Baltimore vs. Boston vs. Minneapolis for African-American

[crw15213]

Originally Posted by 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.

Agree with Tinawina. There is a black presence there, but mostly Caribbean. The black professional presence is Boston is pretty small - especially compared to places like DC or Atlanta. Boston is definitely clicky as mentioned, but I think that's more of a New England thing. People just aren't overly friendly in general here until they get to know you more.

One thing to note - Boston and the surrounding area can get expensive with regard to housing. I chose to move to NH because of the lower cost of living and access to outdoor activities like snowboarding and hiking. For dating, you could have a tough time if you're not open to dating people from other races.

Is there racism here? Yeah, but that can be true anywhere in the country.

Overall, it's not a bad place to live, and me and my wife are happy.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Rwarky

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

I didn't realize "Black on Black" crime just a Baltimore thing?

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by crw15213

Agree with Tinawina. There is a black presence there, but mostly Caribbean. The black professional presence is Boston is pretty small - especially compared to places like DC or Atlanta. Boston is definitely clicky as mentioned, but I think that's more of a New England thing. People just aren't overly friendly in general here until they get to know you more.

One thing to note - Boston and the surrounding area can get expensive with regard to housing. I chose to move to NH because of the lower cost of living and access to outdoor activities like snowboarding and hiking. For dating, you could have a tough time if you're not open to dating people from other races.

Is there racism here? Yeah, but that can be true anywhere in the country.

Overall, it's not a bad place to live, and me and my wife are happy.

I'm beginning to think the black professional scene is tied to government. In cities where Blacks control the government you'll see many black professionals. In cities where they do not you won't see many. Boston & Minneapolis have quite a few large companies, so you'd think if everything being equal you'd see at the very least a proportional amount of black professionals.

[mapmd]

Funny that OP had to state that he's never been in trouble with the law. What a sad reflection of mainstream Af.Am. culture that one has to state this. What I see and hear is a man who's worked hard & studied hard and has become an engineer and who contributes to society.

Who cares what either city thinks? How good of an engineer are you? That's all that matters.

If you're walking down the street in a suit or at least some khakis and a button-up with tie, then they're not going to associate you with the types that cause trouble and/or sit around idle all day.

[theducciano]

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 know you wanted to particularly hear from Blacks who have lived in all three cities you mentioned, but I currently live in Boston, MA and am thinking about moving to Baltimore, and I am Black. Boston, I think, is just as paradoxically racist and tolerant as any major metropolitan area in the country. I've been stopped by police in mostly white neighborhoods because of my skin color ("You fit the description"...). But I live in Dorchester, the largest neighborhood in Boston, which is culturally diverse, and people of all cultural/ethnic background live together peacefully. Sure, some pockets of Dorchester are certainly dodgy, but again, this is the norm for big cities.

One of the more peculiar cultural idioms in Boston involves perceived personal iciness. As a native southerner, I am used to overt friendliness, which is even extended to strangers. In Boston, the reluctance to engage in this type of conversational exchange is not due to any mean spirit Bostonians may have, but probably reveals a penchant for giving the other his/her "personal space" until some familiarity is earned. In other words: if you are a stranger, you are treated as such. But not because Bostonians are dicks. That is a misapprehension of the town.

There is a large Caribbean presence in Dorchester and if I'm not mistaken, a Caribbean parade held in either Dorchester or Cambridge (which is its own peculiar and discrete town) across the river that celebrates this heritage. The winters can get harsh, but I like winter and believe it builds character; this idea lends itself easily to the stereotype that New Englanders are "hearty." The Irish enclaves in Boston, I think, are mostly located in South Boston, Dorchester, and Charlestown. My brother and I like to watch UEFA soccer matches and we get stares whenever we venture into an Irish pub but we've never been harassed or hassled. Because Boston has tons of schools, most of the harassment and hassling I've experienced, if it was related to race, came from inebriated and intoxicated male students who were probably from out of town. Driving in Boston is a headache: the streets are poorly laid out, rush hour traffic means parkways turn into parking lots, and the highways are fraught with "Mass-holes" - you get the drift.

As far as the job opportunities for Boston engineers, I dunno. I do know that again, with all the schools around here (Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston College, Boston University, UMass-Boston), that someone is bound to be looking for an engineer; and a brown skinned one is probably even better in a city that proudly touts its progressive liberalism! I think successful Black Bostonians are such because of their education, ability to network, and job-related skills.