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I’m not a Houston homer but I hear transplants all the time rant and rave about Houston. Honestly you should hear the comments some transplants say about Atlanta when I moved there?
“Why you move here? You shoulda came 10 years ago.” “You moved from Houston? You shoulda stayed, too much ratchet behavior in the A.” For the record me and my Wife enjoyed living in Atlanta and we moved there solely due to our careers not necessarily because we felt Atlanta was better than Houston.
With that said, Houston has some things I don’t like(all cities do)but if your bored in Houston or any big city for that matter it’s not the city. IT’S YOU. And the country jab really? What makes Houston more country than Atlanta?
Atlanta and Houston are very similar in what they offer for Black professionals. Hell I hear Black Women generally nowadays say they like Houston better than Atlanta because the dating scene is better according to them. We’ve all heard the DL Men “pandemic” in Atlanta(I think it’s exaggerated) but than again I’m a hereto male so what do I know. Bottom line as much as I enjoy Atlanta and do agree it’s more urban than Houston in its core, you still need a car to get around and in no way are these 2 sprawling metros night and day from each other. Unless your in the entertainment industry.
Again let me be clear.The comment was in regards to visiting not living. Of course Ive heard people say they like living there but never heard anyone rave about visiting. At best Ive heard is its "nice".That not a "wow,I loved it" or cant wait to go back.
Atlanta is does have a ratchet element without a doubt,Thats the thing about cities with large black populations.You will encounter every type of black person. Bougie to boughetto. Its the profike of black people.Over achievers and in between to just lazy ratchet. The difference is you can find the latter in any city but you wont find the former as many places as you will Atlanta.
My cousin is a black female professional and some of those thing were her reasoning to but she has found it as hard or harder to date. Everyone has there perspective and my answer or hers arent any more correct than anyone else answer.I can only give mine and I make no promises that Im right.Its just my commentary
Well you've for sure interacted with me enough over the years that you have as good a handle as anyone on what my interests and tastes are, feel like I've known you forever lol. And if you say it's hard to tell what I like, you're the second person in as many days to tell me that---->my homegirl told me yesterday that I'm difficult to please. Ha, I guess yall can't both be lying!
There are a few cities below a million that I enjoy (Albany, Knoxville, Syracuse), but they are too small for me to voluntarily live there, that's true. I gotta have some size and I think my ideal sweet spot are the cities that are currently in the 2m-3m range, though most of those cities are continuing to grow. But that's the perfect weight class for me, I feel balanced in that range and I've been to enough of those cities to have a strong opinion about it...
There are definitely some cities below that weight that I could live in and/or thoroughly enjoy (Richmond, Virginia Beach, Buffalo, Rochester), but they after awhile I feel like my personality outgrows them, they just aren't ideal size; and there are larger cities I'd definitely live in and enjoy (chiefly LA and DC) as well. They aren't too large and I feel like I fit both, there is moreso the checks and balances in regards to financial quality of life living in those two, I'd move to back to LA tomorrow if I had it like that and I think it's the greatest city in the country, and I've turned down an offer to move to back to DC a few years ago as the salary didn't match my expectation...
I have a love hate relationship with the Carolinas. In general, the cities aren't large enough, urban enough, or diverse enough for me, though Charlotte is a clear outlier there and you know I love the city. The Triangle for me, I can appreciate the black success around here, but that's about the only redeemable quality for me. It's by far the most suburban place of size I've ever lived in or even visited, which grates on my nerves, and it adds nothing else unique to my emotional well being by living here. It isn't bad, and as mentioned many times I don't hate it, but it's time to go and that time is approaching here imminently. I was in Winston last week, I really don't get the hoopla for that place on here. Downtown is nice I guess, but its standard Carolina boringness, but I've also not felt the excitement for other places (Little Rock, Atlanta, Boston) that get a ton of positive reviews on here and/or in the real world offline...
