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It is pretty clear on the whole that where the largest African American growth is occurring has nothing to do with transit or walkability. Even in places up north, there is no drive to be in places that are walkable. The demographic as a whole overwhelmingly prefers suburban environments or places down South/Phoenix/Vegas where they can have a house with a yard in the city. The data overwhelmingly reflects this.
Thing is, there are LOTS of places up north where they could have the same. Upstate NY is a great example. It makes me think weather is a huge draw as well.
Access to Jobs is much more important than the weather IMO.
Generally, Southern and Western metros have had large job growth than Upstate NY/Interior Northeastearn metros. Plus the Rust Belt stigma that much of Upstate has.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaszilla
Many people associate suburban with high quality of life.
this is 100% correct and one of the biggest drivers of black suburbanization. And in most metros, it is true.
Access to Jobs is much more important than the weather IMO.
Generally, Southern and Western metros have had large job growth than Upstate NY/Interior Northeastearn metros. Plus the Rust Belt stigma that much of Upstate has.
this is 100% correct and one of the biggest drivers of black suburbanization. And in most metros, it is true.
I'm about as white as they come...
But I can't imagine the extreme segregation one sees in the "more affordable" Upstate NY/interior NE metros being something that POC would find a "fair trade" for potentially more "walkability" compared to southeastern suburban areas. Regardless of the weather or COL.
The towns my family members live in the suburbs of Rochester area are all extremely white. The fact that the largest suburban town there, Greece, is now....gasp...under 90% white...is kind of a big deal to people there. The most diverse suburb there, Henrietta, home to RIT, is less racially diverse than the "whitest" of suburbs in Raleigh (with Raleigh itself considered less racially diverse than most other southeastern metros). Meanwhile there are neighborhoods within the city of Rochester that are almost exclusively black or almost exclusively Puerto Rican...and heavily divested.
The starkness of the segregation there is off-putting to even my privileged upper-middle-class white boy upbringing perspective..... I can't imagine it being something that an upwardly mobile person of color, especially African-American, would seek out in a relocation destination; but again I do not have that perspective.
Is the area diversifying? Of course ...every square inch of the US is diversifying.... but still.
But I can't imagine the extreme segregation one sees in the "more affordable" Upstate NY/interior NE metros being something that POC would find a "fair trade" for potentially more "walkability" compared to southeastern suburban areas. Regardless of the weather or COL.
The towns my family members live in the suburbs of Rochester area are all extremely white. The fact that the largest suburban town there, Greece, is now....gasp...under 90% white...is kind of a big deal to people there. The most diverse suburb there, Henrietta, home to RIT, is less racially diverse than the "whitest" of suburbs in Raleigh (with Raleigh itself considered less racially diverse than most other southeastern metros). Meanwhile there are neighborhoods within the city of Rochester that are almost exclusively black or almost exclusively Puerto Rican...and heavily divested.
The starkness of the segregation there is off-putting to even my privileged upper-middle-class white boy upbringing perspective..... I can't imagine it being something that an upwardly mobile person of color, especially African-American, would seek out in a relocation destination; but again I do not have that perspective.
Is the area diversifying? Of course ...every square inch of the US is diversifying.... but still.
The thing is that you have to look at school districts for a more accurate depiction, as you can have areas of towns that are more diverse. So, for instance, here are the demographics for some suburban Rochester high schools, Eastridge(East Irondequoit SD): https://data.nysed.gov/enrollment.ph...d=800000034086
So, there are suburban/private schools that many African Americans would and do go with in the area. In fact, full disclosure, I have a sibling that lives in Chili with their family in the Gates-Chili SD, where their spouse graduated from and they sent their girls to a private, independent school(Allendale-Columbia, one graduated from NYU and the other is at Juilliard). So, there is a substantial black, suburban presence in the area. You can find something similar in many of the Upstate areas.
But I can't imagine the extreme segregation one sees in the "more affordable" Upstate NY/interior NE metros being something that POC would find a "fair trade" for potentially more "walkability" compared to southeastern suburban areas. Regardless of the weather or COL.
The towns my family members live in the suburbs of Rochester area are all extremely white. The fact that the largest suburban town there, Greece, is now....gasp...under 90% white...is kind of a big deal to people there. The most diverse suburb there, Henrietta, home to RIT, is less racially diverse than the "whitest" of suburbs in Raleigh (with Raleigh itself considered less racially diverse than most other southeastern metros). Meanwhile there are neighborhoods within the city of Rochester that are almost exclusively black or almost exclusively Puerto Rican...and heavily divested.
The starkness of the segregation there is off-putting to even my privileged upper-middle-class white boy upbringing perspective..... I can't imagine it being something that an upwardly mobile person of color, especially African-American, would seek out in a relocation destination; but again I do not have that perspective.
Is the area diversifying? Of course ...every square inch of the US is diversifying.... but still.
I was going to say, as if you look at the sports teams for the Greece SD high schools, they have quite a few black athletes on them, with some teams being predominantly black.
But I can't imagine the extreme segregation one sees in the "more affordable" Upstate NY/interior NE metros being something that POC would find a "fair trade" for potentially more "walkability" compared to southeastern suburban areas. Regardless of the weather or COL.
