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this always angsted me as well. some will say boston is mad racist then big up n.y.c. diversity ignoring the horrendous red-lining (chinatown, little italy, spanish harlam, broollyn, ...), stop-and-frisk, n.y.p.d, eric garner, sean bell, abner louima, amadou diallo, rudy giuliani, donald trump, racist incidents recently caught on social media (uber-ing while black, speaking spanish while eating at a restaurant, black child back-pack brushes caucasion ladys backside at cornor store, ...), ...
I'm not sure how a thread about the best cities/metros became 28 pages of discussion of Boston. But anyway, I agree with this post 100%.
I don't know man. I heard this stuff recently. Boston still has that stuck up, posh vibe where the elite white people(And East Asians to a lesser extent) look down on Blacks and Hispanics.
Well I dont know as Ive not been in Boston enough to say for sure but more than any major city in the US and its gotta be an issue because its discussed ALL teh time when it comes to Bostons black population.
I found this to be funny but it does have some real interesting data in it.
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.
Great post. E.g., Columbia, Maryland's population is around a quarter African American. Columbia is one of the more renown late 20th century U.S. planned communities. With single county government and even a county school system, Howard County in MD is a somewhat unique entity.
Arguably, no other area in the U.S. offers the cultural, pro sports and historical amenities available to persons living in Maryland suburbs between Baltimore and Washington, DC. This is especially true for African Americans.
I've heard from several black people c]Chicago feels like a really Boston. From friends that moved to Chicago for school and friends raised in Chicago I brought to Boston who i met at school. I've also read it.
Similar population densities, segregation and neighborhood identity while both are cleaner than Philly. More blacks to the south than the north in both cities. Very cold and windy. Great comedians and funny residents in both cities. Extremely clean downtowns. Old public transit and big into spro sports and not college sports.
Biggest differences are Chicago is central to black culture and Boston is on the periphery.. Boston does excellent in economic indicators and Chicago does pretty poorly and is bleeding black population...Chicago is very solidly African-American and Boston is much more diverse in its black population.
I've never been aside from a layover, but I think im going to go in March and visiting old college roomate. Hes seen my hometown so it's only right I see his. Should be a good time.
It's a little weird to hear about Boston segregation, especially in relations to Chicago. lol I know it's a city with a 25% black population, but looking at the one neighborhood that is 80% black, there appears to be a lot of diversity on an ethnicity/nationality level in terms of the black people there. Most of the rest of the "black" neighborhoods(like Dorchester) I would consider racially diverse. On the other hand, Chicago takes black neighborhoods to the extreme. I'm talking about 90-100% black census tracts for miles depending on the direction you take. Aside from Detroit as a city possibly having a slightly greater continuity, Chicago's southside is America's largest continuous urban black area.
But hyper black neighborhoods in otherwise racially diverse cities are not necessarily bad. Some black people prefer to live in environments surrounded by others of the same race, so Chicago could be an ideal place for that. Gentrification (not by non-blacks yuppies at least) is not a big deal where most black Chicagoans live either, unlike what's happening in other cities.
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
You really do come off like the Black Bostonian's my ex couldn't stand. LOL You keep pretending as if the south is some monolithic place.
Bar none, the south is the hub and foundation for Black Culture in America. In 2016 the South had a Black population of 25,629,490. Northeast is 2nd with 8,072,314. And you know the south continues to grow so I'll let you do the math.
South is comprised of sub-regions as well. Deep South/Mid South/Gulf Coast/Texas/Great Plains/ Florida/ Carolinas/etc. All have their unique southern style.
A lot of mid size cities in the south are predominately Black. That's the difference in the south. Especially in the Deep South. Midwest has a few cities that are predominately Black (Ohio cities/Michigan cities) but often times those cities are surrounded by smaller predominately white cities and towns. In the South you'll still constantly run into small towns, cities,rural areas that are heavily concentrated with Black people. It's completely different than any other area. I mean have you ever explored the south? Your really going out of your way to undermine the birthplace of majority of Black culture in America aka the south.
The south is more spread but you'll still run into nothing but Black people. Plus you still have HBCU'S all over the place and Black institutions galore in the south.