I love cities with strong and distinct black culture, I think one of the things I've learned with age is that nearly everywhere we are, we created and have that. Charlotte checks the most boxes for me at this time, and as old as I'm getting lol, I'm young enough that I think that could change in the future. It certainly isn't my optimum level of urbanity and I do take issue with the relative lack of colorful and unique neighborhoods that many cities its size have, as well as the fact that the eccentric and creative culture of the city isn't as pronounced as it is in others, but it checks the most boxes, I've lived there before and loved it, and most importantly it puts me in the best proximity to my daughters at this time...
But I guess I am a mixed bag, Mute. I don't know that there's a perfect city for me, I know enough to say I don't believe Charlotte is my perfect match, there's just cities that meet most criteria for me, cities that meet the baseline, and cities that can't even meet that!
Just given what you mentioned and while it may not be on many people’s radar, what about a couple of the Ohio areas like Cleveland or Columbus? In terms of Cleveland, perhaps some of the places I mentioned a little bit earlier in the thread may work like say parts of Shaker Heights or Beachwood(thinking in terms of schools).
With Columbus, it is kind of a sleeper in relation to the thread topic, as it is growing and has been mentioned as one of those areas to move to at times for black families. It is a metro that is around 15% and has or has had black leadership in key positions.
Another area I thought about is Detroit, but in places like say Farmington/Farmington Hill(good, diverse schools with walkability in Farmington) or even parts of Ann Arbor(I know has its own metro, but is next metro Detroit and same in terms of good, diverse schools and walkability). Maybe northern Oak Park(mostly black, but diverse working/middle class suburb, but zoned for the good Berkley SD) or the portion of Harper Woods(again, predominantly black, but diverse working/middle class community) in the very good Grosse Pointe SD.
Also, with Buffalo, keep in mind that it is the 3rd smallest metro in land area with over 1 million people in the country and its close proximity to Rochester(an hour) and Toronto(an hour and a half or so), allows for more to do within a short trip(the Buffalo and Rochester metros combined are smaller in land than the Richmond metro, have 2.2 million people between them). I’d say that the Eggertsville area of Amherst(about 15% black and again, in the very good and pretty diverse Amherst Central SD, an elementary school in that area: https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000053083 ) would be a happy medium. You have areas within walking distance to the Metro Rail line to go to say Canisius College, Downtown, etc. for events and University at Buffalo is in that area as well(rail stop is actually on the campus). Buffalo has about 100,000 black people in city limits and only 4-6 other Northeastern cities can say that.
Just throwing some ideas out there.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-01-2020 at 09:32 PM..
Well you've for sure interacted with me enough over the years that you have as good a handle as anyone on what my interests and tastes are, feel like I've known you forever lol. And if you say it's hard to tell what I like, you're the second person in as many days to tell me that---->my homegirl told me yesterday that I'm difficult to please. Ha, I guess yall can't both be lying!
There are a few cities below a million that I enjoy (Albany, Knoxville, Syracuse), but they are too small for me to voluntarily live there, that's true. I gotta have some size and I think my ideal sweet spot are the cities that are currently in the 2m-3m range, though most of those cities are continuing to grow. But that's the perfect weight class for me, I feel balanced in that range and I've been to enough of those cities to have a strong opinion about it...
There are definitely some cities below that weight that I could live in and/or thoroughly enjoy (Richmond, Virginia Beach, Buffalo, Rochester), but they after awhile I feel like my personality outgrows them, they just aren't ideal size; and there are larger cities I'd definitely live in and enjoy (chiefly LA and DC) as well. They aren't too large and I feel like I fit both, there is moreso the checks and balances in regards to financial quality of life living in those two, I'd move to back to LA tomorrow if I had it like that and I think it's the greatest city in the country, and I've turned down an offer to move to back to DC a few years ago as the salary didn't match my expectation...