The towns my family members live in the suburbs of Rochester area are all extremely white. The fact that the largest suburban town there, Greece, is now....gasp...under 90% white...is kind of a big deal to people there. The most diverse suburb there, Henrietta, home to RIT, is less racially diverse than the "whitest" of suburbs in Raleigh (with Raleigh itself considered less racially diverse than most other southeastern metros). Meanwhile there are neighborhoods within the city of Rochester that are almost exclusively black or almost exclusively Puerto Rican...and heavily divested.
The starkness of the segregation there is off-putting to even my privileged upper-middle-class white boy upbringing perspective..... I can't imagine it being something that an upwardly mobile person of color, especially African-American, would seek out in a relocation destination; but again I do not have that perspective.
Is the area diversifying? Of course ...every square inch of the US is diversifying.... but still.
There are a lot of African Americans who like all-black and segregated neighborhoods. Also in places in MA and RI and to a lesser extent CT and smaller cities all around the northeast you do have considerable integration at least compared to NYC BOSTON PHILLY.
However, this is where weather and cultural compatibility come into play...
There are a lot of African Americans who like all-black and segregated neighborhoods. Also in places in MA and RI and to a lesser extent CT and smaller cities all around the northeast you do have considerable integration at least compared to NYC BOSTON PHILLY.
However, this is where weather and cultural compatibility come into play...
This is true and an example of a predominantly black area of Rochester with a good sized black middle class is the 19th Ward in the SW corner of the city(areas such as the Sibley Tract, as well as the portions along/west of Thurston Road and along/south of Brooks Avenue are more middle class): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bs9LJaAp54FscjeA9?g_st=ic
Even in terms of schools, you have some select, predominantly black schools(charter and city district schools), that are solid/good academically. Some examples that come to mind are UPrep(charter), Rochester Academy Charter, Rochester Prep Charter, Young Women’s Prep(actually in Greece); as well as RCSD’s World of Inquiry, School of the Arts and Early College International, among a few other schools/programs.
Stewart is Jewish, Colbert is Very Christian. He teaches bible school and everything. Right on the rest, black Americans don't have an opinion of him either way I suspect. Surely they are over there on nbc with the roots and the drunk that plays games! (jus playing, I love the drunk that plays games).
As for the black graduate professional class, they're working on their career and there are no shortage of growing southern metros that they would want to move to for connections and the like, the Piedmont cities (Atlanta, Greenville/Spartanburg, Charlotte & Raleigh is just irresistible...they figure they can vacation in the Low Country, and that's what they do.
It feels like that, doesn't it! The black mecca, the so called black hollywood. The land of chocolate milk and brown sugar honey. LoL
We do, plenty of black professionals in the gentrifying neighborhoods, and like you said, the ones in the NW have always been popular. What we don't have is a historic black neighborhood that the black professional class would rally around as they do Harlem or Bronzeville or even the West End in Atlanta or U Street in D.C. or Roxbury in Boston. Our inner city young black professional class is well integrated with the white young professional class.
Now if there is a black equivalent to Harlem or Bronzeville in Philadelphia it would be the Graduate Hospital (South Street) Area...the area that has the Odunde Festival, that's our first black neighborhood. And it is Lost....wholly gentrified....but there are some black professionals that live there, and older black families still.
Roxbury has had a lot of success gaining and attracting black professionals moving to Boston looking for places that are culturally accessible. I recently spoke with an African American who moved from Oklahoma City to Roxbury d Ill provide a quote from him:
" I really do wanna be around my people so this was a big help. I don’t know what questions I’ll have when I get there but I’ll be sure to reach out, if any. And of course eventually would love to meet you one day for offering advice and knowledge. I’m coming from Oklahoma so I don’t have any family or anything up there!"
^This was a few weeks ago- he's moved into Roxbury at this point.
"Okay a little about myself so you kinda understand.
My dream was to get outside my bubble and learn more about what life has to offer and the stories people have to share.
Always dreamed of living in a city where I can walk to where I need to be, take public transit (already got a specific playlist for it called fruition), use local stores, and be apart of a community.
I know people don’t get everything they want but man this damn near the closest thing I’ve seen to it in my life."
^This was after he settled in to Nubian Square
So yea its working.
-Roxbury opened Nubian Markets a black SuperMarket/Cafe/Butcher supported by entrepreneurs from Cleveland and Atlanta to much fanfare.
-Recently got a cultural director for the new Greater Roxbury Cultural and Arts Center from Newark.
-Jazz Urbane is a community and privately owned Black Jazz Cafe opening there this year.
And I know a lot of NYC has a lot of this too- as does most of Newark. Yet people still leave...
So honestly for me when it comes to people leaving seeking black culture or shangri la. I have to ask-whats wrong with the community and areas that you're leaving? Is it actually about being around black people and culture..or what exactly is it? Are they trying to just avoid urban black people and dont like the heterogeneity of class mixture in these black urban areas- many of which are vibrant and growing with black people of various cultures? Because that's what it seems like, black people who if it's not for COL simply want to be around a more UNIFORMLY select and "refined" segment of balck people You would rather be in integrated downtowns? IDk I find downtown NYC pretty integrated..yet people still leave..
Not typically those that can be characterized as "heavily divested."
Yet there are very few of those in NYC (a part from like... Housing projects) yet they seem to be leaving. Most all the black neighborhoods in these northern Urban cities are seeing a wave of investment including Philly. So which is it divestment pushing people out or too much investment i.e. gentrification? I just feel like its very amorphous ... and like I said it varies a lot from person to person and probably more so city to city.
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