Overt confrontational racism? (St. Louis: apartment, neighborhood, school)

[mjtinmemphis]

I feel strange asking this question but I need to know.

I'm looking in to relocating to Soulard or Lafayette Square from Chicago. I noticed the area is 80 percent White and middle class. Not to go into to much detail but I've had problems with confrontational racism in Chicago for being a Black man living in a White neighborhood on more than one occasion. I don't care to experience that again.

I Remember growing up in St Louis being one of only 3 Blacks in the entire school and never having problems. I can remember a little about the area of Lafayette square and Soulard and it was far from hostile or racist. Has it changed In the past 15 years?

Honest answers please. I will begin apartment shopping in August and don't have time to shop areas with racial issues.

[STLviaMSP]

My take is there are a lot of advanced degrees in those areas, and you should be unlikely to experience any racism as the residents know it is class and values, not race, that matter most. In other words, your skin color shouldn't matter.

[zach_33]

I doubt you would encounter that. The areas you are looking at, as mentioned, have a pretty enlightened residents. Plus, people in St. Louis are just more polite than people in Chicago, in general (ever notice how city size and public manners are inversely related? Maybe too broad a brush but seems to hold in my mind.). That's not to say I think its impossible - there are prejudice people everywhere - I just don't think it would be a regular issue.

[mjtinmemphis]

Thanks for the response. I know St. Louis has their problems just like any other place but I don't remember the stories of blatant racism that I've seen in Chicago.

[scocar]

My wife works for a non-profit that is in the north end of Soulard and is just a mile or so east of Lafayette Square. While the area might be demographically 80% white there are plenty of poor black, white, and hispanic families that live in that area as well; far too many for any white person with racist inclinations to feel comfortable in.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by scocar

My wife works for a non-profit that is in the north end of Soulard and is just a mile or so east of Lafayette Square. While the area might be demographically 80% white there are plenty of poor black, white, and hispanic families that live in that area as well; far too many for any white person with racist inclinations to feel comfortable in.

That's what I remember.