I have a love hate relationship with the Carolinas. In general, the cities aren't large enough, urban enough, or diverse enough for me, though Charlotte is a clear outlier there and you know I love the city. The Triangle for me, I can appreciate the black success around here, but that's about the only redeemable quality for me. It's by far the most suburban place of size I've ever lived in or even visited, which grates on my nerves, and it adds nothing else unique to my emotional well being by living here. It isn't bad, and as mentioned many times I don't hate it, but it's time to go and that time is approaching here imminently. I was in Winston last week, I really don't get the hoopla for that place on here. Downtown is nice I guess, but its standard Carolina boringness, but I've also not felt the excitement for other places (Little Rock, Atlanta, Boston) that get a ton of positive reviews on here and/or in the real world offline...
I love cities with strong and distinct black culture, I think one of the things I've learned with age is that nearly everywhere we are, we created and have that. Charlotte checks the most boxes for me at this time, and as old as I'm getting lol, I'm young enough that I think that could change in the future. It certainly isn't my optimum level of urbanity and I do take issue with the relative lack of colorful and unique neighborhoods that many cities its size have, as well as the fact that the eccentric and creative culture of the city isn't as pronounced as it is in others, but it checks the most boxes, I've lived there before and loved it, and most importantly it puts me in the best proximity to my daughters at this time...
But I guess I am a mixed bag, Mute. I don't know that there's a perfect city for me, I know enough to say I don't believe Charlotte is my perfect match, there's just cities that meet most criteria for me, cities that meet the baseline, and cities that can't even meet that!
Well we certainly share a love for LA. I've only visited once but was blown away; it was the first city I took a vacation to as an adult several years ago and I need to make it back out there soon.
So I think that now I can somewhat see how it works for you. There are several places that I think are unique and interesting in their own right, but that doesn't necessarily make them exciting, happening places. Winston-Salem somewhat falls into that category; I think living there it would be easier to fall into the everyday mundane routine without as much to shake things up living in a larger city, but I still find certain aspects of the city fascinating like the Moravian history and the preserved districts of Old Salem and Historic Bethabara. I like the more industrial urban fabric of downtown with several preserved tobacco warehouses which are now being repurposed, combined with the distinctive highrise architecture of the Wells Fargo Center and the Reynolds Building. It's also a city very much steeped in the arts and hosts the National Black Theatre Festival annually. And some very popular consumer brands were/ are founded and headquartered in the city (Krispy Kreme, Winston and Salem cigarette brands, Fruit of the Loom, Texas Pete, etc). Geographically, it's actually the hilliest city in the state that isn't in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And of course, it has a pretty solid collection of institutions of higher learning. While not exactly a place of bright lights and thrills, I think it's pretty distinctive for a midsize inland Southern city which simply makes it pretty interesting. I know that most people aren't really into all of those details and whatnot, so I guess that's just the nerd in me LOL.
Oh and in this case, don't be lumping both Carolinas together lol. SC's cities (Charleston, Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, etc) are more distinct from each other and are more geographically dispersed. And Charleston and Greenville can certainly challenge Charlotte and Asheville as having the two best downtowns in the Carolinas.
Just given what you mentioned and while it may not be on many people’s radar, what about a couple of the Ohio areas like Cleveland or Columbus? In terms of Cleveland, perhaps some of the places I mentioned a little bit earlier in the thread may work like say parts of Shaker Heights or Beachwood(thinking in terms of schools).
With Columbus, it is kind of a sleeper in relation to the thread topic, as it is growing and has been mentioned as one of those areas to move to at times for black families. It is a metro that is around 15% and has or has had black leadership in key positions.
Another area I thought about is Detroit, but in places like say Farmington/Farmington Hill(good, diverse schools with walkability in Farmington) or even parts of Ann Arbor(I know has its own metro, but is next metro Detroit and same in terms of good, diverse schools and walkability). Maybe northern Oak Park(mostly black, but diverse working/middle class suburb, but zoned for the good Berkley SD) or the portion of Harper Woods(again, predominantly black, but diverse working/middle class community) in the very good Grosse Pointe SD.
