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Black guy here who lives in Austin, has lived in Dallas (5 years) and grew up in Raleigh-Durham. Here is the thing Black People, whether they are African-american or Caribbean american or from elsewhere european, african, latin generally move for the same reasons everyone else. One big thing is word of mouth and simply put places where there are already lots of black people will automatically gain more if those living there like it as people will move due to the advice of family friends. A good case of this is Atlanta which has long been a great city for black people. In the last 10 to 15 years Dallas/Ft Worth, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, and several others have become popular. And for the record Raleigh-Durham was never really that white like some of the other cities mentioned as Durham had a large black population city since forever.
The techie industry isn't super popular for black people it's true but I don't think it's the main reason black people don't pick the Seattle's, and Salt Lake Cities of the Country. I'm in engineering and can kind of go anywhere. The main reason especially for the youth is recreation with similar minded people. Cities like Atlanta, DC, Chicago, NYC, Houston are going to have tons or restaurants, bars, museums, concerts, etc. that revolve around black culture. Cities like Denver, Austin, Seattle just don't have as much of that going on. The recreation in those cities for black people would come from diverse friend groups and outdoorsy things, or immersing oneself in other cultural type things that are not inherently "blackish" and that's not always easy and it's harder to relate for some black people. Black people who grew up in suburbia are way more likely to jump to the outliers like Austin, Denver, SLC, Seattle etc. than say those used to a more urban black experience.
Austin has a big Hispanic population. But let’s be honest, the only time when I see Hispanic people in abundance in Austin is literally confined to their neighborhoods or on the outer skirts of Austin CONFINED to their neighborhoods. I mean look at what Foamposite said. “There are Mexican restaurants everywhere.” That’s literally the extent of a Mexican presence outside of their gentrifying communities in the core of Austin. Literally whenever me and my friends go to Austin we count how many Black people we’ve seen throughout our stay. A little secret, a lot of Black Texans do this when visiting Austin. The lack of Black spaces and people in the popular areas. The areas that attract so many to want to visit Austin in the first place it’s pretty damn obvious.
Literally Domain in Austin is the closest thing to a Houston or Dallas when it comes to entertainment/retail districts. I still like Austin. It’s a great place to visit. Wouldn’t live there though.
Austin's Hispanic population is way too high for them to be "confined" to the fringes of the city. Of course you'e not going to see tons of them at places that cater to white yuppies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
Yea..in the northeast where were from dude .But weve had this argument before. You think everyone everywhere is the same.
Yes, I do think the rest of the country has became like the Northeast in regards to this.
Regardless, it's a major stretch to say most Hispanics in Austin (or Texas in general) count as "white".
Those areas are all removed from the heartbeat of Black America, with a variety of characteristics to underline that. That's the simplest answer to me, all answers fall under that...
I've known a black man from Charlotte who moved to Salt Lake and liked it, but he's the only person I ever met who spoke of SLC as appealing in any way. Pdx is actually mildly popular with black natives of NorCal; my dad lived there for awhile and loves it, my brother's brother has lived there on two separate occasions and loved it; I have a sister who goes to UOregon and has spent alota time there and enjoys it; Dame Lillard loves it there; etc. Outside of that, nah...
I've never met anybody black who stan Atx. I have met and heard of several people who stan Denver, but it's somewhat remote and off the beaten path for most Black Americans...
The 21st century Black man and woman are most comfortable in the cultural nexus of Black America, the South, which us evidenced by the reverse migration to the South for many black people and families over the last 20 years. If we're gonna live outside the South, we prefer areas with long entrenched systems of culture and black success. There are very few exceptions to this rule, like Phx and Vegas don't have esteemed black histories but are popular with blacks from across the country...
Economics and a variety of factors play into this bit the South has a different ecosystem for us than anywhere else, and many/most of us that are upwardly mobile prefer the unique level of amenities and atmosphere that the South provides...
ehh. I think the South is the popular destination but I find black people who like tons of cities. MY wife's friend from Essex County NJ like SLC.
My brother likes ATX. I really liked my visit to Pittsburgh.
The South just has more clout and its chain migration basically. IDK if i'm more comfortable in the south-really, i know im not
I mean, there are only so many black people out there. It's not possible for every city to have growth that looks like "black mecca" Atlanta. African Americans are only 12% of the US population.
The bottom line is that for the OP to specifically call out Austin (which by his number has attracted 160k minorities in only five years) for failing to attract / appeal to minorities is absolutely idiotic. There is no way around that.
The obsession on skin color (one of an infinite number of human traits) is a rather bizare American quality, but the more important point is that if the goal is cultural diversity, clearly Hispanics are providing that. If anything Latin American cultures are probably more distinct from "white America" than is African American culture. Like I mentioned before, Austin has twice as many per-capita non-english speakers than Atlanta.
A thread "Why aren't minorities moving to these cities" including a city that has a 2 million population and 160k minority migrants in five years is ridiculous.
The obsession which is rooted in White Supremacy aka racist Eurocentric ideals and beliefs are common in places like India/ Latin America/ The Caribbean’s etc.
The concept of race, ethnicity, and culture is very complicated and outdated because the driven force of those discussions are still rooted in racism and Cultural bias. Just because Austin has more non speaking English residents than Atlanta means what exactly? Look, even though Atlanta has its own problems when it comes to segregation and exclusive places(and they definitely have)there’s still more inclusive spaces in the metro area compared to what Austin offers.
The obsession which is rooted in White Supremacy aka racist Eurocentric ideals and beliefs are common in places like India/ Latin America/ The Caribbean’s etc.
