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Well, Philadelphia has had a lot of black people for a long time. Blacks were in Philadelphia far before they were in the Louisiana Territory, Georgia, Chicago, and Michigan. Only New York and Boston, and I suppose Jamestown, had black populations that predate Philadelphia's.
Philly's unique compared to its northern counterparts because it was the first stop for slaves on the underground railroad. Combine that with the fact that Quakers were formally intolerant of slavery and you get a large number of free blacks running around. Of all the northern cities (Washington, DC is not a northern city btw), Philadelphia has the largest percentage of blacks (40%). Pennsylvania is also the only state north of the Mason-Dixon with a Historically Black College or University.
My neighborhood was actually one of the breeding grounds of the abolitionist movement in the North. The house I grew up in, in Germantown, was actually used to house slaves that had escaped from the South. Try going to sleep as an 8-year old after hearing that bedtime story.
Maryland while being a slave state actually had many freed slaves also did you say Philadelphia has the largest percentage of Blacks at 40%, you must mean north of the Mason Dixon line only. Excluding places like Trenton and Newark!
[quote=waronxmas;15806114]Percentage wise, but that doesn't really mean anything.
In raw numbers, the top 10 metropolitan areas by African-American Population (this includes immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America)
1. New York City - 3,246,576
2. Atlanta - 1,657,619
3. Chicago - 1,540,470
4. Los Angeles - 1,245,039
5. D.C. - 1,024,353
6. Philadelphia - 1,023,425
7. Houston - 979,717
8. Detroit - 924,518
9. Baltimore - 703,323
10. Dallas - 607,457[/QUOTE
I think your numbers for Baltimore and Dallas are a little low but good list in rank and order
Maryland while being a slave state actually had many freed slaves also did you say Philadelphia has the largest percentage of Blacks at 40%, you must mean north of the Mason Dixon line only. Excluding places like Trenton and Newark!
I believe that Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Camden, Atlantic City and Mount Vernon may also have higher percentages of Black folks. Can't forget Harrisburg, Rochester and maybe Buffalo too.
They are, and it seems the source I got those numbers from probably 2007 or so. Here is the revised top 5 for 2009:
1. NYC 3,712,588
2. Atlanta 1,787,617
3. Chicago 1,785,809
4. DC 1,422,669 (with Baltimore included 2,215,058)
5. Los Angeles 1,376,015
Sorry for the confusion all.
LA's in the top 5 metro area's with the most black people in the country! What's interesting about that is, the entire state of California has just over 2 million black people in it. Also, the black population in the Bay Area's inner cities and the LA inner city declined by large numbers. I think blacks in California are going the way of other ethnic groups in the past, like the Jews or Italians, who are now scattered all over instead of being confined to ghettos. I'm sure this will happen across the country, since California is always ahead of the curve when it comes to national trends.
LA's in the top 5 metro area's with the most black people in the country! What's interesting about that is, the entire state of California has just over 2 million black people in it. Also, the black population in the Bay Area's inner cities and the LA inner city declined by large numbers. I think blacks in California are going the way of other ethnic groups in the past, like the Jews or Italians, who are now scattered all over instead of being confined to ghettos. I'm sure this will happen across the country, since California is always ahead of the curve when it comes to national trends.
It's already happening across the country.
And not to take anything away from Cali, but from what I know, the state's black population is shrinking. And as for Los Angeles, having only 1.3 million blacks in a metro that's around 15 million isn't that impressive. It will most likely be passed up by Houston, within the next ten years.
Maryland while being a slave state actually had many freed slaves also did you say Philadelphia has the largest percentage of Blacks at 40%, you must mean north of the Mason Dixon line only. Excluding places like Trenton and Newark!
LA's in the top 5 metro area's with the most black people in the country! What's interesting about that is, the entire state of California has just over 2 million black people in it. Also, the black population in the Bay Area's inner cities and the LA inner city declined by large numbers. I think blacks in California are going the way of other ethnic groups in the past, like the Jews or Italians, who are now scattered all over instead of being confined to ghettos. I'm sure this will happen across the country, since California is always ahead of the curve when it comes to national trends.
The Black population of the Bay Area is simply moving inland:
Black Alone or Black Combined with another Race 2000 San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 573,036
Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Yuba City 147,978
Stockton 42,459
Salinas 17,895
Modesto 14,187
Merced 9,418 Total Black Alone or Black combined with another Race: 804,973
Black Alone & Combined with another Race 2010
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 572,204
Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Yuba Ciy 163,296
Stockton 61,726
Modesto 19,606
Salinas 16,554
Merced 12,189 Total Black Alone or Black combined with another Race: 845,575
Black Alone or Black Combined with another Race Population Change 2000-2010
Stockton +45.2%
Modesto +35.7%
Merced +29.4%
Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Yuba City +10.8%
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland -0.1%
Salinas -11.7% Total Black Alone or Black Combined with another Race Population Change: +5.0%
Don't ever try to say the city with the richest African American history and culture is anywhere on the West Coast.
I'd say that yes Philadelphia is definitely in the running, though I couldn't tell you for a fact which city would be number one. You can't include cities that used to be majorly white but have gone downhill and are now populated mostly by low-income African Americans, so certain "black" cities are definitely out the window.
I would say that the top cities with the most historic culture among African-Americans follows.
1. Washington DC.
2.Chicago,IL
3. Philadelphia, Pa.
4.New York City, NY
5.New Orleans, La
6.Boston, Mass.
7.Detriot, Mich
8. Atlanta, Ga.
9. Memphis,Tn.
10. Charleston, S.C.
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