Why is Aspinwall all white? (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: rental, house, neighborhood)

[ProFiction]

Originally Posted by gg

in the Pittsburgh Metro there is only a 26% black population

A lot closer to 10% than 26% for the metro.

[sealie]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I've literally made no accusation. I simply posed the question. America's history of housing discrimination, redlining and racial intimidation are very real, so I posed a question about this very specific town. You seem to have very little historical data to contribute, yet you seem quite intent, passionate about even, on shouting down the very possibility of any sort of malfeasance. You seem quite defensive for an uniterested third-party.

I've noticed this about a lot of people posting here: the mere possibility of a question that blacks might not have been treated fairly in the past has them getting very defensive very fast. I've also heard "at least we're not the south" - but Charlotte and Atlanta aren't doing too bad in recent years, so that gets old.

There was redlining in Mt Lebanon in the 1970s (google), I seem to recall Millvale having some issues in the past as well. Forgot the specifics but I think there was a thread here from a few years ago. It's very difficult to get good information, a lot of local history gets whitewashed. Sorry I can't help.

[ElijahAstin]

As of the 2010 census, Aspinwall is 91.7% white, 1.4% black, 5.4% Asian, and 1.3% mixed race. 1.9% of the population is Hispanic/Latino of any race. Subsequent American Community Survey data is next-to-useless for a borough home to 2,801 people, so we won't really know the degree to which this has changed until post-2020.

Obviously, it's not "coincidental" that Aspinwall is mostly white, but as other posters have indicated, this is probably more a reflection of past settlement patterns than ongoing prejudices. Certainly, Aspinwall isn't notoriously racist like, say, Brentwood.

Whether you're comfortable being among a tiny minority is up to you. It sounds like you'd be happier living somewhere with a more established black presence, and that's totally understandable.

Best of luck.

[Sciulli]

Originally Posted by gg

If you know what ward Observatory Hill is, I suspect that would make it easier to find the demographics. It is easy to find demographics for towns.

Pittsburgh as a whole is 66% white.

not sure on the ward, but searching the US census site for zip 15214 seems to give a pretty accurate read out. That includes Observatory Hill (which I guess is not an official designation) and some surrounding areas.

(just googled... looks like Ward 22).

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

As of the 2010 census, Aspinwall is 91.7% white, 1.4% black, 5.4% Asian, and 1.3% mixed race. 1.9% of the population is Hispanic/Latino of any race. Subsequent American Community Survey data is next-to-useless for a borough home to 2,801 people, so we won't really know the degree to which this has changed until post-2020.

Obviously, it's not "coincidental" that Aspinwall is mostly white, but as other posters have indicated, this is probably more a reflection of past settlement patterns than ongoing prejudices. Certainly, Aspinwall isn't notoriously racist like, say, Brentwood.

Whether you're comfortable being among a tiny minority is up to you. It sounds like you'd be happier living somewhere with a more established black presence, and that's totally understandable.

Best of luck.

Thanks. Didn't know that about Brentwood.

[alastad]

Homestead, Duquesne, Rankin, Braddock, Mckeesport, Mckees Rocks, Mount Oliver, Allentown, Knoxville, Northview Heights, Clairton are all examples of "diverse" communities, let that sink in for a minute...

[lifepgh2op]

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by alastad

Homestead, Duquesne, Rankin, Braddock, Mckeesport, Mckees Rocks, Mount Oliver, Allentown, Knoxville, Northview Heights, Clairton are all examples of "diverse" communities, let that sink in for a minute...

As a former resident of Stowe-Rocks, and a current resident of McKeesport, most of these towns have neighborhoods that are both racially mixed and beautifully kept. Clairton, Duquesne, and McKeesport are cities with various neighborhoods of varying conditions and prosperity. My neighborhood in McKeesport is about half white and half black, and it's just a great place to be. It's amazing what you find when you think outside of the box and consider living in places that are written off by the general public. You won't find stable mixed race neighborhoods in Aspinwall, but some of these old towns in the Mon Valley have them!

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I find it difficult to believe that minorities simply do not want to live in walkable, middle-class, first-ring suburbs with great schools. They/we flock to similar areas in other metros.

Why would they?


Most of the African Americans who moved into the Pittsburgh area did so to work at places like US Steel or Westinghouse. Those who "moved on up" looked to suburban areas in areas adjacent like North Versailles and Monroeville and a relative few would think to cross the river and head up into the Allegheny Valley.

[alastad]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

As a former resident of Stowe-Rocks, and a current resident of McKeesport, most of these towns have neighborhoods that are both racially mixed and beautifully kept. Clairton, Duquesne, and McKeesport are cities with various neighborhoods of varying conditions and prosperity. My neighborhood in McKeesport is about half white and half black, and it's just a great place to be. It's amazing what you find when you think outside of the box and consider living in places that are written off by the general public. You won't find stable mixed race neighborhoods in Aspinwall, but some of these old towns in the Mon Valley have them!

The point is that the communities I listed are, IN GENERAL, dangerous places to live when comparing them to less racially mixed places, like Southern Munhall, Robinson, Ross, North Huntingdon, etch. etch.