Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Dallas
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-28-2011, 12:27 PM
 
Location: around racist white people
1,610 posts, read 1,777,164 times
Reputation: 700

Advertisements

I'm looking to leave Florida and move up to Dallas within the next couple of months. I only have a A.S degree and I'm aiming towards a little something to get on my feet while I get my life together financially and socially.

Here in Florida, I'm really struggling and I'm looking for a change, the main reason I'm interested in going is more job opportunities and cheaper rent.

I've heard bad things about race relations with blacks in Texas overall but this was back in early 2000. I want to know how things have changed since then.

Since I'm not really educated, I don't expect some great 6 figure job but I do expect something that can pay for a little 1 bedroom and put gas in my car while I work on improving my situation, I'm making 13 per hour down here but it's not enough living in South Florida and it will go a little further up there.

Overall questions for the A.A's on the board, how are things going up there financially and do you feel you have a difficult time advancing?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-28-2011, 12:36 PM
 
1,518 posts, read 5,253,386 times
Reputation: 1486
You've been misinformed. It's 2011 here too.

Dallas Ranked #5 in the Black Enterprise 2007 list of 10 Best Cities For African Americans -Black Enterprise

Dallas also ranked #2 for African-American migrations between 1995-2000. -The Brookings Institution

Top 10 Cities For African-Americans To Live In | Stay In The News!

Dallas among 10 best cities for young African Americans: http://ybpguide.com/2007/04/18/the-ten-best-cities-for-african-americans/ (broken link)

Dallas among 10 best cities for African Americans to raise a family: http://madamenoire.com/1561/the-10-b...ican-families/

Blacks in Dallas - Where and why African Americans are choosing Dallas
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 12:44 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,111,078 times
Reputation: 13124
I think you meant to ask if AA's are "thriving", not "striving."

Not an easy question to answer. Some are, some aren't. Dallas is a pretty moderate city- whether or not you do well here financially has a lot more to do with your level of education & experience than your skin color. I work for a multi-billion company HQ'ed in Dallas where two of the top executives are black, yet my mailroom delivery guys are white. Guess which ones have MBAs and which don't?

Dallas does not have the huge amount of black young professionals found in Atlanta, yet there are still many here.

I would not move here blindly without a job secured and I would consider finishing a bachelors degree if you can. But you do have some college education which is a plus.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:03 PM
 
2,348 posts, read 4,796,696 times
Reputation: 1601
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80 View Post
I think you meant to ask if AA's are "thriving", not "striving."
I am fairly certain I just peed my pants...Yep I did.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:06 PM
 
Location: Frisco, TX
986 posts, read 1,658,688 times
Reputation: 1739
I moved here from Atlanta, and I love it here. I haven't encountered any open, blatant racism. I know quite a few AA's who are doing well, and like it here.

I also second not moving here without a job first. Do you have any family here, or some other support system?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:11 PM
 
Location: Wylie, Texas
3,812 posts, read 4,386,429 times
Reputation: 6107
dallas is no better (or worse I suppose) than any other city in the south. How blacks are doing here is entirely dependent on their work qualifications and skills. If you have advanced degrees or a skillset that's relatively rare then you are probably doing fine. If on the other hand you have a high school diploma and nothing else, then your prospects are much worse since the recession has hit this group much harder than all others. Since uneducated people make up a big percentage of AAs, they have suffered overall. So like TC80 said, you might want to focus on getting that bachelors (in a viable field, that means no women's studies, AA studies, fine arts, etc)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:13 PM
 
Location: Garland Texas
1,533 posts, read 7,213,772 times
Reputation: 652
A lot of it really depends on education and motivation. I think it's fair to say the majority of AA's in Dallas are middle class just like anyone else. There are also AA's in Dallas that are wealthy, and some that are hoodlums.

Race relations here are about the same as they are in any other major city. In my opinion there are still people that are apprehensive about having AA neighbors, but aren't blatant racists that hate AA's. There is still blatant racism in rural areas far outside the city. I will give you a conversation I had with a coworker who is a transplant from Boston and lives in an upper middle class area in the northern burbs here.

We are driving through a racially diverse area, good mix of AA, Asians, Hispanics, and whites. There's a young AA man walking down the street.

Coworker : You see that?
Me : See what?
Coworker : That black kid walking down the street
Me: Yeah and?
Coworker : You wouldn't see that in my neighborhood

At this point I was biting my tongue. I am white and have lived in diverse areas most of my life. I have seen trashy people in all races and nice people in all races. An again this was attitude was not coming from a native Texan but a transplant.

The way I describe Dallas to people don't live here and are wondering about diversity is like this: There are two types of neighborhoods in Dallas. Those that are a veritable UN, different races, different nationalities, and different religions. Then you have areas that are at least 95% white. Other than that there are just a few small pockets of ethnic neighborhoods.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:14 PM
 
Location: Lake Highlands (Dallas)
2,394 posts, read 8,568,528 times
Reputation: 1040
As many of us recommend on this forum: don't move unless you have a job - the market isn't great here either.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:16 PM
 
Location: NE Atlanta Metro
3,197 posts, read 5,343,875 times
Reputation: 3195
Overall, I'd say yes, Blacks are thriving financially in Dallas-Fort Worth. The DFW area is increasingly becoming a popular destination for Black professionals both single and married. Dallas is currently experiencing a significant outflow of it's native Black population to suburban areas though, with Hispanics filling the void that Blacks are leaving in the city.

People from out of state seem to always have misconceptions about race relations in Texas probably due to ignorant and very publicized actions that have taken place mainly in rural East Texas; ie. church burnings, Klan rallies, the dragging of James Byrd etc., but in Texas' large metro areas race relations are generally peaceful, IMHO.

Last edited by First24; 04-28-2011 at 01:29 PM.. Reason: tweak
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-28-2011, 01:30 PM
 
419 posts, read 994,428 times
Reputation: 510
As others have said, there aren't unique racial problems in Dallas. It's a diverse city with a significant number of African Americans at all levels of society. A white person isn't going to get the job if he is less qualified than the qualified black person interviewing for the same position. The bigger issue is where you're going to find a job and live -- regardless of your race.

You say you're looking for cheaper housing costs. I think the low housing costs here are greatly exaggerated. For a small one bedroom apartment, that is about 30-40 years old, in an okay neighborhood in town, expect to pay $800-$900 per month (after negotiating them down). Adding in other costs -- like higher energy and insurance costs -- you may be surprised that the difference is a wash or just slightly less than you are paying now. And that is living cheap.

If you want to buy a smaller house in an okay neighborhood, I'd expect to pay at least $250,000, but that could increase drastically based on how close you are to downtown. Then you are going to have to pay property taxes and property insurance, which are going to add about $1,000 per month on that $250,000 house. So while the initial price may seem low, in some cases your principal and interest payment may be just as high as your property taxes and insurance.

The economy isn't great here -- it's just less bad than it is everywhere else.

Last edited by HOAPRESIDENT; 04-28-2011 at 02:23 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Dallas
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top