Matter fact when I lived in Atlanta and would drive to Houston you would drive through GA/Miss/Al/LA/SETX and every stop is just a continuous flow of Black culture/Black faces in predominately Black cities.
Coming from Texas you start to see the Blacks outnumber whites in cities starting in Beamount than make your way to Lake Charles/Baton Rogue/New Orleans/Jackson/Mobile/Montgomery/Birmingham. And if the city wasn't predominately Black, than it was well above the national average no matter how big or small the city was.
You talk about visiting urban black areas in the Northeast as if all those areas are worth visiting to begin with. I'm not suggesting that it's nothing but poverty stricken areas. No region is short of those but that stretch of Northeast your referring to has a lot of poverty stricken areas in the middle of those major hubs. From Philly to New York(NJ) had some of the worst pockets of poverty I've ever seen in my life. Yes you have poor areas in the south no doubt but even in rural areas you'll see Black people with lots of land that they own. Give me resourceful acres with Black faces over highly dense Black ghettos in Northeast full of renters.
You really do come off like the Black Bostonian's my ex couldn't stand. LOL You keep pretending as if the south is some monolithic place.
Bar none, the south is the hub and foundation for Black Culture in America. In 2016 the South had a Black population of 25,629,490. Northeast is 2nd with 8,072,314. And you know the south continues to grow so I'll let you do the math.
South is comprised of sub-regions as well. Deep South/Mid South/Gulf Coast/Texas/Great Plains/ Florida/ Carolinas/etc. All have their unique southern style.
A lot of mid size cities in the south are predominately Black. That's the difference in the south. Especially in the Deep South. Midwest has a few cities that are predominately Black (Ohio cities/Michigan cities) but often times those cities are surrounded by smaller predominately white cities and towns. In the South you'll still constantly run into small towns, cities,rural areas that are heavily concentrated with Black people. It's completely different than any other area. I mean have you ever explored the south? Your really going out of your way to undermine the birthplace of majority of Black culture in America aka the south.
The south is more spread but you'll still run into nothing but Black people. Plus you still have HBCU'S all over the place and Black institutions galore in the south.
Matter fact when I lived in Atlanta and would drive to Houston you would drive through GA/Miss/Al/LA/SETX and every stop is just a continuous flow of Black culture/Black faces in predominately Black cities.
Coming from Texas you start to see the Blacks outnumber whites in cities starting in Beamount than make your way to Lake Charles/Baton Rogue/New Orleans/Jackson/Mobile/Montgomery/Birmingham. And if the city wasn't predominately Black, than it was well above the national average no matter how big or small the city was.
You talk about visiting urban black areas in the Northeast as if all those areas are worth visiting to begin with. I'm not suggesting that it's nothing but poverty stricken areas. No region is short of those but that stretch of Northeast your referring to has a lot of poverty stricken areas in the middle of those major hubs. From Philly to New York(NJ) had some of the worst pockets of poverty I've ever seen in my life. Yes you have poor areas in the south no doubt but even in rural areas you'll see Black people with lots of land that they own. Give me resourceful acres with Black faces over highly dense Black ghettos in Northeast full of renters.
You really do come off like the Black Bostonian's my ex couldn't stand. LOL You keep pretending as if the south is some monolithic place.
Bar none, the south is the hub and foundation for Black Culture in America. In 2016 the South had a Black population of 25,629,490. Northeast is 2nd with 8,072,314. And you know the south continues to grow so I'll let you do the math.
South is comprised of sub-regions as well. Deep South/Mid South/Gulf Coast/Texas/Great Plains/ Florida/ Carolinas/etc. All have their unique southern style.
A lot of mid size cities in the south are predominately Black. That's the difference in the south. Especially in the Deep South. Midwest has a few cities that are predominately Black (Ohio cities/Michigan cities) but often times those cities are surrounded by smaller predominately white cities and towns. In the South you'll still constantly run into small towns, cities,rural areas that are heavily concentrated with Black people. It's completely different than any other area. I mean have you ever explored the south? Your really going out of your way to undermine the birthplace of majority of Black culture in America aka the south.
