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I wasn’t alive in 1970. It seems like Mission Hill and South End had high black populations but were still diverse working class neighborhoods at that time they just had a lot of African-American influence.
I lived on Mission Hill in the middle '70s and it was pretty much white. Lots of young boomers like myself, some students, older families left over from the era of Maurice J. Tobin, son of Mission Hill. The Mission Main, Annunciation Road and Bromley Heath housing projects were black but the three deckers on the hill were not.
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Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
It seems like Mission Hill and South End had high black populations but we’re still diverse working class neighborhoods at that time they just had a lot of African-American influence.
South End had Black families in the blocks between the railroad and Columbus Ave. Those folks all sold out. They say in many of those families the men were porters and stewards on the New Haven and Boston & Albany RR trains and lived close to Back Bay Station. Important African American congregations in the South End too-- Union United Methodist and Concord Baptist. Union Methodist built all those barren high rises along Columbus Avenue for lower income people. Mass Avenue and the streets either side-- Concord, Springfield, Worcester, Northampton --had high Black populations. I think the middle blocks between Columbus and Tremont were full of rooming houses until mid sixties. Then they started to gentrify. The blocks from Tremont to Shawmut north of Villa Victoria -- Union Park, Waltham, etc. -- had rooming houses too plus a Syrian population. The South End remains very diverse to this day because so many stakeholders had stakes there over time. Tent City, Villa Victoria, West Newton St housing, MethUnion Manor, Castle Square, Cathedral housing...
I lived on Mission Hill in the middle '70s and it was pretty much white. Lots of young boomers like myself, some students, older families left over from the era of Maurice J. Tobin, son of Mission Hill. The Mission Main, Annunciation Road and Bromley Heath housing projects were black but the three deckers on the hill were not.
South End had Black families in the blocks between the railroad and Columbus Ave. Those folks all sold out. They say in many of those families the men were porters and stewards on the New Haven and Boston & Albany RR trains and lived close to Back Bay Station. Important African American congregations in the South End too-- Union United Methodist and Concord Baptist. Union Methodist built all those barren high rises along Columbus Avenue for lower income people. Mass Avenue and the streets either side-- Concord, Springfield, Worcester, Northampton --had high Black populations. I think the middle blocks between Columbus and Tremont were full of rooming houses until mid sixties. Then they started to gentrify. The blocks from Tremont to Shawmut north of Villa Victoria -- Union Park, Waltham, etc. -- had rooming houses too plus a Syrian population. The South End remains very diverse to this day because so many stakeholders had stakes there over time. Tent City, Villa Victoria, West Newton St housing, MethUnion Manor, Castle Square, Cathedral housing...
I feel like there was a point from maybe 1985-2005 where many places that had formerly been very ethnic whites had small but noticeable African American populations and then those populations diminished again with increased gentrification. Places on that list would be:
Fenway
Allston-verifiable
Cambridge-verifiable
West Medford
Mission Hill
East Somerville
South End
Savin Hill/Jones Hill
Chelsea (Chelsea has probably seen less black population decline than the others-it still has two aBlack American City Councilors)
I have seen census reports and demographic reports for Allston in Cambridge they were indeed a bit blacker in 1990 than today (Allston was almost 9% black, Cambridge was just over 13-%).
I didn’t realize Atlanta was no longer majority black. And 39% white, wow. I just have spent enough time in DC and heard it called “Mocha City” enough times to know the city has a huge and vibrant white young culture that occupies the same amount of cultural space as the black equivalent. For that reason is just think of DC as a diverse city and metro-and the nations wealthiest metro.
I don’t need to reiterate my reasoning again. It’s not a science. A lotta DC people I know concede it’s not chocolate city without thought and then there are others who insists it’s still chocolate city. I’m sure you’ve met both. I’m not from DC-it’s my outsiders opinion so take it for what it’s worth.
I’m a city guy-I’m talking about the people I see out and about at the store, the DMV, the gas station, and in the neighborhoods. Not whos downtown. In Boston at least, the people I see in the neighborhoods really are from the neighborhoods. If I go out to downtown I know I’m with people from all over and not just the city. Black people are all over DC but much of the city really isn’t chocolate and black people are in a clear minority.
