What is the most ethnically diverse city in WV? (Charleston: school, university)

[mattec]

Beckley...

White alone - 12,635 (71.7%)
Black alone - 3,704 (21.0%)
Two or more races - 508 (2.9%)
Asian alone - 428 (2.4%)
Hispanic - 265 (1.5%)
American Indian alone - 54 (0.3%)
Other race alone - 19 (0.1%)
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 1 (0.01%)

[mattec]

Bluefield


White alone - 7,667 (73.4%)
Black alone - 2,374 (22.7%)
Two or more races - 224 (2.1%)
Hispanic - 96 (0.9%)
Asian alone - 49 (0.5%)
American Indian alone - 27 (0.3%)
Other race alone - 10 (0.10%)

[boycewv]

Martinsburg also has a large black population although it doesn't have much "diversity". Morgantown may have a lot of ethnicities in the university but it is still mostly a white school and even with that the city itself if 89% white and when you consider the county population it is even more white. Not that this matters but I wouldn't call it diverse, I did find Charleston to be pretty diverse when I lived there but not anywhere near the diversity that is in northern Virginia for example.

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by boycewv

Martinsburg also has a large black population although it doesn't have much "diversity". Morgantown may have a lot of ethnicities in the university but it is still mostly a white school and even with that the city itself if 89% white and when you consider the county population it is even more white. Not that this matters but I wouldn't call it diverse, I did find Charleston to be pretty diverse when I lived there but not anywhere near the diversity that is in northern Virginia for example.

A slightly smaller black population is not diverse. Charleston is white with a small black population, similar to all of WV but a little higher. Besides that not diverse. Charleston is not pretty diverse, although for WV it is. Even if Charleston is 50% white and 50% black that is not really diverse. Somewhere that is 40% white, 20% black, 25% hispanic, 10% asian, 3% polynesian, 2% is diverse.

Morgantown is not that diverse, but for WV it is very diverse. It is full of all races and cultures. Not just for students, but lots of the staff is from abroad.

Imagine this a city with 7 Mcdonalds and 3 burger kings, Charleston, in a state where most cities have 10 Mcdonalds or 9 with 1 burger king. Than you have Morgantown with 8 5 star steakhouses, an authentic indian place, and a french-chinese fushion place.

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by boycewv

Martinsburg also has a large black population although it doesn't have much "diversity". Morgantown may have a lot of ethnicities in the university but it is still mostly a white school and even with that the city itself if 89% white and when you consider the county population it is even more white. Not that this matters but I wouldn't call it diverse, I did find Charleston to be pretty diverse when I lived there but not anywhere near the diversity that is in northern Virginia for example.

I don't know what the statistics are (perhaps Mattec can post some), but it seems that the Charleston-Huntington corridor has quite a diverse selection of restaurants. Oriental restaurants are all over the place; Southridge, Kanawha City, East End, downtown, South Charleston, Teays Valley, Barboursville, Pullman Square, etc. Not big chains, either. These are local places with their own cuisine. One group of Hispanics seem to be buying Shoney's buildings as they close and turn them into Mexican restaurants. Look for a Los Agaves to open when you see a Shoneey's close. You can get Indian cuisine in several restaurants in Charleston, too. Perhaps the best indicator that there is a distinct Asian element in the population around Charleston is the Asian grocery store in South Charleston. I have a coworker that came here from Vietnam that shops there when she wants to cook authentic home food. Then there are the Italian-style restaurants ... (The list goes one and on.)

[Silkdashocker]

Yes, that is true Mensa, the Huntington-Charleston corridor is full of mexican and asian cuisine. Even Putnam County is becoming more diverse. There are plenty of Mexican Restaurants, and a really nice Sushimi Bar/Hibachi Grill in Teays Valley.

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by mensaguy

I don't know what the statistics are (perhaps Mattec can post some), but it seems that the Charleston-Huntington corridor has quite a diverse selection of restaurants. Oriental restaurants are all over the place; Southridge, Kanawha City, East End, downtown, South Charleston, Teays Valley, Barboursville, Pullman Square, etc. Not big chains, either. These are local places with their own cuisine. One group of Hispanics seem to be buying Shoney's buildings as they close and turn them into Mexican restaurants. Look for a Los Agaves to open when you see a Shoneey's close. You can get Indian cuisine in several restaurants in Charleston, too. Perhaps the best indicator that there is a distinct Asian element in the population around Charleston is the Asian grocery store in South Charleston. I have a coworker that came here from Vietnam that shops there when she wants to cook authentic home food. Then there are the Italian-style restaurants ... (The list goes one and on.)

You are missing the point. It is analogy. The example of restaurants is not important it is the point
Charleston is more diverse than most of WV and morgantown is the most diverse. Neither is particularly diverse.

[Evergrey]

Morgantown has the highest percentage Asian and Hispanic populations.

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by Silkdashocker

Yes, that is true Mensa, the Huntington-Charleston corridor is full of mexican and asian cuisine. Even Putnam County is becoming more diverse. There are plenty of Mexican Restaurants, and a really nice Sushimi Bar/Hibachi Grill in Teays Valley.

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

You are missing the point. It is analogy. The example of restaurants is not important it is the point
Charleston is more diverse than most of WV and morgantown is the most diverse. Neither is particularly diverse.

Apparently, Silk think my comment was on topic. The existence of ethnic restaurants is certainly a significant indicator of the presence of some members of that particular ethnic group. Overall, my impression is that West Virginia is not very diverse. Some states have a lot more ethnicity, but some also have a lot less. I've spent time in places with almost no diversity, but a complete open acceptance of people of all racial backgrounds by virtually the entire population. That is a much bigger issue for West Virginia that the percentage of non-white races.

According to the stats cited in the beginning of this thread, Charleston is 77.6% white, Huntington is 86.1%, Morgantown is 87.9%, Beckley is 71.7%, and Bluefield is 73.4%. So far, according to the stats at City-Data, Morgantown is the least diverse, not that it matters much, but truth is truth. With only 11% of WVU students being non-white, the students in Morgantown would actually skew the statistics toward less diversity than toward more.

The facts are from West Virginia University - Diversity - College Prowler and http://collegeprowler.com/downloads/...01fb22f66e.pdf

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by mensaguy

Apparently, Silk think my comment was on topic. The existence of ethnic restaurants is certainly a significant indicator of the presence of some members of that particular ethnic group. Overall, my impression is that West Virginia is not very diverse. Some states have a lot more ethnicity, but some also have a lot less. I've spent time in places with almost no diversity, but a complete open acceptance of people of all racial backgrounds by virtually the entire population. That is a much bigger issue for West Virginia that the percentage of non-white races.

According to the stats cited in the beginning of this thread, Charleston is 77.6% white, Huntington is 86.1%, Morgantown is 87.9%, Beckley is 71.7%, and Bluefield is 73.4%. So far, according to the stats at City-Data, Morgantown is the least diverse, not that it matters much, but truth is truth. With only 11% of WVU students being non-white, the students in Morgantown would actually skew the statistics toward less diversity than toward more.

The facts are from West Virginia University - Diversity - College Prowler and http://collegeprowler.com/downloads/...01fb22f66e.pdf

Again you are missing the point.

2 races is not diverse. Maybe for wv it is but somewhere diverse it is not.

Morgantown has Asian and Hispanic populations that Charleston doesn't. It is a colorful city while Charleston is black and white. That was the point of the restaurant analogy. I grant you Charleston is the 2nd most diverse city in wv although it is not very diverse but neither is morgantown.