The concept of race, ethnicity, and culture is very complicated and outdated because the driven force of those discussions are still rooted in racism and Cultural bias. Just because Austin has more non speaking English residents than Atlanta means what exactly? Look, even though Atlanta has its own problems when it comes to segregation and exclusive places(and they definitely have)there’s still more inclusive spaces in the metro area compared to what Austin offers.
My point is that Austin is on this list only because the OP is a Houstonian that is butthurt about Austin being the popular kid at school. Austin is not a particularly white city in this country.
My point is that Austin is on this list only because the OP is a Houstonian that is butthurt about Austin being the popular kid at school. Austin is not a particularly white city in this country.
No, Austin is on the list because it met a specific criteria which I laid out and there seems to be a MASSIVE difference between how white and black people in this country seem to see Austin.
Google "being black in Austin" and compare it with tech based articles or articles written by white people. Let me help you:
Those articles are not outliers either. Do the google search yourself if it makes you feel better. They are far from cherry picked. Those are MASSIVELY DIFFERENT TAKES ON THE SAME CITY. You can find similar information about Portland and Denver.
Thats why were talking about Austin. Its not because Im being defensive about a city that Ive lived in for 5 of my 36 years. We can make another thread about why white people dont like Houston if you want. Houston isnt balanced in its growth either because its white and domestic growth are paltry.
No, Austin is on the list because it met a specific criteria which I laid out and there seems to be a MASSIVE difference between how white and black people in this country see Austin. Youre telling yourself that to make you feel better.
Google "being black in Austin" and compare it with tech based articles or articles written by white people. Let me help you:
Those articles are not outliers either. Do the google search yourself if it makes you feel better. They are far from cherry picked. Those are MASSIVELY DIFFERENT TAKES ON THE SAME CITY.
Thats why were talking about Austin.
Your OP said "minorities". I'm glad that we are now at least speaking openly about the issue being "where black people are moving", rather than coding that with "diversity" and "minorities". As you pointed out, Austin has gained 160k minorities in only five years. That's pretty damn good. It's actually only slightly less than Houston's minority growth per capita.
In black growth Austin is middling, but not terrible really. When a few cities soak up huge numbers of black people, it's expected that other cities will fall below the mean. That is simply math. There are only so many African Americans to go around.
A question for another thread: What is it about Houston that repulses white Americans so much? Is it the humidity? The sprawl? The faint smell of oil?
ehh. I think the South is the popular destination but I find black people who like tons of cities. MY wife's friend from Essex County NJ like SLC.
My brother likes ATX. I really liked my visit to Pittsburgh.
The South just has more clout and its chain migration basically. IDK if i'm more comfortable in the south-really, i know im not
I believe you, I'm don't speak of anything in absolute terms...
Our migration patterns prove that as a whole we prefer the South. The places outside the South that we enjoy, tend to be places that have deeply-rooted histories...
Your wife's friend from NJ and the guy I knew from Clt both like SLC, but it's rare to find black people both moving en masse and finding SLC appealing. But obviously we know people to prove there are exceptions to the rule out there...
I'm most comfortable in the Atlantic South. Particularly the DC-Maryland-Virginia subregion. I can tolerate and find enjoyment in NC but I'm not thrilled by anywhere in NC besides Clt. Dallas and South Carolina are okay but I wouldnt want to live in either. The rest of the South isn't all that appealing to me in any real form. I love the Northeast, particularly PA and NYS, and I love California...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foamposite
Austin's Hispanic population is way too high for them to be "confined" to the fringes of the city. Of course you'e not going to see tons of them at places that cater to white yuppies.
Yes, I do think the rest of the country has became like the Northeast in regards to this.
Regardless, it's a major stretch to say most Hispanics in Austin (or Texas in general) count as "white".
I've never known many, if any, Latinos who identify as white, even the white ones. I'm thinking of the Mexicans, Salvis, Guatemalans, Ecuadoreans, Ricans, Dominicans, pretty much all Latinos I have ever known from Coast to coast, I never personally knew one who said "I'm a white Latino"...
I've known plenty who identified as either Afro-Latino or simply Latinx/Hispanic. But I also have to remember, there are many places with large Latino populations I've never been to, and it may be different there...
My assumption would be these Latinos who identify as white must come from areas they interact with white people more than anyone else, or most likely whitewashed otherwise. I don't have any other guesses...
Quote:
Originally Posted by whereiend
I mean, there are only so many black people out there. It's not possible for every city to have growth that looks like "black mecca" Atlanta. African Americans are only 12% of the US population.
The bottom line is that for the OP to specifically call out Austin (which by his number has attracted 160k minorities in only five years) for failing to attract / appeal to minorities is absolutely idiotic. There is no way around that.
There is no consensus that Atlanta is our black mecca. It's one of several, only people from Atlanta or with an affinity for Atlanta swear by Atlanta as our sole or primary mecca---->most black people are neither from Atlanta nor have a particular affinity that would elevate Atlanta over other places to them...
You hear nonblacks pushing this "Atlanta is black mecca" as much as anyone else...
There is no consensus that Atlanta is our black mecca. It's one of several, only people from Atlanta or with an affinity for Atlanta swear by Atlanta as our sole or primary mecca---->most black people are neither from Atlanta nor have a particular affinity that would elevate Atlanta over other places to them...
You hear nonblacks pushing this "Atlanta is black mecca" as much as anyone else...
Hah, didn't meant to imply that was a uniform opinion. Just that, with a few cities like Atlanta, DFW, etc pulling in huge numbers of AA migrants, it's expected that other cities will bring in fewer. You can't expect a population that is 12% of the country to have a dominant presence in every single city on the continent.
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