Contemplating move in next few years - is Arizona for me? In Houston now...

[Grannysroost]

I am also sorry you have had that experience in AZ. I have lived in Alaska as a white person, but there were a lot of natives and mixes from all over there as here, and even in a smaller town in AK I did not see prejudice there. Here in AZ, I am now living in a predominantly mixed neighborhood, we are almost token whites, but I have no problem, nor have we as a family living here and the neigbors have been very friendly...

[zox]

Originally Posted by miamiman

This last statement is not in the least bit true. Arizona is nowhere near being socially liberal.

I don't think that is a fair statement. A topic like this will vary with each individual. My experience in Arizona greatly differs from yours. Being an Indian person who is a practicing Hindu who grew up in Wisconsin and Dallas, Arizona feels much more liberal than those areas. We are in the process of hiring a nanny and we are interviewing many candidates, all of which have been white thus far. With each nanny, I always preface that we are Hindus and Indian and if that will be an issue since we want whoever we hire to be comfortable around us. None of the nannies have had an issue with that and they almost look at me strangely for asking the question. In Dallas, my family members who hired nannies often experienced challenges hiring nannies because many people in Dallas are Evangelical Christians. It's been a pleasant experience to see that we have so many people interested in our position and every person we have interviewed thus far has embraced our culture and even says they want to learn more about it. In Dallas, I felt like I had to tiptoe around the religion issue. Also, some of your information needs to be addressed. Arizona initially rejected a the same gay marriage ban that they approved years later. And that gay marriage ban barely passed. California also approved of a gay marriage ban and they are thought of as a liberal state. I also think a state doesn't have to be far left wing to be socially liberal. Yes, Phoenix is not Portland but I always felt those areas were left wing. You don't have to be a tree hugger to be socially liberal!

[zox]

Originally Posted by Ritchie_az

Racism in Houston is so ingrained that I don't think people often realize what they're saying. We found this in several racial groups. Also, the city is more segregated than I expected. It seems that people of different races don't like to live near each other. Of course, this is all generalization and I understand that there are tons of exceptions. I'm not trying to start any kind of debate. But, my experience, people are

I agree regarding racism being ingrained in Houston and the rest of Texas. Having spent my teens in Dallas, racism was ingrained there. Although I grew up in Dallas, we drove to Houston quite often and it was no different there. The racism in Texas is subtle because it is economically developed and appears like many larger metropolitan cities on the surface. You have to be a minority and grow up there to truly experience it. The racism manifested during my late teen years when dating became an issue. Being Indian, I almost never got asked out during Sadie Hawkins and had to stay home. It was difficult dating because a lot of girls would say their parents don't approve of them dating a non-white person or a Hindu/non-Christian. I attended college in the Chicago area and never struggled dating outside my race. The South is a very different entity and it's history has been shaped by slavery and an economy that was based on slavery, at least initially. There is simply no comparison between Arizona and a southern state. Since I've been in Arizona, I experienced no challenges dating outside my race just like Chicago.

[janeseymour]

That's funny. I have an apartment in Arizona and am considering a move to Houston. I can tell you already the huge difference will be the lack of moisture in Arizona. You'll either love it or hate it!

Where I live now it's almost totally white. I rarely see Hispanics, blacks, and Asians. Therefore, I haven't had the opportunity to witness racism. However, some accuse our sheriff (Joe A) of being a total racist because he is tough on illegals in the area and activitely hunts them down for deportation. Whether you think this is racist or not, that's another thread for another time.

Compared to where I've lived on and off for 15 years, Washington DC, traffic seems virtually non-existent and the cost of living is dirt cheap. Where else can you buy shrimp for $1.99 a lb and get a Brazilian wax for under $20? Also, people are super friendly, at least to me, and the sun is almost always shining. A few things that drives me nuts - a lousy economy, a crappy airport, and those stupid Redflex machines. Already have two tickets within months of being here. Talk about overzealous.

Good luck.