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As an outsider looking in, I dont necessarily feel that I noticed more or less black people in Houston than Dallas after living in both. The biggest differences to me are:
Houston feels more Hispanic
Houston feels more East Asian
Dallas feels more South Asian (Indian Subcontinent)
Dallas feels more White
The interesting thing to note is that there is almost no difference between the black and Asian population size in Dallas and Houston. The differences are DFW much larger white population and Houston's much larger Hispanic population.
The ironic thing is that DFW and Houston have similar sized Mexican populations. Houston just has a lot more Central and South Americans.
The feeling is different no matter how close they are.
I’ve met several people from Miami in Houston who say that Houston is much better for black professionals than Miami, even though Miami has more blacks than Houston. It’s all about feeling, culture, and influence.
Charlotte and RDU have the similar number of blacks, but Charlotte’s black culture is more dominant.
As an actual black person and insider, Houston feels much blacker than what the population suggests. Most people will agree. You see black folks literally everywhere in Houston in large numbers.
Since DFW and Houston are so close in black numbers, why do blacks from Atlanta favor Houston more? Simple. The black culture and influence are very strong in Houston. Houston packs a big punch in black culture to have 800,000 less blacks than Atlanta; it does very well to be in the same conversations with DC and Atlanta.
The feeling is different no matter how close they are.
I’ve met several people from Miami in Houston who say that Houston is much better for black professionals than Miami, even though Miami has more blacks than Houston. It’s all about feeling, culture, and influence.
Charlotte and RDU have the similar number of blacks, but Charlotte’s black culture is more dominant.
As an actual black person and insider, Houston feels much blacker than what the population suggests. Most people will agree. You see black folks literally everywhere in Houston in large numbers.
Since DFW and Houston are so close in black numbers, why do blacks from Atlanta favor Houston more? Simple. The black culture and influence are very strong in Houston. Houston packs a big punch in black culture to have 800,000 less blacks than Atlanta; it does very well to be in the same conversations with DC and Atlanta.
I’m not going to dispute what city is best for blacks because I’m not qualified to answer that.
Since you feel that more blacks would move from Atlanta to Houston than would from Atlanta to Dallas, I’m curious to know where you think the black community in Dallas is coming from. There’s no data to show that any of this is actually true, but the community up there is growing from somewhere. It’s not a matter of a higher birthrate because DFW has a lower birthrate than Houston among blacks.
Houston is culturally more Southern and Gulf Coast which has a large black influence. DFW is culturally in a different region with other influences that stand out. Houston also has had a historically large black population for years. Dallas is growing faster and has surpassed it, but many are transplants and don’t necessarily influence the overall culture, but that continues to change as the DFW area is ever-changing.
Houston is culturally more Southern and Gulf Coast which has a large black influence. DFW is culturally in a different region with other influences that stand out. Houston also has had a historically large black population for years. Dallas is growing faster and has surpassed it, but many are transplants and don’t necessarily influence the overall culture, but that continues to change as the DFW area is ever-changing.
^ This. I've been to both and that definitely explains why Houston "feels" blacker than DFW.
..Also add to the fact that the black population in DFW is spread out between lots of suburbs and both Dallas and Fort Worth themselves have black communities and are separated by 30 miles while the black population in Houston is a lot more centralized since Houston is the principle city in its metro area while DFW has its two principle cities and lots of black people in the suburbs. As Southernboy pointed out, Charlotte and RDU have this same compare/contrast since Charlotte is the principle city in its region while things are a lot more spread out in R/DU out there in NC. DFW and Houston are just that on a larger scale as they're both much larger metro areas.
OP, you have a hard choice and I put my hat off to you, and I know you'll make the best decision for you and your family in the long run. I'll be here in the DMV for the long run, but I've considered moving back down south either back to these three cities later on down the road, but each have pros and cons that I'd have to consider.
^ This. I've been to both and that definitely explains why Houston "feels" blacker than DFW.
..Also add to the fact that the black population in DFW is spread out between lots of suburbs and both Dallas and Fort Worth themselves have black communities and are separated by 30 miles while the black population in Houston is a lot more centralized since Houston is the principle city in its metro area while DFW has its two principle cities and lots of black people in the suburbs. As Southernboy pointed out, Charlotte and RDU have this same compare/contrast since Charlotte is the principle city in its region while things are a lot more spread out in R/DU out there in NC. DFW and Houston are just that on a larger scale as they're both much larger metro areas.
OP, you have a hard choice and I put my hat off to you, and I know you'll make the best decision for you and your family in the long run. I'll be here in the DMV for the long run, but I've considered moving back down south either back to these three cities later on down the road, but each have pros and cons that I'd have to consider.
Yea, DFW is more white than Houston, which dilutes the black experience as a whole. Atlanta is more white too, but it feels more black the same way Houston feels more black: connections to the black influences of the Deep South. Of course, the obvious is Atlanta has more black people in general.
Low key, Dallas is more like Nashville and RDU, and Houston is more like Memphis and Charlotte.
