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Just curious, but does anyone have input as to diverse or mostly black middle class areas of these metros are located? Like for instance, I believe parts of outer SE Raleigh has mostly black, middle class neighborhoods or say parts of N/NE Buffalo into nearby parts of Amherst and Cheektowaga(maybe Tonawanda(town) now) in the Buffalo has mixed/mostly black, middle class areas. For the sake of the thread, it may help give context to desirable areas relative to the criteria.
Just curious, but does anyone have input as to diverse or mostly black middle class areas of these metros are located? Like for instance, I believe parts of outer SE Raleigh has mostly black, middle class neighborhoods or say parts of N/NE Buffalo into nearby parts of Amherst and Cheektowaga(maybe Tonawanda(town) now) in the Buffalo has mixed/mostly black, middle class areas. For the sake of the thread, it may help give context to desirable areas relative to the criteria.
Raleigh has middle class black areas in inner Southeast Raleigh. Obviously I'm not a native so maybe Southeast's reputation is deserved historically, bit I can tell you at present the characterizations of Southeast are overblown...
East Raleigh is the part of town that in reality is what Southeast is perceived to be, there are middle class areas there too but it's definitely rougher and more violent, yet the stigma isn't there the way it is for SE. I live in Garner, which is basically Southeast extended, it's a seamless transition between the two. But I guess historically SER was the dangerous, dirt poor area of town...
Southeast overall is ~61% black, there are plenty of nice areas around SER to live. As far as those seeking diversity in Raleigh, Southwest Raleigh (~21% black) is more diverse, but Northeast Raleigh (~28% black) is the most ethnically and racially diverse geographic region in the entire city. In the metro there are parts of Cary and Morrisville that are more diverse, but with significantly fewer black folk...
So many of us black men and women value different things, but for me, I can't voluntarily live in a neighborhood that is less than 15% black , and honestly it's probably about 20% the lowest it can be that I'd still feel comfortable. At the same time, I value diversity, so I don't need to live in a majority black neighborhood to feel comfortable---->but ideally I definitely wouldn't prefer a white-dominant area...
My neighborhood in Virginia Beach that I moved here from, Thalia South, is around ~42% white, ~25% black, ~18% Latino, and 15% a nice blend of different racial backgrounds. And this is one of the reasons that has been my favorite place I've ever lived, we had plenty of representation not just within Thalia but in adjacent Beach neighborhoods like Town Center/Downtown (~20% black); Windsor Woods (~20% black); and The Plaza (~23% black); but these areas are all racially balanced in relation to national average, and you never feel out of place in these areas...
There are certainly parts of VB, the further east in the city you go, where it is less desirable to live as black men and women...
For the record my neighborhood here in Garner is about 61% white, 31% black. Not as diverse as I like but comfortable enough place to live...
So many of us black men and women value different things, but for me, I can't voluntarily live in a neighborhood that is less than 15% black , and honestly it's probably about 20% the lowest it can be that I'd still feel comfortable. At the same time, I value diversity, so I don't need to live in a majority black neighborhood to feel comfortable---->but ideally I definitely wouldn't prefer a white-dominant area...
My neighborhood in Virginia Beach that I moved here from, Thalia South, is around ~42% white, ~25% black, ~18% Latino, and 15% a nice blend of different racial backgrounds. And this is one of the reasons that has been my favorite place I've ever lived, we had plenty of representation not just within Thalia but in adjacent Beach neighborhoods like Town Center/Downtown (~20% black); Windsor Woods (~20% black); and The Plaza (~23% black); but these areas are all racially balanced in relation to national average, and you never feel out of place in these areas...
There are certainly parts of VB, the further east in the city you go, where it is less desirable to live as black men and women...
For the record my neighborhood here in Garner is about 61% white, 31% black. Not as diverse as I like but comfortable enough place to live...
I believe all of the areas listed and even many of those not listed within the metro range, have such neighborhoods. There may be other factors to consider, but most will have areas that would fit.
It is also near some predominantly black areas with a middle class presence, Metro Rail, UB's South Campus and businesses on Main St. and Hertel Avenue.
As mentioned, I'm sure that there are other cities on or off the list within this population range with solid neighborhoods with high/similar diversity.
