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What a horribly racist post. And I certainly don't live in a gated community.
Stating the truth does not make it racist. The neighborhood I first lived in was nice and quiet, with no crime. Once the racial composition started to change, the crime rate started to rise. The more non-whites that moved in, the higher the crime rate. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on. My winter house is 95 percent white. We don't have a crime problem. My Alaska house is in a gated community. I don't know the demographics yet, but I haven't seen anyone yet that didn't look like me. We don't have a crime problem. There is a correlation between race and crime rate. There are plenty of statistics to back it. Calling someone a racist for telling the truth isn't going to change it.
There is a correlation between race and crime rate. There are plenty of statistics to back it. Calling someone a racist for telling the truth isn't going to change it.[/quote]
Stating the truth does not make it racist. The neighborhood I first lived in was nice and quiet, with no crime. Once the racial composition started to change, the crime rate started to rise. The more non-whites that moved in, the higher the crime rate. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on. My winter house is 95 percent white. We don't have a crime problem. My Alaska house is in a gated community. I don't know the demographics yet, but I haven't seen anyone yet that didn't look like me. We don't have a crime problem. There is a correlation between race and crime rate. There are plenty of statistics to back it. Calling someone a racist for telling the truth isn't going to change it.
The highest correlation is between "young single men not in school and not employed" (YSM) and crime rate.
What's different is that the correlation between YSM and white is so-so and the correlation between YSM and non-white is yuge.
Anyone notice that it seems all the blacks getting shot by police lately have been young single males not in school and not employed?
What's happening to you reminds me of what's happening in Germany and Sweden with the mass immigration of Muslims from Syria, it's the culture that's doing the ethnic cleansing of what used to be good neighborhoods (or countries).
Nothing stays the same...
At one time my city, Oakland CA, was about 50% African American and now is heading towards 25%.
My friends in Munich were proud to invite refugees... some spent their own money to buy things for the new arrivals... some of that has changed... they see things as a German living in a country doing better than many...
Now, with crime and some very unhappy arrivals making demands for separate non Catholic schools (Bavaria is still Catholic and many classrooms have the cross on the wall) things have changed.
One friend said she really believed they wanted to be here away from war... and this often is not the case... coming from those I know there...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 02-13-2016 at 12:37 PM..
... I'm fortunate that we'll have a good retirement income as we're one of those couples in the top 1/3 income slice mentioned elsewhere. We've lived simply for many years, saving & investing so that we wouldn't be caught short. I like the idea of renting and looking around-----getting the lay of the land.
It's truly sad to see the demise of a great city. We lived in Arlington, VA for almost 10 years but I never quite felt at home. My family has lived in the city of Chicago for over 135 years and all my people are buried here. Like many NYers, I felt great pride and affection for my city and felt like Chicago was the center of the universe and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses and kind words.
I've had family living in Chicago for 40 years now and I go there often. I'm certainly not ready to say you're seeing "the demise of a great city." A city with problems, of course ... but a city of that size will always have problems, economic and otherwise.
You know how they always used to say that there were more Polish people in Chicago than in Warsaw? Well, sometimes it seems like there are now more Chicagoans in Phoenix, AZ, than there are Arizonans. Add in the people from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan and their numbers dwarf the Phoenix natives (seriously, not an exaggeration). When people retire they are usually looking for low taxes and nice weather. That's why they move to Phoenix, now the sixth largest metropolitan area in the nation.
The idea that Phoenix is nothing but mile upon mile of beige stucco look-alike homes with tile roofs is only the case in newer suburbs. Check out the City of Phoenix for architecture ranging from ultra-modern high-rises to chic mid-rises to lofts in arty neighborhoods to My Three Sons Southern California-style ranch houses with big yards and an orange tree out back to mansions with extraordinary mountain views. And, of course, those historic bungalows in friendly neighborhoods like Willo, Encanto, Coronado, Palmcroft, etc.
Move to Cocoa Beach, Florida? No. That won't work. High crime rate. There are too many Caucasian people on crack and street drugs in that area of Florida. Hmmm... How about somewhere in Oregon, or the great state of Washington? Shucks. Same deal there with meth and other drugs. Colorado Springs? Same problem. Hmmm...
