Baltimore vs. Boston vs. Minneapolis for African-American (Brooklyn Park: job market, high income)

[goodlife36]

Originally Posted by jmat12

@ infinite_heights77, careynpratt and kodeblue

lol...(token negro)... i have a sense of humor and I see your point

and true I am the only black person at my job, but my co-workers will tell you I dont let people disrespect my race or culture


but usually when I dont mention that I have a clean record when looking for a job,housing etc.
as an african american , a lot of people ask or assume that. I was trying to get that out of the way.

I am sorry that you have to go through that. I know what it is like being the only one but I am female.

What draws you to these two states?

[jmat12]

I like snow and 4 full seasons. Im sure Massachusetts and Minnesota get a good amount of snow
In my job field im outside a lot, I have some medical issues so the
heat and humidity down south is not good for me

[emmiesix]

I can't comment on what it's like to be black in either city (being white), but I have spent time in both. Minneapolis is going through urban renewal which may remind you of Baltimore in some ways, though with far less urban decay to deal with. Boston did that a long time ago and is very very expensive now. So if you want more bang for your buck I would look at Minneapolis. It has good public transit though not on the scale of Boston. I saw a pretty big fraction of AA people when I was wandering around, and being a midwestern city I think you'll find attitudes to be pretty progressive. On the other hand, MA is a blue state and MN is a bit mixed up (though getting better), and is home to people like Michele Bachmann, if that matters to you (I know it would give me pause). The University is quite good, but I would ask on the Minneapolis forum about engineering jobs. Boston of course there will be plenty.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by emmiesix

I can't comment on what it's like to be black in either city (being white), but I have spent time in both. Minneapolis is going through urban renewal which may remind you of Baltimore in some ways, though with far less urban decay to deal with. Boston did that a long time ago and is very very expensive now. So if you want more bang for your buck I would look at Minneapolis. It has good public transit though not on the scale of Boston. I saw a pretty big fraction of AA people when I was wandering around, and being a midwestern city I think you'll find attitudes to be pretty progressive. On the other hand, MA is a blue state and MN is a bit mixed up (though getting better), and is home to people like Michele Bachmann, if that matters to you (I know it would give me pause). The University is quite good, but I would ask on the Minneapolis forum about engineering jobs. Boston of course there will be plenty.

Minneapolis does have far less urban decay than Baltimore, that's for certain..

BTW, Minnesota is a Blue State, but perhaps not quite as deep a shade of blue as MA...

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by jmat12

Im 31 years old and I am looking to relocate from my hometown of Baltimore to either Boston or Minneapolis. I only been to boston once at age 8, and Ive never been to Minneapolis.

I have a decent Job in the engineering field here in Baltimore/DC area, But because of family issues I need to move on.

Many people say I have a good personality, hard-working, I can be anti-social sometimes but that is because of how I was raised.

As an African-American (who has never been in trouble with the law) I was wondering what city would be best for me to get a decent job, and move up professionally in the engineering field?. I dont like to make everything racial, but it is a fact of life when trying to fit in and get a good job.

Unfourtuanetly ive heard negative things about boston, but Im sure most people in boston are not racist, but how successful are the black people there? especially in the engineering field? I think I would like boston because I have Caribbean and Irish great-grandparents which ive heard both cultures are common in boston, but i still am brown skinned so I dont know how far that will fly trying to relate to the irish people of boston.


How successful are the black people in Minneapolis, how would you compare to the balt/dc area?
I like carribean food, does minneapolis have a carribean population?

Cold weather has never been a problem for me, I like winter sports, so winter in both cities is not a problem

But which city would you say is more tolerant of blacks?

I appreciate responses from everyone, but I especially would like to hear from black people who have lived in all three cities, and how blacks are treated in the workforce, and socially.

Thank You

I'm Black, one of business school friends also Black worked in Minneapolis for a Fortune 500 company. He hated it. Beyond the weather he said most of the Black people he encountered were poor. He got a job in Philly and moved within a year. Minneapolis does have good job prospects though.

[rogead]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

I'm Black, one of business school friends also Black worked in Minneapolis for a Fortune 500 company. He hated it. Beyond the weather he said most of the Black people he encountered were poor. He got a job in Philly and moved within a year. Minneapolis does have good job prospects though.

This is a pretty good assessment of Minneapolis. You'll find a lot of job opportunities and, while I certainly won't pretend that racial discrimination is non-existent here, I think it would be less of an impediment than it might be in some other cities.

One of the things about Minneapolis is that there isn't much of a black middle-class. Most Black people here are either poor African Americans who have relocated from other Midwestern cities, or African Immigrants who have yet to establish an economically flourishing community. With that said, you certainly will find other Black professionals--you just may need to look a little harder than you would in places like Atlanta, Philadelphia, or D.C.

Best of luck wherever you end up!

[Tinawina]

I lived in Boston for a long time and really liked it (I'm black). It is insular though, very click-ish, so it takes time to make friends. The black community there is mostly Caribbean. There is a fairly large black middle class in the area. The racial tension is real but you can find a multicultural group of friends anyway.

[Rwarky]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

Boston hates Black people! Been there, done that!

Black people of Baltimore hate other black people even more; ever heard of "black on black crime?"

[BMoreJuice]

You will fit right in in Baltimore. Most of the city is black if that is your concern. As for growth its possible to find a good job in Bmore, considering people are not jumping out of their chairs to move here.

[gerrythesnake]

Try Atlanta, Dallas or Houston