mass in one area to create a neighborhood environment.

You can search these boards and get a good idea for a lot of things that black families are looking for out here (one of the most common questions relates to barber shops) - this is a decent example of what to expect ...... while you will have no problems finding a place that does it, you may have trouble finding a good selection or a place that feels "right"

There are also a lot of ministries out here - some small, some mega and many denominations/faiths are represented ..... you could definitely find your place with your own style and message and build a good congregation .... however, it is a competative space ..... you have everything from the ones operating out of a home, to a school, to a strip mall to the large campus driven churches

As a general note, when moving to get a fresh start make sure you understand what is really driving the move and if it's something that you can really simply just move away from ....... we get that a lot out here where people trade one weather extreme for the other and find that some of the peripheral stuff that didn't like travelled with them and they simply replace old annoyances with new ones.

With that said, this could be the perfect move for you & your family .... only you will know that.

Come on out and visit - travel around and speak to some fellow ministers and get a feel for the community .... if at all possible visit in the summer to get a feel for our extreme weather

Thank you for responding

[ministers]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

You might do well in the southwest valley - say Avondale or Goodyear. There are quite a few black folks out this way in comparison to many parts of the city and they are underserved by churches that cater to their "style". Maybe a good preaching church would find a footing here.

But I agree with the other poster, you need to come have a look and talk to some people. It is very different demographically and in many other ways from Milwaukee.

Yeah, I heard. But me and my family are not close-minded at all to friendships with people of other races.

[Finger Laker]

Originally Posted by ministers

Yeah, I heard. But me and my family are not close-minded at all to friendships with people of other races.

That is a great attitude to have.

I'm not much of a church person - but I do see the ads, signs & buildings everywhere ...... I know there is at least one black minister in Goodyear (mainly because he puts his photo with his ad )

Abundant Harvest Church of Goodyear Arizona

[bigDwiki]

Originally Posted by ministers

We like the Phoenix area because it is a warm climate, unfamiliar, and it seems untapped from a ministral standpoint. Yes we have a ministry, and plan on building our congregation in the Phoenix area....I do not want to move in a crime infested area, this is one of the reasons we are moving out of Milwaukee.

It seems to me that your best work spreading the gospel could be done right there. Why move out of a crime infested area, only to minister to people in an area with little crime? You should use your services where they are needed most. You didn't mention a particular religion, but I'm not sure the motive for your move is religious.

[Goober13]

I am black and was born and raised here although I have lived in other cities,and frequently travel out of state to work and have met many blacks from Milwaukee.

You won't find the extreme segregation here as in Milwaukee. The Phoenix metro area is about 4.5 million people and there are about 200,000 blacks here. As in all of the west coast the hispanic population is quite large. About 1.5 million hispanics here. The established black neighborhoods here just like in LA are heavily hispanic now, and the black population is scattered all over.

Racial mixing here has been very strong since the 70's, and in fact now the CITY of Phoenix (population about 1.6 million) is now majority minority.

There are many black churches here as well as black barber and beauty salons, and about 16 black beauty supply stores.

I would recommend these areas for diversity and decent housing that is not "hood",

Southeast Phoenix along Baseline Rd between 24th Street and 40th Street, Laveen, which is around 47th Ave and Baseline, and west to about 67th Ave, Avondale and Goodyear, the Ahwatukee area of South Phoenix, Tempe, Southwest Mesa, Chandler.

The Arizona Informant is the black paper here as well as the Write Up, and the Informant has several pages of black church listings.

[ministers]

Originally Posted by bigDwiki

It seems to me that your best work spreading the gospel could be done right there. Why move out of a crime infested area, only to minister to people in an area with little crime? You should use your services where they are needed most. You didn't mention a particular religion, but I'm not sure the motive for your move is religious.

My motive is based on many things. 1. We need a change of scenery. We want to move to an unfamiliar territory and start over afresh. 2. Lack of family support. Without going into all the details, our families are an embarassment. They show very little interest in any god, causing others to wonder about our ministry(is it worth it) 3. Climate- Milwaukee gets too cold. We want to move somewhere that's much warmer. Several other reasons, why we are choosing Phoenix. If possible, and not an utter waste of time and money, we probably would stay in Milwaukee.