Also, with Buffalo, keep in mind that it is the 3rd smallest metro in land area with over 1 million people in the country and its close proximity to Rochester(an hour) and Toronto(an hour and a half or so), allows for more to do within a short trip(the Buffalo and Rochester metros combined are smaller in land than the Richmond metro, have 2.2 million people between them). I’d say that the Eggertsville area of Amherst(about 15% black and again, in the very good and pretty diverse Amherst Central SD, an elementary school in that area: https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000053083 ) would be a happy medium. You have areas within walking distance to the Metro Rail line to go to say Canisius College, Downtown, etc. for events and University at Buffalo is in that area as well(rail stop is actually on the campus). Buffalo has about 100,000 black people in city limits and only 4-6 other Northeastern cities can say that.
Just throwing some ideas out there.
At this point, it's probably California and North Carolina the rest of my life. I'll try Charlotte again, and eventually working on Sacramento and/or LA as dual residences...
This is subject to change but that's where I am now...
I feel like I'd really enjoy Columbus, has kind of northern Charlotte vibe to me. I like Cleveland but wouldn't want to live there...
The Toronto/Buffalo/Rochester stretch is appealing to me in the same way that DC/Richmond/Virginia Beach is, except the VA stretch is more deeply black and there is more widespread black impact on the social and political culture...
I feel like I'd really enjoy Columbus, has kind of northern Charlotte vibe to me. I like Cleveland but wouldn't want to live there...
I'm not sure you would LOL. Columbus is actually more like a Midwestern Charlotte-sized Raleigh with both being state capitals, hosting a large and important state university, and having NHL teams (Columbus also has MLS but no other major league teams). Although it's a bit more historic and urban than Raleigh, Columbus also gets a lot of flack for lacking character and having an overabundance of newer generic development; it has sometimes been described as a Sunbelt city in the Midwest. It also lacks ANY kind of passenger rail service with no local rail transit, no commuter trains, and no intercity passenger rail (i.e., Amtrak).
Plus, seeing as though you're drawn to both coasts, I'm not sure I can see you in flyover country.
I think Indianapolis is more like a "northern Charlotte" than Columbus.
I'm not sure you would LOL. Columbus is actually more like a Midwestern Charlotte-sized Raleigh with both being state capitals, hosting a large and important state university, and having NHL teams (Columbus also has MLS but no other major league teams). Although it's a bit more historic and urban than Raleigh, Columbus also gets a lot of flack for lacking character and having an overabundance of newer generic development; it has sometimes been described as a Sunbelt city in the Midwest. It also lacks ANY kind of passenger rail service with no local rail transit, no commuter trains, and no intercity passenger rail (i.e., Amtrak).
Plus, seeing as though you're drawn to both coasts, I'm not sure I can see you in flyover country.
I think Indianapolis is more like a "northern Charlotte" than Columbus.
If Columbus is more like Raleigh I for sure wouldn't like it...
You just hit on a distinction about my tastes that I didn't actively recognize, I am a coastal guy. I don't necessarily have to live in a city on the coast (neither Sac or Clt are on the coast), but coastal states appeal to me and cities within those states are close enough...
This is interesting, I don't know that, that has ever occurred to me. There really aren't any areas away from the coasts that really appeal to me to live at...
I have known for awhile I'm not the biggest fan of the South. I've kept floating around NC for 15 years now because my parents moved here and never left, but otherwise I wouldn't have ever had another reason to come back here when I initially left years ago. Charlotte is literally the only place here that I really enjoy; most of NC can tolerate, it isn't an outright disdain, but some areas, like until recently I was working in Johnston County, yeah I hate that place...
As that plays into the larger South and spending time in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi as well as NC, I don't generally prefer the South as a place to live or a climate, though there are many little things I enjoy about it. I am an adopted southerner via my Virginia ties, but there really isn't anywhere in the South I "love" besides Virginia. So I did know that about myself...
