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I am an over 50 female thinking of relocating to the mountains. I have been researching the Western North Carolina area for quite some time. I see a lot of information online about the area being extremely racist. I know it's a sad question to have to ask in this day and time, but I do need to ask. Can anyone comment on the safety and treatment of African American people in this area? I am looking at Woodfin, Black Mountain, Boone, and south Asheville's Biltmore area. I prefer small, slow, laid back towns. I am not a city girl at all. I know that the internet is full of false information, but it is full of accurate information, too, and who can tell the difference? I am hoping someone will clarify this for me and leave comments on race relations in this area.
Location: River's Edge Inn, Todd NC, and Lorgues France
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Quote:
Originally Posted by setapart
I am an over 50 female thinking of relocating to the mountains. I have been researching the Western North Carolina area for quite some time. I see a lot of information online about the area being extremely racist.
Just curious, on what sites do you see that information?
I am not African American, so it's hard for me to actually answer your question. I have not observed overt racism in this area (Asheville and outlying areas). I think you would likely run into less in metro Asheville because it's more diverse than the other areas you have listed, but again, that's the opinion of a middle aged white female.
I am from Raleigh and I can say that Raleigh (and Charlotte) are very diverse and you will not run into much racism there or even in the Greensboro area, mainly because they are highly populated areas.
I am an over 50 female thinking of relocating to the mountains. I have been researching the Western North Carolina area for quite some time. I see a lot of information online about the area being extremely racist. I know it's a sad question to have to ask in this day and time, but I do need to ask. Can anyone comment on the safety and treatment of African American people in this area? I am looking at Woodfin, Black Mountain, Boone, and south Asheville's Biltmore area. I prefer small, slow, laid back towns. I am not a city girl at all. I know that the internet is full of false information, but it is full of accurate information, too, and who can tell the difference? I am hoping someone will clarify this for me and leave comments on race relations in this area.
Don't know where you are getting that kind of information, it is not valid. Have you visited this area at all? I would think not, because Asheville's Biltmore area is very much 'city'. Boone is a college type area, much colder, can be icey in the winter. The areas you've mentioned above are not related to each other in any way. Will you be retired or need employment? Depending on your profession the job situation in the mountains is not booming. But the real estate is .... to give you better info, what is your price range? and do you plan to rent or buy ? Race should be the least of your concerns.
The African American population is pretty small in the mountains compared to the rest of NC (both the cities and the rural areas), which like most states in the South has a relatively large African American population.
The city of Asheville is super liberal and prides itself in being open-minded. Terry Bellamy, an African American woman was mayor of Asheville from 2005-2013.
The NC mountain region was never a major industrial hub like the cities of the North that attracted a large African American population during the Great Migration and it was never the big slave-holding region that more lowland areas of the South were. So, bottom line is fewer black folks in the mountains. There are a fair amount of Hispanics, though, who have moved to the area in the past few decades to work in agriculture and similar jobs. I wouldn't be surprised if Hispanics outnumber African Americans in the region.
OK, I did a little looking up of stats here on City-Data and the African American population (12.3%) in Asheville is larger than the Hispanic population (6.7%), to 76.7% white. Black Mountain is 87% white, 6.3% black, 2.1% Hispanic. BTW, did you know sportscaster and former NBA and UNC basketball player Brad Daugherty is from Black Mountain? Boone is 89.4% white (which surprised me with Appalachian State University there — it's a pretty big school), 2.3% black, 3.1% hispanic.
I made a comment in another thread that I saw far more black people in Downtown Greenville than I saw in downtown Asheville. It shouldn't be interpreted that I thought Asheville was racist. I said I would be more comfortable in Greenville if I were black but didn't explain that's because it is my personality type to want to blend in, not because I would expect animosity in Asheville.
I don't know how many responses are from African Americans, but I am totally aware (as a white woman) that there is racism in some areas that AA people have to deal with every day. I think she may be asking about whether anyone has experienced that in the areas she mentioned. I know that I didn't even consider Black Mountain because I came across several different posts saying it wasn't friendly to outsiders. That may not be true, but it scared me away from that area. I am sure the OP did some research and probably came across the same type of information. It can scare you away from certain areas, especially if you are a minority who may have been exposed to racism based on nothing other than the color of your skin. I think her question is reasonable and there is no reason to read more into it than the face value.
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