What is Seattle Like for an Inter-racial Couple (Spokane, Olympia: limousine, living in)

[pirate_lafitte]

To the OP. If you are thinking of taking a chance on Seattle, go for it. If you don't like it, you won't have much to lose. If you do like it, you will be that much happier, that much wiser, that much stronger. I used to live in the Seattle area and I liked it. Maybe it might work for you.

[jenlion]

Wow. Don't visit a thread for a day, and look what happens.

Ugh. After reading that I feel like I had to spend a holiday with my in-laws. Yep, same familiar indigestion, and no, it's not from the meal.

[WishToLiveInSeattle]

Originally Posted by JesseJames34

Perhaps your jobs lacking benefits are not due to racisim? Are you to conclude a place devoid of racism if they hire you and give you benefits? Seems illogical. What if the same thing happens in Seattle, what will you think then?

At any rate, Washington is diverse with Asians and Caucasians, but not so much hispanics or blacks, for what that is worth. Have a looksie here so you can compare WA/Seattle with other places and you can determine if it is diverse by your standards.
State and County QuickFacts
Washington QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
Illinois QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

But whatever you do, stay away from New Orleans!!

I never stated that we don't have benefits because of racism. My husband got laid off from his job. He was the ONLY black local truck driver in all of Southern Illinois. He has applied for job after job after job that he is qualified for and no one will hire him.

I have even spoken to one of our local legislators, Mike Bost and he owns a trucking company.

I was told that "that kind" has a hard time getting jobs around here........

Think it is not racism, please think again. Where we are living is more backwards than that judge in New Orleans.

[Seattleite61]

Honestly, people here could care less who dates who! I have lived here my whole life and have never had any problems as an interracial couple. One thing you might find odd, the number of black people is less here than a lot of places. For example, when I was in SC recently, everywhere I went I saw about 50/50 black and white. It's not that way here!

I made a trip to the south recently with one of my daughters and it was an odd experience. I found that we were stared at everywhere we went. People of all races were nice and polite to us, but they stared, like they were not used to seeing interracial...

As others have said, Seattle is probably one of the most tolerant places you will find!

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Seattleite61

Honestly, people here could care less who dates who! I have lived here my whole life and have never had any problems as an interracial couple. One thing you might find odd, the number of black people is less here than a lot of places. For example, when I was in SC recently, everywhere I went I saw about 50/50 black and white. It's not that way here!

I made a trip to the south recently with one of my daughters and it was an odd experience. I found that we were stared at everywhere we went. People of all races were nice and polite to us, but they stared, like they were not used to seeing interracial...

As others have said, Seattle is probably one of the most tolerant places you will find!

I am going by experience. In general, the PNW seems like a more liberal, accepting place than many parts of the South(at least the Seattle area). I would go back to Seattle if money and school weren't a factor. It seemed more laid back and accepting than when I lived in South Carolina. I have also lived in South Carolina. It felt a bit behind the times when I lived there.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by WishToLiveInSeattle

I never stated that we don't have benefits because of racism. My husband got laid off from his job. He was the ONLY black local truck driver in all of Southern Illinois. He has applied for job after job after job that he is qualified for and no one will hire him.

I have even spoken to one of our local legislators, Mike Bost and he owns a trucking company.

I was told that "that kind" has a hard time getting jobs around here........

Think it is not racism, please think again. Where we are living is more backwards than that judge in New Orleans.

Southern Illinois basically has more in common with the South than the rest of Illinois. You might want to look up the history on Cairo,IL.

I would not blame you if you left southern Illinois, if you haven't already.

Illinois has its oddities. It was the first state to make MLK day a state holiday, and yet there is still much racial prejudice there, especially where you live, and in Chicago too.
Seattle has its oddities. Seattle was ranked 6 best for interracial couples. Seattle elected an African-American mayor in the 1990s. Seattle is the county seat of a county renamed for Dr. King. Strangely enough, there were riots during Mardi Gras in 2001. Still, I would recommend checking out Seattle:What Are The Strengths of Interracial Families?

[admgr]

Try Portland.

ok, jokes aside, Seattle is on the surface a very liberal place. I would stay away from areas like Eastern WA completely

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by admgr

Try Portland.

ok, jokes aside, Seattle is on the surface a very liberal place. I would stay away from areas like Eastern WA completely

On the surface it is. Alot of places are liberal on the surface. With that said, I find Seattle to be better than some places I have been.

