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Let's not hijack this thread and turn it into another "Houston vs. Dallas/Houston vs. Dallas for Blacks" debate. Houston has a little more of an edge because it had a head start with all the HCBUs in the area and the fact that it has been blacker longer than DFW has, but these days, Dallas is just fine for professional blacks. For that one black professional you are talking about in your story, I know 20 who are successful here in DFW and who love it and think it fits them just fine. And believe it or not, quite a few of them even prefer Dallas over Houston.
Yea! Didn't want to do that. LOL
I thought I wanted to share this since alotta people on here think Houston is not used in the same sentence with DC and Atlanta. This was an example of that.
Birmingham, surprisingly, has nice cultural offerings for blacks. Of course, this overshadowed by its image, but Birmingham is definitely no slouch for a city its size and caliber. It is the home to very successful blacks from Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Miles, UAB, and UA. I would definitely rank it higher than Jacksonville and Memphis.
I thought I wanted to share this since alotta people on here think Houston is not used in the same sentence with DC and Atlanta. This was an example of that.
LOL, I understand. I just don't think that whether somebody else wasn't feeling Dallas or not, you don't have to paint Dallas as some type of backwards, anti-black place in order to make Houston look appealing to blacks, because that's not true at all.
I agree that Houston is right behind DC and Atlanta for black folks, but Dallas is right behind Houston. The only thing that Houston has that would appeal specifically to black people that Dallas doesn't is HBCUs. But if you're talking about a place for professional blacks, that doesn't matter anyway because if they are already in their profession, then they're already through with school. Dallas is currently getting just as many if not more professional black transplants as Houston, so the difference really isn't that big. At the rate that Dallas is getting professional black transplants, give it another decade and you probably really won't be able to see much of a difference between Houston and Dallas for professional black transplants. Especially since professional black transplants in Dallas are moving all over the Northern suburbs and to the mid-cities now, contrary to popular belief.
Last edited by NoClueWho; 03-16-2015 at 05:19 AM..
Birmingham, surprisingly, has nice cultural offerings for blacks. Of course, this overshadowed by its image, but Birmingham is definitely no slouch for a city its size and caliber. It is the home to very successful blacks from Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Miles, UAB, and UA. I would definitely rank it higher than Jacksonville and Memphis.
What's up with Houston...? The image we have for Texas here in any country not named USA is that Texas is a racist redneck gun loving shooting first, making sure the guy dead then ask question later to the dead corpse later about why did he cut him on the road, carrying a gun everywhere even at churches and school state... Please explain... To me, I see DC and ATL... NYC can be good if you are willing to work hard
At the end of the day black folks want the exact same things other people want for themselves and their families. We want good jobs, quality education, safety, quality healthcare, etc...There are of course specific things we look for outside of that, being able to experience our culture and have access to certain amenities tailored towards our community is important as well.
So yes, as long as those amenities are present then this comes down to your own personal circumstances. Which is why I find this question difficult to truly answer. For example I live in Cambridge, have a solid career, own a home, have access to excellent public schools for my daughter and can access my culture easily. Would my life instantly improve if I move to a city with more black people? I really dont see why that should be assumed. At the end of the day the challenges I face here are similar to those everywhere else.
So as I said earlier, if a city is not ticking all the boxes so to speak, then how can we elevate one over the other.
I think a lot of people look at things like this in that way as well. This isn't to say that there aren't advantages to living in specific areas in regards to the topic, but so many factors play a part in this and it may be a matter of degree between and within an area.
I think a lot of people look at things like this in that way as well. This isn't to say that there aren't advantages to living in specific areas in regards to the topic, but so many factors play a part in this and it may be a matter of degree between and within an area.
There are definitely benefits to having a strong black professional and political infrastructure in place, if you are moving to an area as a black person. Networking opportunities and having people in place in both local and state government to advocate for issues that are important to our community are a benefit.
These things do not always perfectly align with large black populations though. There are cities with large populations, but no real foothold on professional and political life. Look at a place like Ferguson as a perfect example.
There are definitely benefits to having a strong black professional and political infrastructure in place, if you are moving to an area as a black person. Networking opportunities and having people in place in both local and state government to advocate for issues that are important to our community are a benefit.
These things do not always perfectly align with large black populations though. There are cities with large populations, but no real foothold on professional and political life. Look at a place like Ferguson as a perfect example.
Overall, this is the way I look at it. Whenever the topic of "best places for black people/professional blacks to live" comes up, someone inevitably always starts naming the blackest cities they can think of just because they are predominately or heavily black, whether they actually meet the criteria of good cities for blacks to live in or not (places like Memphis, Jackson, Birmingham, New Orleans, Detroit, etc.). But to me, it's better to live in a city that's only, say, 30% black but is a productive and thriving community for EVERYBODY, as well as black people, versus living somewhere that's 50+% black but has a terrible economy, is filled with poverty and crime stricken neighborhoods, horrible schools, low wage jobs, etc. If you move somewhere like that just because it has a reputation as a heavily black city, then don't complain that the black community there is "behind," "uncultured/uneducated," "not unified," or "stagnant," because you basically set yourself up for it by trying to be somewhere just because there are plenty of people there who look like you, regardless of what type of people they are and how the city affects them or is influenced by them.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagittarius Sirius
The Best Cities to be black, i can think of a couple....
1. Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA - 0.2% Black
2. Laredo, TX - 0.2% Black
3. Bend, OR - 0.3% Black
4. Lewiston, ID-WA - 0.3% Black
5. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX - 0.3% Black
6. Coeur dAlene, ID - 0.3% Black
7. Idaho Falls, ID - 0.4%
8. Missoula, MT - 0.4%
9. Provo-Orem, UT - 0.5%
10. Grand Junction, CO - 0.5%
LOL, in those cities the black community is a guy named John. He's nice though and owns a market.
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