This discussion opened up to a wider place than it started and I found it very interesting. Since we are seguing into related things I will say that because Chicago is in the north and it seems Hispanics have just come there to work you are only seeing a small part of their culture. As Chicago has declined it seems your area is getting more poor Hispanics all in one lump. This makes a rather concentrated dose.
I live in Texas and like the person from Arizona our experience with the culture of Hispanics is different. Arizona is different than Texas as well. My family is from Cleveland and we are like you describe from mixed ethnic neighborhood(long gone), my dad Czech, mom Italian. We moved to Texas and there are Hispanics here who are called "Spaniards" by themselves and others and who are quite wealthy and refined going back 6 generations to pre-America in some areas.
We have also have, like my husband, Hispanics who have been in the US 3 generations, then we have recent Hispanics, mostly Mexicans. The cultures are rather distinct. We don't hang out with more recent Mexican immigrants or aliens because we don't have much in common. We don't live on the street with more recent Mexican immigrants full of duplexes with crime just because we are Hispanic. So I totally "get it". One of our best friends is a black guy from Chicago and he chooses to live here in Austin, Texas rather than Austin.
So thank you OP for reminding us that things are often more complicated than people realize and often thru talking we can understand each other better.
This discussion opened up to a wider place than it started and I found it very interesting. Since we are seguing into related things I will say that because Chicago is in the north and it seems Hispanics have just come there to work you are only seeing a small part of their culture. As Chicago has declined it seems your area is getting more poor Hispanics all in one lump. This makes a rather concentrated dose.
I live in Texas and like the person from Arizona our experience with the culture of Hispanics is different. Arizona is different than Texas as well. My family is from Cleveland and we are like you describe from mixed ethnic neighborhood(long gone), my dad Czech, mom Italian. We moved to Texas and there are Hispanics here who are called "Spaniards" by themselves and others and who are quite wealthy and refined going back 6 generations to pre-America in some areas.
We have also have, like my husband, Hispanics who have been in the US 3 generations, then we have recent Hispanics, mostly Mexicans. The cultures are rather distinct. We don't hang out with more recent Mexican immigrants or aliens because we don't have much in common. We don't live on the street with more recent Mexican immigrants full of duplexes with crime just because we are Hispanic. So I totally "get it". One of our best friends is a black guy from Chicago and he chooses to live here in Austin, Texas rather than Austin.
So thank you OP for reminding us that things are often more complicated than people realize and often thru talking we can understand each other better.
Well said. I live in a predominantly immigrant community with some families who "moved up" from neighborhoods in the city. As such we understand the immigrant experience since my husband was an immigrant himself. In the past I had worked in refugee resettlement so I understand the challenges people face.
My first next door neighbor was a young woman who worked for the FBI. She and her husband considered themselves Spaniards and moved after a few years because they didn't want to live in a town that was becoming majority Hispanic. Another was a young Marine and a recent returnee from Afghanistan. His Mexican wife told me that there were "too many" Mexicans for their liking and that she wanted her children to grow up among more white children so they also left.
No group of people are a monolith. Many of the people in my town are what I call "The Aspirationals". They work long hours and are providing a comfortable life for themselves and their families. The local community college is full of them and the free English language classes offered at the local library always have waiting lists. Some have children who are attending university so both parents are working overtime to pay the tuition. These people are a credit to society and not so very different from any in the working-class. Others are desperately poor. . .and still others are just desperate (and criminal).
It is unfortunate that the trouble-makers succeed in making life unpleasant for the rest. It results in a situation best explained by a Hispanic neighbor who told me that he "doesn't talk with anyone" who lives around him, that he "keeps his head down" and "minds his own business." This said by a successful business man who himself is readying to retire.
I no longer get hassled by anyone or see that type of activity I discribed----once the town turned majority Mexican that suddenly stopped. Things are quiet now and I can ready hubs and myself for retirement. Freedom's coming soon!
Last edited by bungalowdweller; 02-10-2016 at 08:57 AM..
Getting back to what the op should do. Since your home is paid for...why not rent it out to a working family? I would rent it, carry a note on it even and then go rent somewhere you feel more comfortable?
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How about somewhere in Oregon, or the great state of Washington? Shucks. Same deal there with meth and other drugs. Colorado Springs? Same problem. Hmmm...