What are ‘booming’ black neighborhoods in DC? U Street? Circa 2017 The only majority black census tracts in the area are Howard university and points north. The immediate U street area is mostly white http://censusreporter.org/profiles/1...f-columbia-dc/ H street? The blackest census tract on the h street entertainment corridor is 36% black http://censusreporter.org/profiles/1...f-columbia-dc/. Or do you mean booming with development in general?
Ward 7 is booming and to a lesser extent, Ward 8 is too. Houses are being flipped on every block across the Ward. Middle class black people are buying homes left and right.
DC is plurality black, not a clear minority. https://censusreporter.org/profiles/...washington-dc/ Like MDAllstar said you will find black people in all areas of DC, whether they live there is another story. But even places like Ward 3 have census tracts with 10%+ black people.
DC is plurality black, not a clear minority. https://censusreporter.org/profiles/...washington-dc/ Like MDAllstar said you will find black people in all areas of DC, whether they live there is another story. But even places like Ward 3 have census tracts with 10%+ black people.
I said in many areas of DC including every nightlife area i can think of.
Ward 7 is booming and to a lesser extent, Ward 8 is too. Houses are being flipped on every block across the Ward. Middle class black people are buying homes left and right.
You're under the impression this is unique to DC in some way? I guess the 2020 Census will bear more information that can confirm or deny that. Unless you have info on whos buying those homes versus whos buying homes like that in similar neighborhoods in different cities.
U street nightlife is clearly white majority and black minority?
Naw I wouldn't say that, but there are many places in many cities where the majority of the nightlife is black or the crowd is mixed. Cmon now. Residentially the U street are is maybe 33-35% black looking at the census tracts. And dropping. Chocolate city in my mind is not 'diverse city'-how is that controversial?
So aside from the Queens Chapel Road area and maybe U street-H Street, Dupont, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Penn Quarter, SW waterfront all predominately white or white/mixed. let alone Arlington and Bethesda. BUt- 'chocolate city'. None of these areas residents is majority black-not one. Chocolate city?
Naw I wouldn't say that, but there are many places in many cities where the majority of the nightlife is black or the crowd is mixed. Cmon now. Residentially the U street are is maybe 33-35% black looking at the census tracts. And dropping. Chocolate city in my mind is not 'diverse city'-how is that controversial?
So aside from U street and maybe H Street.. Dupont, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Penn Quarter, SW waterfront all predominately white or white/mixed. let alone Arlington and Bethesda. BUt- 'chocolate city'. None of these areas residents is majority black-not one. Chocolate city?
The majority black neighborhoods are clustered in NE and SE now but that's doesn't mean black people can't be found throughout DC. We don't just stay at our homes all day lol. When I lived off Connecticut Ave, while obviously not the majority, there were many black singles and families. The vast majority of the workers in the stores/grocery around me were not white, mostly black. My gym had plenty of black people. UDC and Howard Law was near by as well.
The main nightlife in DC is U Street, Dupont, H Street and Adams Morgan. The rest are secondary/not as popular.
I never said DC is Chocalate City; it clearly isn't. But what am I saying is, in all those neighborhoods you listed, you will see black people patronizing the stores, running, working, and yes, even living in the homes/apartments there. So DC is def a caffe latte or mocha city lol.
The majority black neighborhoods are clustered in NE and SE now but that's doesn't mean black people can't be found throughout DC. We don't just stay at our homes all day lol. When I lived off Connecticut Ave, while obviously not the majority, there were many black singles and families. The vast majority of the workers in the stores/grocery around me were not white, mostly black. My gym had plenty of black people. UDC and Howard Law was near by as well.
The main nightlife in DC is U Street, Dupont, H Street and Adams Morgan. The rest are secondary/not as popular.
I never said DC is Chocolate City; it clearly isn't. But what am I saying is, in all those neighborhoods you listed, you will see black people patronizing the stores, running, working, and yes, even living in the homes/apartments there. So DC is def a caffe latte or mocha city lol.
All this I agree with- all I said was it no longer Chocolate City. Because as you said, its clearly not. But to be real even in Boston most of the service workers/security and hotel workers downtown are black. I was one of them at one point lol.
What's more important-as you said-is whos in the gyms or places where membership is required. For a sense of parity. And who lives in new construction. DC shines there and is levels above Boston and San Fran in that regard.
14th Street I would say is very popular and separate from U street but that's more of a daytime area In guess.
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