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^i don’t think that was a real person they made posts in that thread once and never made another post on CD ever again. They also didn’t tell really tell us what they did in Boston..or why they chose Boston lol. Other than her and her husband “came down to Boston” for a wedding anniversary-which seems random.
The thing is thought they’re not at allll small or isolated. All these cities are at or above balck national average for population:
Buffalo, Rochester, Hartford, New Haven, Syracuse, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Waterbury, Newark, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Worcester Providence, Trenton, Patterson, Albany, Springfield all have 100k-280k people and they are connected or not isolated at the very least... because they’re are smaller cities and towns with above average black populations in between them like, Ithaca, Mount Vernon, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Plainfield, the Oranges, Atlantic City Schenectady, Chester, Troy, Brockton even smaller black populations in New London CT Newburgh NY or Randolph MA. Can’t forget about Hempstead , LI.
Even cities with below average black populations like Lowell MA and New Bedford MA are so populace and dense (100k people in maybe 12 square miles on average) that their black populations become 7/8k and are mixed in with other people of black descent- that there becomes a nucleus for black culture and expression.
And this is ignoring the main cities of NYC(2 million blacks) Boston (150k blacks) and Philly (600k blacks) all of whom serve as hubs in their areas. I’m discounting a ton of suburbs especially in NJ
You’re never really more than 45 minutes from another substantial concentration of high density black populations in the north really. Even if it’s only 4-5k blacks-it’s a tight not community and more than many rural towns in the south. You end up getting to visit different truly urban areas with black people all over the North.
In the south the population density of the settled areas is much lower and your more likely to be in your car or In a country like area.
It’s preference
Pretty much this and in another thread, I gave an example of if someone were to drive on I-90 in Upstate NY from say the NY/MA border all the way to the NY/PA border near Erie, you can listen to "urban"/black based genres radio the whole way through the trip. This is including 3 black owned radio stations, Buffalo: https://www.power965radio.com/
Rochester(its #1 metro area radio station, if I'm not mistaken): https://www.wdkx.com/
While I've been on my quest to find the "perfect" community in America for my black family I've noticed a certain pattern that is common among many other Black people in this country. There's certain things that we generally tend to look for in a city that differs from our White counterparts. That narrows our searches to just a couple of cities in this country. The usual suspects tend to be "Atlanta/D.C./ Houston".
Often times discussing a subject such as this becomes a hot touchy subject even among Black people on City data. Therefore I complied a list of things that makes a city enjoyable for Black Americans and what we tend to look for in moving to a city. Of course we're not monolithic but again I've seen these themes all across the board state to state for years to somewhat gauge what most people consider while choosing a city. I also complied a list of cities that have a significant Black population, culture,economy, and progression for that Black community. Out of the list of CITIES, which one would you say is the best option for a general black family based off the things Black Americans generally look for in a city?
Things Black Americans generally consider when looking for a citynot in any order)
1.Cost of Living
2.Economy
3.Significant Black population
4.Prominent Black culture
5.Favorable Median Household income
6.High home ownership rate
7. Highly rated diverse schools
8.Racial climate
9.Black businesses
10.Dating scene
11.Nightlife
12.Diverse Black social scene
13.Safe diverse or predominately Black communities
List of cities/metros in no particular order:
1.Atlanta
2.Washington D.C.
3.Houston
4.New York City
5.Charlotte
6.Dallas-Ft.Worth
7.Orlando
8.Raleigh-Durham
9.Chicago
10.Richmond,VA
11.Los Angeles
12.Austin
13.Miami
14.Baltimore
15.Memphis
16.Columbus,OH
17.San Antonio
Again i'm not saying that these cities are the best of the best but the ones I often see on list such as these.
You might want to check out Cleveland. It would check the large majority of your requirements, especially suburbs such as Shaker Heights, Beachwood and Solon, and communities in the Mayfield and Orange school districts.
Perhaps read through this thread, perhaps especially posts 34 and 61.
If you check out the African American experience in Cleveland, don't miss the exquisite Cleveland Museum of Art, which always has free admission to its general collections and most exhibits. Check out its performance series and great film series.
Consider the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Public Square, opened in 1894, just before Confederate memorials began to be constructed throughout the South.
Read about famous Cleveland African Americans such as Jesse Owens, Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (Central High School graduate), Carl and Louis Stokes, and about the integration of the Cleveland Browns and Indians.
See posts 55, 61 and 64 (especially post 64 for a contrast with Boston) in this thread. Certainly, LeBron James is destined to be the first Cavaliers player to have a statue erected honoring him in Cleveland. Jim Brown already has a statue at FirstEnergy Stadium and Larry Doby and Frank Robinson have statues at Progressive Field.
Pretty much this and in another thread, I gave an example of if someone were to drive on I-90 in Upstate NY from say the NY/MA border all the way to the NY/PA border near Erie, you can listen to "urban"/black based genres radio the whole way through the trip. This is including 3 black owned radio stations, Buffalo: https://www.power965radio.com/
Rochester(its #1 metro area radio station, if I'm not mistaken): https://www.wdkx.com/
This college station in Ithaca, that has some long time weekend shows: https://wicb.org/
Or other college stations...