[jenlion]

I got called a racist last night when I didn't consider buying something from the door-to-door guy. He was black, and my hands were COVERED in play-doh, so I didn't shake his hand. (Believe me, you don't want Play-doh on your hands if you can't wash them soon. It itches and it smells bad). Well, he didn't call me a racist exactly. He asked if the last people I didn't buy something from "looked like me" and left and said "but we both know why you won't talk to me" and left.

I'm getting a "no solicitors" sign and putting a camera up by the door. I'm not answering it anymore. I'm so sick of the door-to-door stuff. It's so much worse here than anywhere else I've lived. I don't know if it's because of the home prices (they assume it's relatively affluent, never mind I lost my job too?), or if it's the mild climate that makes it easier to tromp around outside, or what. I don't want new windows, pest control, magazines, a vacuum, or a religion. Or insults.

OK, I'm way off topic now. I do wonder though, what places seem liberal on the surface but aren't once you look deeper? Or vice-versa? When driving through eastern WA it appears clear that it's pretty conservative, and most people seem to agree. Western WA seems to be pretty liberal, and so far that seems to be a safe bet. I know it's not completely uniform, but the stereotypes of areas liberal/conservative *seem* to hold up pretty well when you look at, say, voting records. Do you mean someplace like, say, Medina, where it would be completely impossible to say "I hate it when black people marry white people", so you smile, but maybe some people there feel that way? (I have no idea what Medina is actually like. It's just the first place associated with "country club republicans" that popped into my head).

[tindo80]

Originally Posted by jenlion

I got called a racist last night when I didn't consider buying something from the door-to-door guy. He was black, and my hands were COVERED in play-doh, so I didn't shake his hand. (Believe me, you don't want Play-doh on your hands if you can't wash them soon. It itches and it smells bad). Well, he didn't call me a racist exactly. He asked if the last people I didn't buy something from "looked like me" and left and said "but we both know why you won't talk to me" and left.

I'm getting a "no solicitors" sign and putting a camera up by the door. I'm not answering it anymore. I'm so sick of the door-to-door stuff. It's so much worse here than anywhere else I've lived. I don't know if it's because of the home prices (they assume it's relatively affluent, never mind I lost my job too?), or if it's the mild climate that makes it easier to tromp around outside, or what. I don't want new windows, pest control, magazines, a vacuum, or a religion. Or insults.

OK, I'm way off topic now. I do wonder though, what places seem liberal on the surface but aren't once you look deeper? Or vice-versa? When driving through eastern WA it appears clear that it's pretty conservative, and most people seem to agree. Western WA seems to be pretty liberal, and so far that seems to be a safe bet. I know it's not completely uniform, but the stereotypes of areas liberal/conservative *seem* to hold up pretty well when you look at, say, voting records. Do you mean someplace like, say, Medina, where it would be completely impossible to say "I hate it when black people marry white people", so you smile, but maybe some people there feel that way? (I have no idea what Medina is actually like. It's just the first place associated with "country club republicans" that popped into my head).

Most places are like that. No matter where you go you will find idiots who prejudge others under the pretext of prejudice. The catch is in most liberal places, people are not as public about it, or you tend to find more people who will publically admonish others for doing it. In most conservative places, its the reverse. By no means is that of course a rule, merely a tendency.

My experience with the subject

Places that are conservative that people expect to have intolerances and dont (or at least are not as public with them): Northern Idaho (with scant exceptions), Western Montana (same), Northern Nevada, Northern Minnesota, North Dakota, Austin TX, Atlanta Georgia, Spokane WA

Places that are liberal that people expect to have low tendencies for intolerance, but actually have serious intolerance problems: Most of Ohio, Any of the big cities in Texas other than Austin, Bougoise parts of Seattle (downtown, kirkland, bellevue, capitol), Suburban Minneapolis (outer West and outer South only), Other parts of NYC, Northern California including San Francisco, Southern Florida, South Illinois, Rural Eastern Washington

Places that fit their intolerance description exactly: All of suburban/Rural Texas, All of Louisiana outside of NO and college towns, Missouri, South Carolina, Utah, Southern Idaho

(thats all only in my personal experience, mind you)

As far as interracial dating goes, I dont think youll catch any looks in most parts of greater Seattle. Travel a bit north to Skagit, or South past Olympia, and not-so-much.