Indianapolis is more blue collar than Charlotte and in my opinion alot more boring, it has some of the most unimpressive natural landscaping if anywhere in the country. Maybe it's like Charlotte a little but the similarities don't jump off the page besides the rednecky sprinkling both have with Nascar and other stuff...
You just hit on a distinction about my tastes that I didn't actively recognize, I am a coastal guy. I don't necessarily have to live in a city on the coast (neither Sac or Clt are on the coast), but coastal states appeal to me and cities within those states are close enough...
This is interesting, I don't know that, that has ever occurred to me. There really aren't any areas away from the coasts that really appeal to me to live at...
Yeah I realized that about myself a long time ago. I just need the state I reside in to border an ocean (and I would extend that to the Gulf Coast because I could certainly do Houston and Dallas).
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Indianapolis is more blue collar than Charlotte and in my opinion alot more boring, it has some of the most unimpressive natural landscaping if anywhere in the country. Maybe it's like Charlotte a little but the similarities don't jump off the page besides the rednecky sprinkling both have with Nascar and other stuff...
Well both Charlotte and Indianapolis are largely suburban outside of their downtowns (which are quite nice) and most of their amenities are due to their size (sports, retail, etc) and not really any unique geographic, cultural, or historic features except perhaps NASCAR. Both of their large public universities are young (less than 100 years old) and come across as afterthoughts and aside from that, they each have three smaller private universities. And both cities have often been described as boring for largely the same reasons but for what it's worth, it seems that Indy has slightly more things to do since it has the stuff that comes along with being the state capital as well as a zoo. And they have nearly identical municipal populations.
At this point, it's probably California and North Carolina the rest of my life. I'll try Charlotte again, and eventually working on Sacramento and/or LA as dual residences...
This is subject to change but that's where I am now...
I feel like I'd really enjoy Columbus, has kind of northern Charlotte vibe to me. I like Cleveland but wouldn't want to live there...
The Toronto/Buffalo/Rochester stretch is appealing to me in the same way that DC/Richmond/Virginia Beach is, except the VA stretch is more deeply black and there is more widespread black impact on the social and political culture...
I'll always love WNY, though...
I hear you in terms of the WNY/Toronto stretch. While it has cultural/historical and event aspects that are appealing like Caribana/Caribbean culture in Toronto, the Michigan Ave area and some institutions in Buffalo, the Frederick Douglass home and burial site in Rochester, black mayors in Buffalo and Rochester(both are around 40%, give or take), the Harriet Tubman Home and burial site in Auburn further east, black owned/geared radio in both the Buffalo and Rochester(arguably the most popular stations in both metros), etc./general stuff; it demographically isn’t as black. For instance, while Buffalo State is about a third black in student enrollment and has a black president, there aren’t any HBCU’s.
Charlotte as mentioned earlier does have its share of black folks from Upstate NY. So, you could form a network with said folks that live there.
I will say that no one has thought that Philly would be a place/area you would like.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-02-2020 at 08:18 AM..
I will say that no one has thought that Philly would be a place/area you would like.
I don't know...I think he could like Philly as it certainly offers a lot. Personally I'm glad life took me to the region even if it was just for a year; that made Philly one of my favorite cities in the country for sure. While I know murk's affinity for Richmond is largely due to it being one of his hometowns, the fact that in many respects Philly is like a much larger Richmond should be enough reason for him to sufficiently like the place.
I don't know...I think he could like Philly as it certainly offers a lot. Personally I'm glad life took me to the region even if it was just for a year; that made Philly one of my favorite cities in the country for sure. While I know murk's affinity for Richmond is largely due to it being one of his hometowns, the fact that in many respects Philly is like a much larger Richmond should be enough reason for him to sufficiently like the place.
Yeah, I think he would like it too, as it seems to fit some of the things he is looking for(representation, culture(inc. HBCU’s), density, relatively affordable, etc.). I’m thinking NW Philly/maybe into parts of Cheltanham(good schools too).
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