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Me and my wife are "exploring" options outside of Houston so we toyed around with the idea of moving to a more walkable city with public transit. Really growing old and having concerns of living in a metro so car centric.
We really enjoy Houston but feel our heart is not allowing us to call Houston home in the long run. We moved back to Houston from Atlanta(which we enjoyed a lot)because we had our first child and wanted to be closer to family. We have a 2 year old and wanted to explore other cities before our toddler starts grade school just to see if that metro is a "fit" for us. The company I work for has locations in each of the cities I mentioned so I can always transfer if I want to but we would like to look to a city with a diverse economy. Also a city with an actual media industry is a plus. My Wife is in media and is somewhat limited here in Houston because the lack of media jobs.
Even though we're a middle class Black family we're not solely looking for predominately black areas but ones where there are a significant amount of black families in diverse communities. Also a metro with access to good diverse schools/parks/ and access to public transit. We're also not looking to buy yet, only rent to get a feel for a city.
Now I know these cities are a lot more expensive than Houston, however I'd still would like to hear which city offers the best quality of life for a middle class Black family looking for a more walkable city.
Houston is putting in five new BRT lines and extending the current light rail lines, so public transit will be improving. It won’t be anything like the other cities, but things are looking up.
The other cities are more expensive as you say, so you may need to look at suburban options with them, such as PG county in Maryland near DC.
All of those cities are in fact considerably more expensive than Houston with the exception of Philly, which is actually slightly cheaper. Out of those, you'll find the mildest weather in DC and Philly. New York, Philly, and DC look to have the most integrated neighborhoods. The largest of the cities by television market are New York, Chicago, Philly, DC, and Boston in that order. Anyway, good luck!
Media and QOL? NYC. I’d 100% look in Stamford CT, Teaneck NJ or Maplewood NJ.
After that id Go DC simply for overall QOL, after DC id say Boston-more pleasant than Philly with better schools and parks in the area and more extensive public transit. Likely higher earning potential than Anywhere but NYC, but also higher COL.
Chicago and Philly are a tie but I’d go with Chicago simply because it’s a larger media market. But keep in mind Black people are fleeing Chicago for whatever reasons. I find Philly and Boston to be equally segregated and Chicago is the most.
Of course we'd need to know what you prioritize most and what would be the budget.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 01-22-2020 at 06:47 AM..
In terms of Philly, the Cheltenham, Abington and Springfield Township SD’s are good and diverse districts that would work.
In the NYC area, a place like Tuckahoe and Pelham in Westchester County are good smaller SD’s with walkability, are pretty diverse and have a relatively short train ride to Grand Central. White Plains also in Westchester County would be a good city/bigger school district option in terms of solid, very culturally diverse schools and walkability. https://youtu.be/MXFW_RQShQU
In the Chicago area, Evanston and Oak Park come to mind right away.
Silver Spring would be a good choice in the DC area.
Milton and Cambridge come to mind in the Boston area.
I know this area wasn’t mentioned, but in the Detroit area, I would say parts of the Grosse Pointe SD(portion zoned for North HS is more diverse) and Farmington.
In terms of Philly, the Cheltenham, Abington and Springfield Township SD’s are good and diverse districts that would work.
In the NYC area, a place like Tuckahoe and Pelham in Westchester County are good smaller SD’s with walkability, are pretty diverse and have a relatively short train ride to Grand Central. White Plains also in Westchester County would be a good city/bigger school district option in terms of solid, very culturally diverse schools and walkability. https://youtu.be/MXFW_RQShQU
In the Chicago area, Evanston and Oak Park come to mind right away.
Silver Spring would be a good choice in the DC area.
Milton and Cambridge come to mind in the Boston area.
I know this area wasn’t mentioned, but in the Detroit area, I would say parts of the Grosse Pointe SD(portion zoned for North HS is more diverse) and Farmington.
Malden, Stoughton, definitely. I'd also toss in Quincy, Randolph, Avon, Holbrook, Framingham, Everett and Hyde Park (if you can afford private/catholic school).
I'd say the suburbs of NYC (media jobs), DC/DC suburbs (probably the best option for what you want), or Chicago/Chicago suburbs (cheaper, walkable, diverse economy).
In terms of Philly, the Cheltenham, Abington and Springfield Township SD’s are good and diverse districts that would work.
In the NYC area, a place like Tuckahoe and Pelham in Westchester County are good smaller SD’s with walkability, are pretty diverse and have a relatively short train ride to Grand Central. White Plains also in Westchester County would be a good city/bigger school district option in terms of solid, very culturally diverse schools and walkability. https://youtu.be/MXFW_RQShQU
In the Chicago area, Evanston and Oak Park come to mind right away.
Silver Spring would be a good choice in the DC area.
Milton and Cambridge come to mind in the Boston area.
I know this area wasn’t mentioned, but in the Detroit area, I would say parts of the Grosse Pointe SD(portion zoned for North HS is more diverse) and Farmington.
In terms of the highlighted community, something that makes it interesting is that its northern portion from around its train station(even more so from 6th Street) and up, which is a culturally diverse area, in between substantial to predominantly Black, middle class areas of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle. So, while you may not necessary need a predominantly Black, middle class area, you can live in a diverse one, with such areas adjacent to it. Census tract: Census Tract 005300 in Westchester County, New York
From 6th Street/north: Census Block Group 005300-1 in Westchester County, New York
It's been some good suggestions and I'll look into all of them! Right now we're just toying with the idea of living in these areas. If we decide to move we'll start out renting a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment/town home. Of course first priority would be most affordable out the bunch. Also I should have clarified that a priority would be to live in a close enough suburb that has access to public transit.
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