Look no one's saying the North lacks black people or history. I'm aware that it goes back centuries, but my point is it isn't as widespread or visible as the South. The rural/small town population is what makes all the difference in defining Southern culture and even black American culture in general.
Look no one's saying the North lacks black people or history. I'm aware that it goes back centuries, but my point is it isn't as widespread or visible as the South. The rural/small town population is what makes all the difference in defining Southern culture and even black American culture in general.
I know that and explained why the South has a more widespread small town/rural black population. My parents are from rural/small towns in MS and SC, by the way
Where the density claim comes from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...er_square_mile (Irvington NJ is a township and South Floral Park NY is a village, with Poplar Hills KY and East Orange NJ being 1 and 2 in terms of the claim.)
How successful are those businesses? What is the black median HHI? what’s the educational attainment look like? How safe is the city? Anyone can be an entrepreneur-especially when the startup costs in your area are low.
I’m in Baltimore right now. This is not that great. Nice seeing a lot of black people around but a lot of the area is undeniably ugly and in social/physical decline. Record homicide rates in both Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Terribly corrupt black leaders going to jail all the time, poor city and county services and truly terrible public schools in the city and much of the county. And a bunch of the white people here are openly racist and republican and they don’t even live in the boonies. I don’t see it. Baltimore does have a lot of good but too much bad to be a Mecca like that.
I gotta take up for Baltimore since the question to this thread applies to both "city" AND "metro." I think that Baltimore presents a unique case, in that the actual city itself is an F'd up basket case right now, and I wouldn't honestly recommend it to anyone at this time. But the larger Baltimore "metropolitan area" is actually a really decent place to live for many people.
My social circle is predominantly Black. Most of us are traditional Black Americans while a few are of West Indian/Caribbean heritage (some both). Most of us are originally from other cities, some are natives of this area. The common factor is that all of us have managed to build pretty good lives for ourselves in this area and all of us are living pretty good. There IS a substantial Black middle class in the Baltimore area even if it's not necessarily as robust as that in DC or Atlanta.
I don't really buy into the whole "Black Mecca" idea, and I certainly don't consider Baltimore to be a Black Mecca. If there is a Black Mecca in the 21st century, it would be Atlanta since that is the only place that has attracted significant numbers of Black folk from multiple different regions of the United States and internationally. But I don't consider anyplace to be a utopia for Black people.
I really like the Baltimore area because of its geographical location and the genuine options of both urban and suburban living that it offers. I lived in Baltimore city for over a decade, but I've been living in the 'burbs since 2013. I was born, raised, and lived most of my life in the inner-city, so the suburbs suit me just fine at this point. I'm a father with a family. I don't need to live IN a city, I just need quick and immediate access to the city. The good thing about this area is that it offers me quick access to three different cities to get my urban fix when I need it.
Baltimore city is cool and has much potential, but I agree that "potential" doesn't mean sh*t if it's not actually manifesting into reality. That's why I gave up on that city as far as living in it. But the good thing is that if I don't want to deal with Baltimore city, then I have other options in this area. I don't think that people in other parts of the country realize how close the different cities are up this way and how the different metros "bleed" into each other and overlap. I work in downtown DC, I live in Baltimore County, and spend significant time in my hometown Philly. On the weekends, if something positive is happening here in the immediate Baltimore area, I can participate in that; if I want to do something down DC I go down that way; if not, I can shoot up Philly. Then there are multiple smaller cities and towns throughout this broader area.
In short, I really like living in this area. I actually prefer the immediate Baltimore metro over the DC metro as far as living. And despite the serious problems occurring in Baltimore city, there are a lot of Black people living decent lives and prospering in the Baltimore area on a whole. And remember, the Baltimore metro includes not just Baltimore City, but Baltimore County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and Harford County. Carroll County and York County, PA to as an exurb, but I wouldn't recommend them for Black folk.
How successful are those businesses? What is the black median HHI? what’s the educational attainment look like? How safe is the city? Anyone can be an entrepreneur-especially when the startup costs in your area are low.
I’m in Baltimore right now. This is not that great. Nice seeing a lot of black people around but a lot of the area is undeniably ugly and in social/physical decline. Record homicide rates in both Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Terribly corrupt black leaders going to jail all the time, poor city and county services and truly terrible public schools in the city and much of the county. And a bunch of the white people here are openly racist and republican and they don’t even live in the boonies. I don’t see it. Baltimore does have a lot of good but too much bad to be a Mecca like that.
As a white guy living in a mostly black neighborhood for about 15 years, I keep hearing that neighbors think the small white minority in their neighborhoods are the most racist people ever and white people in the suburbs are way less racist. Is that your experience? I try not to be noticed any more than necessary, so I don't know why black people are taking so much attention to me - though I have asked neighbors that I get along with what they think of the neighborhood. Anyway, have you found the white minority to be super racist?
Does it go by black majority? Because theres only like ~4 majority black and ~7 plurality black zip codes in the GBA. You have to remember, NYC and Atlanta are very segregated metros just look at a racial dot map of the area.
North Carolina is quietly becoming a great state for blacks it seems.
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not in any order)