Yea, DFW is more white than Houston, which dilutes the black experience as a whole. Atlanta is more white too, but it feels more black the same way Houston feels more black: connections to the black influences of the Deep South. Of course, the obvious is Atlanta has more black people in general.
Low key, Dallas is more like Nashville and RDU, and Houston is more like Memphis and Charlotte.
The interesting thing with this comparison is that Nashville and Raleigh/Durham have richer Black histories and stronger Black cultural institutions than Dallas and Charlotte.
The interesting thing with this comparison is that Nashville and Raleigh/Durham have richer Black histories and stronger Black cultural institutions than Dallas and Charlotte.
Raleigh/Durham is like DC/Baltimore in miniature.
I’m speaking on how 2 metros in their respective states are viewed to many people.
Charlotte and Memphis are viewed as the black meccas or black cultured municipalities in North Carolina and in Tennessee; they are similar to the same way Houston is viewed in Texas.
RDU and Nashville, especially, are viewed as less black than their respective in-state rivals, similarly to DFW in Texas.
Last edited by SouthernBoy205; 05-13-2020 at 12:26 PM..
I’m speaking on how 2 metros in their respective states are viewed to many people.
Charlotte and Memphis are viewed as the black meccas or black cultured municipalities in North Carolina and in Tennessee; they are similar to the same way Houston is viewed in Texas.
RDU and Nashville, especially, are viewed as less black than their respective in-state rivals, similarly to DFW in Texas.
I get what you're saying, but the gap between Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham isn't quite as large since Raleigh/Durham have had prominent Black populations from the very beginning (the first two Black mayors in the state in the late 60s/early 70s were in Chapel Hill and Raleigh), probably even more so than Charlotte historically. But I do think Black families would be a bit more drawn towards Raleigh/Durham just as they are probably a bit more drawn towards DFW in Texas, whereas singles are more drawn to Charlotte and Houston.
Interestingly enough, TX and NC also have parallels in Wilmington/Galveston, Austin/Asheville, and Fayetteville/Kileen.
The feeling is different no matter how close they are.
I’ve met several people from Miami in Houston who say that Houston is much better for black professionals than Miami, even though Miami has more blacks than Houston. It’s all about feeling, culture, and influence.
Charlotte and RDU have the similar number of blacks, but Charlotte’s black culture is more dominant.
As an actual black person and insider, Houston feels much blacker than what the population suggests. Most people will agree. You see black folks literally everywhere in Houston in large numbers.
Since DFW and Houston are so close in black numbers, why do blacks from Atlanta favor Houston more? Simple. The black culture and influence are very strong in Houston. Houston packs a big punch in black culture to have 800,000 less blacks than Atlanta; it does very well to be in the same conversations with DC and Atlanta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by biscuit_head
^ This. I've been to both and that definitely explains why Houston "feels" blacker than DFW.
..Also add to the fact that the black population in DFW is spread out between lots of suburbs and both Dallas and Fort Worth themselves have black communities and are separated by 30 miles while the black population in Houston is a lot more centralized since Houston is the principle city in its metro area while DFW has its two principle cities and lots of black people in the suburbs. As Southernboy pointed out, Charlotte and RDU have this same compare/contrast since Charlotte is the principle city in its region while things are a lot more spread out in R/DU out there in NC. DFW and Houston are just that on a larger scale as they're both much larger metro areas.
OP, you have a hard choice and I put my hat off to you, and I know you'll make the best decision for you and your family in the long run. I'll be here in the DMV for the long run, but I've considered moving back down south either back to these three cities later on down the road, but each have pros and cons that I'd have to consider.
Both of these are on point imo. Houston doesn't have black cultural influence like Atlanta or DC, but its probably the next big black cultural exporter in the country after those two (along with Chicago), and it has a longstanding, centralized, and fairly influential black population and associated political infrastructure. DFW has just as many black people, but has a more dominant white culture as well as a more decentralized population than the others, which naturally dilutes cultural influence.
To the OP, I don't think you can make a wrong choice of these three, but if I were in your position, I would choose Atlanta. I think its honestly the best fit for you based on what you seem to be looking for and for both of your careers. Like As Above said, you can fly to Texas when you need to and if you like it better than Houston and Dallas, go with where you're comfortable.
I get what you're saying, but the gap between Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham isn't quite as large since Raleigh/Durham have had prominent Black populations from the very beginning (the first two Black mayors in the state in the late 60s/early 70s were in Chapel Hill and Raleigh), probably even more so than Charlotte historically. But I do think Black families would be a bit more drawn towards Raleigh/Durham just as they are probably a bit more drawn towards DFW in Texas, whereas singles are more drawn to Charlotte and Houston.
Interestingly enough, TX and NC also have parallels in Wilmington/Galveston, Austin/Asheville, and Fayetteville/Kileen.
Well it is ironic.
The black community in DFW is growing noticeably faster than in Houston. If the consensus is that Houston is better for black people, then why are more of them moving to DFW than Houston? Is it the economy? Is Dallas a draw for blacks from specific parts of the US that are losing population more rapidly?
There has to be at least educated guesses to these questions.
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