The south is more spread but you'll still run into nothing but Black people. Plus you still have HBCU'S all over the place and Black institutions galore in the south.
Matter fact when I lived in Atlanta and would drive to Houston you would drive through GA/Miss/Al/LA/SETX and every stop is just a continuous flow of Black culture/Black faces in predominately Black cities.
Coming from Texas you start to see the Blacks outnumber whites in cities starting in Beamount than make your way to Lake Charles/Baton Rogue/New Orleans/Jackson/Mobile/Montgomery/Birmingham. And if the city wasn't predominately Black, than it was well above the national average no matter how big or small the city was.
You talk about visiting urban black areas in the Northeast as if all those areas are worth visiting to begin with. I'm not suggesting that it's nothing but poverty stricken areas. No region is short of those but that stretch of Northeast your referring to has a lot of poverty stricken areas in the middle of those major hubs. From Philly to New York(NJ) had some of the worst pockets of poverty I've ever seen in my life. Yes you have poor areas in the south no doubt but even in rural areas you'll see Black people with lots of land that they own. Give me resourceful acres with Black faces over highly dense Black ghettos in Northeast full of renters.
I see what you are saying, but this isn't necessarily true. An example of a Michigan city that comes to mind is Muskegon Heights. It is predominantly black, but it is right next to Muskegon, which is about 33% black.
Even around Detroit, you have places like Southfield, River Rouge, Oak Park, Redford, parts of Farmington Hills, Inkster, Harper Woods, Ecorse, etc. that are predominantly black or have higher black percentages outside of the city and vary greatly economically.
In the Cleveland area, there are some Eastern suburbs with high/predominant black percentages like Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, South Euclid, Richmond Heights, etc. that range economically.
There are other examples as well(Forest Park outside of Cincinnati, parts of Flint Township west of Flint, parts of the Waverly SD just west of Lansing, parts of Columbus suburbs like Reynoldsburg and Pickerington(among others), etc.).
Also, even in the stretch of Northeastern cities mentioned, it varies economically in terms of the black population. For instance, a lot of people don't know that on Syracuse's East Side(a small portion in the town of DeWitt), the 13224 zip code is the blackest middle class zip code in Upstate NY at about 36% and has a neighborhood in Salt Springs in its northern portion that is a predominantly black, largely working/middle class area. A block group in that neighborhood: Census Block Group 003602-2 in Onondaga County, New York
A street view: https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0493...6!9m2!1b1!2i37
The black median household income has historically at least been above the national and state black figure, which is generally lower middle class, but with a range. A block group in DeWitt: Census Block Group 014700-3 in Onondaga County, New York
So, they do vary and some of the poverty is partially due to immigrants/refugees coming with whatever they have to some of these cities. In turn, it takes some time for some to "get on their feet".
I also think the difference is that people know due to the legacy of enslavement that those Southern states would have said demographics, while many may not know about some of these things mentioned in terms of Northeastern and Midwestern cities/areas. So, that may be something to keep in mind. Another example, how many know about this Brooklyn college?: https://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/co....asp?ID=190646 https://ares.mec.cuny.edu/
Some history in regards to the institution and only its starting date keeps it from being an HBCU: https://ares.mec.cuny.edu/history/
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 01-12-2020 at 04:22 AM..
I just have no interest in chilling in southern burbs and small cities just because they’re black-I value the diversity I get in northern areas both ethnically and racially. Nothing “against the south “. I’m just northerner and prefer northern culture and lifestyle. I understand different regions of the south pretty well and can distinguish music and clave ya from ATL from NO from Houston. From FL...Yea there are some terrible black ghettos in between say Baltimore and NYC but that’s why my family moved to MA in the first place, New England is prettier and A little less congested. And significant black populations in the northeast are never that far from one another in general.
If I sound like the black Bostonians em your ex didn’t like that’s because I am lol. We’re way up here and again certain folks wanna see Boston or the north In General as one way you can’t honestly be surprised when some folks want to see the south one way. People create their own narratives and truths and stick to them unfortunately.
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