Black Population In Seattle (Vancouver, Everett: houses, rent, income)

[dcoolbro]

pwright I don't think you and pirate are typical of most black folks. Sorry to offend but i'm just being real about it. Maybe you two like living in areas where you're 4% of the region's population. Different strokes for different folks I guess. But i'm willing to bet my whole paycheck and say that most black young professional in the US would never consider seattle as a destination option. Sorry you can pretend otherwise, but maybe you come from a different experience than I do. I talk to black professional transplants here in seattle all the time at Boeing, Microsoft, Seattle Urban League Young Professionals Chapter and many see living in seattle no more than 5 years. But you keep loving Idaho, Oregon and Canada. I'm willing to bet you're in the minority on that. At the end of the day as long as you're content, there's no need in arguing. But I think people need to know the real deal before coming out here. i'm sure there are folks who are similar in mindset as you and pirate, who'd absolutely love it here. And good for them. But I still don't believe that's typical.

[pwright1]

Dcoolbro who's arguing? Please, do you really think you're offending me? Not at all. And guess what, I worked at Boeing and Microsoft so I talked to black professionals there everyday. Most that I talk to love it. But who cares. I lived in many places including France, but mostly on the eastcoast. As for eastcoast, been there done that. Went to black schools through high school and college and had a ball. Thank god I took after my parents who love to travel. It was time to experience new places. Had no desire to live in the midwest or the south. I find Atlanta tired. Sprawly, tired downtown, smog, strip malls. Been there enough through my college days. No thanks. Detroit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Philly, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Memphis, Nashville, Cleveland, Cinncinnati, NO. I'll take Seattle, Vancouver BC, Portland or San Francisco. And people do need to know the REAL DEAL. Give them some good advice and tell them as young black professional 20 somethings moving out to Seattle, Everett is not the answer.

[dcoolbro]

pwright you're one of those who prefers portland, vancouver, seattle, denver....those are often seen as cities that some folks escape to get away from certain demographics. That's all good. There are many who share those sentiments. I just prefer cities with more prominent black communities. Maybe the northwest needs to be put on the radar among more black professionals. I certainly didn't see any on the recent rankings by Black Enterprise as top best cities for black americans. there's still work to be done here to make this a more viable option for folks.

[5chevin5]

I always thought cities like Seattle, Portland and San Fran to be diverse...
The suburbs (i.e Everett)...well thats a different story, but holds true to most (not all) major cities and the sprawl.

Growing up in NYC,I would say that yes, there are many different races there as is many eastcoast cities, but still very "grouped" together in certain neighborhoods or areas. Which makes sense if the local business is dictated by the wants and needs of its demographics. Most people in the neighborhoods I grew up in would stay there because its were they grew up, or had the best (insert ethnicity) restaurant, supermarket, clothes store, hairstylist in town for their needs.

In Seattle I felt (from my rose colored glasses) that the different ethnic backgrounds actually came together pretty well and "hung out" with little drama. Back in NYC and unfortunately other cities, not as much "hanging out" together to experience and embrace what makes us all unique.

I live in Tokyo now...can someone say NOT diverse!! HELLO!!!
What I wouldnt do for some great soul food (Im a chef, from Queens,yes I do know!!) or some mexican food or middle eastern food....mmmmmm
Or some really great jazz or R&B... or drum, or salsa or opera ...ugh Im homesick (usually I get this way after looking at PWrights photos!!) BUT, I choose to live here and make the best of my time, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.

And me and my Japanese wife will be moving to Seattle soon...More diversity!!

5

[SeattlitefromNC]

Originally Posted by dcoolbro

pwright you're one of those who prefers portland, vancouver, seattle, denver....those are often seen as cities that some folks escape to get away from certain demographics. That's all good. There are many who share those sentiments. I just prefer cities with more prominent black communities. Maybe the northwest needs to be put on the radar among more black professionals. I certainly didn't see any on the recent rankings by Black Enterprise as top best cities for black americans. there's still work to be done here to make this a more viable option for folks.

