Diversity (Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg, Greensburg: crime, middle school, income)

[Katiana]

I think the main concern that some people have is that although Pittsburgh city has a sizeable AA population, the burbs do not. It's not so much that Pburgh doesn't have a lot of hispanics or asians, or immigrants from Afghanistan or wherever.

I think there are some cities that have a lot more diversity in their suburbs than Pittsburgh.

[beth ann]

Originally Posted by 5stones

My biggest problem with Peter's was at the MS/HS level. It is a VERY materalistic town. IT's all about who has the best cell phone, who has the best clothes and what kind of car you get for your 16th b-day. And if you live in the right neighborhood.

Well...w/ Fairfax county having the highest median income in the US (for the entire county...pop over 1 million), that same problem definitly exists here, for sure.

[PApisces]

Originally Posted by beth ann

Of course I would not expect Pgh (or many other smaller cities) to have the same percentage of international folks as the DC metro area.....I was just extremely surprised to discover such a lack of international diversity in the Pgh metro area.

It's not like Pgh is a town of 10,000 people in the middle of Iowa....it's supossedly a HQ for many Fortune 500 companies and also chalk full of universities, as well as experienceing revitalization amongs many of it's communities and offers cultural amenities, too, and has many medical opportuites.

I guess I was thinking that all this would add up to a little more diversity than 98% white.

I know that this may not be a "PC" line of thinking, but, I am glad that Pitsburgh is 98% white. If you go to any city (on city data or any other source) all the "bad" areas that people are told to avoid are heavily populated by minorities and predominantly AA. That is just a sad reality. :-(

Just look at Pittsburgh's "bad" areas for proof: Garfield, Homewood, The Hill district, parts of Braddock, parts of Wilkinsburg.

[5stones]

Well...w/ Fairfax county having the highest median income in the US (for the entire county...pop over 1 million), that same problem definitly exists here, for sure.

and with loudoun county being 2nd.

yes it exists here. But also you have a mixed bag of socio-economic levels thrown in as well. My kids see what "poor" is and how hard it is for some kids to achieve a higher level of education. In Peters, the kids who lived in small houses were poor. (please they own thier house! ) blue collar jobs were frowned apon. That was for the canonsburg "gehtto" kids! 2% of kids in Peters are on reduced or free lunch program. etc..it's overwhelmingly white upper middle class.

But don't look for diversity in a state where it just isn't that diverse!


STATE of PA public school demographics...

white....76%
Asian/pac Island....2%
Black not hispanic...16%
Hispanic...6%

FAIRFAX county public school demographics
white....52%
Asian/pac Island....17%
Black not hispanic...11%
Hispanic...16%
Unspecified...5%

free lunch program...21%


LOUdoun county schools

White, non-Hispanic 70%
Hispanic 11%
Asian/Pacific Islander 10%
Black 8%
Unspecified 1%

free lunch...13%

STATE of VA public school demographics....

white....60%
Asian/pac Island...5%
Black not hispanic...27%
Hispanic...7%
Unspecified...1%

So if you would have looked up a few facts you really wouldn't have been "shocked"

[Katiana]

Maybe the shocking part was in looking up the facts. There is no doubt there is a disparity in the city and suburbs in Pgh, more than other places, which I believe, was beth ann's main point.

PS: Where did you get those numbers? I would like to look up my state's.

[Dorian]

I started a thread that kinda is related to this one about the magnet schools(racial equality schools) having to change thier ways due to a supreme court ruling for a school in seattle. But as for what you are asking about you are right Pittsburgh doesn't have very diverse schools in fact Pittsburgh isn't very diverse period. The problem with Pittsburgh was discused on another thread before and most responses were that race and social class seem to go hand and hand here. Many neighborhoods are majority one race or another(mostly white or black here not too many other races here.) leading to schools reflecting the same satistics. On the other thread we never came up with a reason why most black people in pittsburgh tend to be in the lower class or working poor. It is sad because unlike Cleveland which has one half of the city that is mostly black and the other half that is mostly white both with hispanic mixed in or from what I heard about Chicago that has a large strech of black neighborhoods, our white and black neighborhoods are right next to each other so diversitizing(if thats even a word) the schools would be so easy. There are alot of majority white school districts or schools right next to or around majority black school districts or schools. I think this is a major problem in Pittsburgh, from what I heard about the DC area is that its neighborhoods are more mixed than ours.

[5stones]

There is no doubt there is a disparity in the city and suburbs in Pgh, more than other places,

well, I think if you look up the stats for ANY major city...the suburbs will have less diversity than whats in the actual city limits itself.

Look up the stats for Chicago...then look up Napierville. Denver...cherry creek. Seattle...Bellingham etc....

To expect ANY suburb to have the same diversity as a metropoltian city is fairly naiive.

I believe that the OP was comparing the pittsburg suburbs to Fairfax county..which in itself is a suburb of Washington, although it does have the "city" of fairfax it's not large.

PS: Where did you get those numbers? I would like to look up my state's.

Great schools dot com

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by 5stones

well, I think if you look up the stats for ANY major city...the suburbs will have less diversity than whats in the actual city limits itself.

Look up the stats for Chicago...then look up Napierville. Denver...cherry creek. Seattle...Bellingham etc....

To expect ANY suburb to have the same diversity as a metropoltian city is fairly naiive.

I believe that the OP was comparing the pittsburg suburbs to Fairfax county..which in itself is a suburb of Washington, although it does have the "city" of fairfax it's not large.


Great schools dot com

Denver Public Schools (All schools)

Student Enrollment: 73,399 (based on October 1, 2006)

1.09% American Indian
3.14% Asian
18.08% Black
57.3% Hispanic
20.39% White

Overland High School, Cherry Creek SD

Our ethnic profile shows a growing diverse student population of 35.6% African-American, 30.0% Anglo, 22.3% Hispanic, 6.5% Asian, and .06% American Indian.

I could not find any info in a table for CCSD as a whole; I did find something on a pdf page that could not be copied that said 35% of CC's student body is minority. I also could not find anything for Cherry Creek High School itself.

I am not naive. My own kids' high school was 86% white. The OP was concerned that some of the high schools in the Pgh suburbs are 98% white. That is quite a difference.

[MountainLovin' Mom]

I've been aching to leave southern CA for years... I've researched the entire country looking for the "right" place for my family. Yes, my husband is black, I'm white, we have 2 mixed boys... They are accepted and very popular at their schools here. We just need to get out of here. Too dry, too hot, too expensive! Pittsburgh appears to be a great city. Cooler climate with 4 seasons. But if we come out to live in the suburbs (we would want a good bit of land around our home... 4 dogs, may want to get a horse), I want my boys to be accepted and to make friends with other great kids like they have here. Is this realistic?

Thanks!

[guylocke]

But if we come out to live in the suburbs (we would want a good bit of land around our home... 4 dogs, may want to get a horse), I want my boys to be accepted and to make friends with other great kids like they have here. Is this realistic?

Well, it depends on the suburb, but I think the short and sweet answer is yes. I have found Pittsburgher's to be very accepting of race, myself. So you might find yourself living amongst more white folk than black folk in the suburbs, but I doubt anyone would raise an eyebrow when you moved in! They would welcome you like anybody else, I think.