In terms of a lesser mentioned area on the list, areas like Grand Blanc, the Carmen-Ainsworth SD/Flint Township west of the city, with parts of the nearby Swartz Creek, Flushing and Westwood SD’s and portions of Burton just east of the city and Mount Morris are suburban areas in the Flint metro area with a visible black middle class. Just east of Downtown and parts of the South Side are areas of the city with a visible presence. I’d say that parts of Flint Township in the Carmen-Ainsworth SD, Grand Blanc, Swartz Creek and Flushing(maybe Kearsley too) are probably the best bets in terms of a visible black middle class and solid to very good schools. In the city, if they don’t go to Southwestern, some go charter or private to a school like Powers Catholic.
Ok, I wanted to switch some things up a bit. Often times we see list for major metropolitans areas especially when it comes to recommendations for Black Americans(any person of African descent btw). Well this time I want to know if you had to compile a list of SMALLER MSA's which ones would make your top 10 list for Black Americans. Here's the requirements and metrics below:
1) MSA must be under 1.5 million people.
2) Must have a Black percentage equal to or greater than the national Black average (13.4%)
3) MSA can't be smaller than 400,000
Metrics:
1) Economic growth
2) Good size Black Middle class
3) Educational attainment
4) Amenities
5) Culture
List of MSA's under 1.5 million with a Black percentage equal to or greater than 13.4%
1) Raleigh-Cary, NC
2) Memphis, TN
3) Richmond, VA
4) Louisville, KY
5) New Orleans, LA
6) Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY
7) Birmingham-Hoover, AL
8) Greenville-Anderson, SC
9) Baton Rogue, LA
10) Columbia, SC
11) Dayton, OH
12) Charleston-North Charleston, SC
13) Greensboro-High Point, NC
14) Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR
15) Winston-Salem, NC
16) Durham, NC
17) Toledo, OH
18) Augusta, GA
19) Jackson, MS
20) Chattanooga, TN
21) Fayetteville, NC
22) Hunstville, AL
23) Lafayette, LA
24) Killeen-Temple, TX
25) Vallejo, CA
26) Mobile, AL
27) Gulfport, MS
28) Flint, MI
29) Savannah, GA
Here is some information in order and that shows the population in general and for the Black(non Hispanic) from 1980-2020.
Raleigh and Durham really function as a single metro area in practice, so leaving that area aside my inclination would be choose Charleston. It's one of the fastest-growing metros in the country, is affluent, and more liberal than some of these other metros.
Among the others, Louisville to me stands out as a pleasant city with a pretty riverfront location, solid growth, and a somewhat moderate reputation.
Richmond is very wealthy and is probably a good one to consider.
Birmingham is very pretty but fairly segregated and Alabama politicians are quite extreme. Greenville is supposed to be very nice but known as a very conservative area.
Memphis, particularly DeSoto County, Mississippi, would be a good choice if you were raising a family, because of the large middle class black population there and very good quality of life. But being gay and single and wanting to live in the city presumably, there are other metros to consider that don't have Memphis' crime issues.
Huntsville is fast-growing with lots of aerospace jobs which would be appealing.
Raleigh and Durham really function as a single metro area in practice, so leaving that area aside my inclination would be choose Charleston. It's one of the fastest-growing metros in the country, is affluent, and more liberal than some of these other metros.
Among the others, Louisville to me stands out as a pleasant city with a pretty riverfront location, solid growth, and a somewhat moderate reputation.
Richmond is very wealthy and is probably a good one to consider.
Birmingham is very pretty but fairly segregated and Alabama politicians are quite extreme. Greenville is supposed to be very nice but known as a very conservative area.
Memphis, particularly DeSoto County, Mississippi, would be a good choice if you were raising a family, because of the large middle class black population there and very good quality of life. But being gay and single and wanting to live in the city presumably, there are other metros to consider that don't have Memphis' crime issues.
Huntsville is fast-growing with lots of aerospace jobs which would be appealing.
What may hurt Charleston is that the city’s black population/percentage has declined by quite a bit and is getting gentrified. There may be some suburbs that have an appeal and North Charleston is still about 41%(down from 47% in 2010) but is growing slowly.
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