And speaking of the Black Enterprise list, it's no accident that the list lines up almost perfectly with an African diaspora map from 1850, showing where some of the highest concentrations of African slaves were in the United States.

Long story short: the cities listed by BE have had generations of African-Americans living and building communities in those areas. That sort of friendliness to black business and black community didn't come overnight, and it certainly did not even build itself up in the last 40 years. That sort of growth comes from positive generational wealth-building and community building that takes time.

Seattle, Portland, and other points thereabouts have two strikes against them with regards to that particular BE list: the cost of living in these areas is much higher than in the areas cited on the BE list, and these areas are more than 100 miles from where the African diaspora entered in this country. These facts do not make these places bad areas. And some folks "bloom" in different soil, y'know?

As black people, we get enough stereotyping from people not otherwise included in the African diaspora; it breaks my heart to have folks make sweeping assumptions about black people here. Just because Seattle and Portland are not off the I-95 corridor, it doesn't make them bad places or even invisible places (I had a chat about Seattle in a web community for younger black folks recently) to black folks. We have only been contributing to this country for a few hundred years; in a few hundred more, we can judge about our impact. But for now, let us each make our own choices without lumping ourselves into false categories or making sweeping generalizations.

[geometricdisaster]

I think, just like many things that affect national perception, the media portrayal of a city has a lot to do with it.

The last two things that Seattle got a lot of national attention about are grunge rock and the dot-com boom. People also think of flannel, rain, and coffee. So in other words, they know a few stereotypical things about Seattle, but don't really know Seattle. Just like, for example, without going and reading up on the place, all that comes to mind when I think of St. Louis is the arch, jazz music, and a few sports teams.

Seattle, I think (I could be wrong), has Jimi Hendrix as its most famous black native and, even then, I wonder how many people even know he's from Seattle. Likewise Sir Mixalot's from here, but lots of people probably don't know that. Noted that Jimi's a legend and people still remember "baby got back", but it's not like people picture the space needle when they think of those guys.

Anyway, you can look at lot of places besides Seattle -- take England for example -- where there's also a black community, but people don't associate that place with black people, and it takes some kind of media (like the movie "Snatch" or a band like Prodigy) to bring any attention to it.

[scirocco22]

On more than one occasion when I tell black friends from out of town that Seattle had a two-term black mayor, they always respond by saying "no way!"

Yes way! ...serving honorably for eight years.

[kirvin]

Thanks for the pics. I'm also moving to Seattle from Las Vegas do to a job change, I'm African/American and look forward to the change. Kind Regards

[geometricdisaster]

Originally Posted by kirvin

Thanks for the pics. I'm also moving to Seattle from Las Vegas do to a job change, I'm African/American and look forward to the change. Kind Regards

Big change from Vegas. Given a choice between the two cities, I'd say Seattle's a better place to live -- Vegas is a fun place to visit, but at least up here you don't have to worry about where your water is coming from.

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by dcoolbro

pwright you're one of those who prefers portland, vancouver, seattle, denver....those are often seen as cities that some folks escape to get away from certain demographics. That's all good. There are many who share those sentiments. I just prefer cities with more prominent black communities. Maybe the northwest needs to be put on the radar among more black professionals. I certainly didn't see any on the recent rankings by Black Enterprise as top best cities for black americans. there's still work to be done here to make this a more viable option for folks.

Get away from certain demographics? dcoolbro you do not know what you're talking about. I don't prefer Denver but I do prefer Vancouver BC, Seattle, San Francisco over anything back east. Again, like I told you before I've done the east coast thing so it was time to move on and experience new places and new people. The northwest is already on the radar for ALL professionals. It's up to black people to take a chance and discover new cities like Seattle. Many I know did and love it. Black Enterprise ignores the cities with low percentages of black residence. Year after year their picks are the same, just rearranged. And dcoolbro don't ever try to accuse me of escaping MY people. I know I'm black. Attended black schools from kindergarden through college and loved it and PROUD to be BLACK. You never did mention where you hail from. And whoever gave you the advice to move to Everett my friend, DO NOT take advice from this person ever again because you started out your new move all wrong.