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Wanted to get others opinions on this - often times on city data people tout diversity as one of the advantages of big metros, something that they have while small town america is monoculture.
Looking at raw numbers, they can paint that picture, but numbers only speak to who's there, not at all to how those people actually interact. Likewise there's more than just ethnicity; it's things like culture, mindsets, activities, worldviews, ages, etc that are real drivers of diversity of thought and experience. Heritage doesn't correlate to thought patterns much.
In my experience, big metros tend to self segregate into clusters where people don't actually interact much with those outside their group. In contrast smaller towns somewhat force people to interact across groups. Some small towns can be very monoculture, but not all of them are that way, and the smaller groups force people to talk to each other.
Here's my personal experiences: I lived in Gwinnett county GA, which is one of the most diverse counties in the US, but it was hugely self segregated. There was the korean Suwanee and the white Suwanee - and they didn't interact, unless it was kids in school. You could see it in churches. I went to one a couple times where everyone was korean except me, and it did feel weird. Went to another where literally every person besides me was a married couple in their 30s - 40s. Another was entirely Romanian. There were ones where everyone had grey hair too. I couldn't find one that was actually mixed age and ethnicity wise. Basically Gwinnett was where immigrants decided to get houses because they could find a community from their same country and people that spoke their native language. Then these groups didn't interact.
There was the age thing too, everyone was Gen X parents in Suwanee. People told me that I was frankly in the wrong location and people my age were all down in Roswell or inside the perimeter - 45 minutes away. Have fun driving through ATL traffic to get to that.
Contrast that to somewhere like Junction City KS, where the military brought in people from different backgrounds. Because it's too small to self segregate, there actually is cross group interactions.
Then there's Denver - on paper a very diverse place but in function it's a bit of a hivemind in culture - sports, beer, dogs, skiing, crossfit, Salt & Table type of restaurants. Colorado Springs, quite a bit smaller, feels more diverse. And Taos feels the most diverse of all, where you have all these different groups around that actually interact. People actually have in depth conversations routinely with people from different generations - that's something you just don't see in many big cities.
I can only speak for Chicago where I work and near where I live. Black segregation is still quite stark -- to this day there are some parts of town that go from (insert ethnicity here) to almost all-black in just the space of two or three blocks.
There are solidly white and Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago too; but when situated adjacent to each other, there is usually a gradual transition from one to the other rather than a sharp delineation like you just crossed an international border.
Wanted to get others opinions on this - often times on city data people tout diversity as one of the advantages of big metros, something that they have while small town america is monoculture.
Looking at raw numbers, they can paint that picture, but numbers only speak to who's there, not at all to how those people actually interact. Likewise there's more than just ethnicity; it's things like culture, mindsets, activities, worldviews, ages, etc that are real drivers of diversity of thought and experience. Heritage doesn't correlate to thought patterns much.
In my experience, big metros tend to self segregate into clusters where people don't actually interact much with those outside their group. In contrast smaller towns somewhat force people to interact across groups. Some small towns can be very monoculture, but not all of them are that way, and the smaller groups force people to talk to each other.
Here's my personal experiences: I lived in Gwinnett county GA, which is one of the most diverse counties in the US, but it was hugely self segregated. There was the korean Suwanee and the white Suwanee - and they didn't interact, unless it was kids in school. You could see it in churches. I went to one a couple times where everyone was korean except me, and it did feel weird. Went to another where literally every person besides me was a married couple in their 30s - 40s. Another was entirely Romanian. There were ones where everyone had grey hair too. I couldn't find one that was actually mixed age and ethnicity wise. Basically Gwinnett was where immigrants decided to get houses because they could find a community from their same country and people that spoke their native language. Then these groups didn't interact.
There was the age thing too, everyone was Gen X parents in Suwanee. People told me that I was frankly in the wrong location and people my age were all down in Roswell or inside the perimeter - 45 minutes away. Have fun driving through ATL traffic to get to that.
Contrast that to somewhere like Junction City KS, where the military brought in people from different backgrounds. Because it's too small to self segregate, there actually is cross group interactions.
Then there's Denver - on paper a very diverse place but in function it's a bit of a hivemind in culture - sports, beer, dogs, skiing, crossfit, Salt & Table type of restaurants. Colorado Springs, quite a bit smaller, feels more diverse. And Taos feels the most diverse of all, where you have all these different groups around that actually interact. People actually have in depth conversations routinely with people from different generations - that's something you just don't see in many big cities.
I've spent alot of time in Colorado Springs this year, never did I think it felt more diverse than Denver in any way.
Wanted to get others opinions on this - often times on city data people tout diversity as one of the advantages of big metros, something that they have while small town america is monoculture.
Looking at raw numbers, they can paint that picture, but numbers only speak to who's there, not at all to how those people actually interact. Likewise there's more than just ethnicity; it's things like culture, mindsets, activities, worldviews, ages, etc that are real drivers of diversity of thought and experience. Heritage doesn't correlate to thought patterns much.
In my experience, big metros tend to self segregate into clusters where people don't actually interact much with those outside their group. In contrast smaller towns somewhat force people to interact across groups. Some small towns can be very monoculture, but not all of them are that way, and the smaller groups force people to talk to each other.
Here's my personal experiences: I lived in Gwinnett county GA, which is one of the most diverse counties in the US, but it was hugely self segregated. There was the korean Suwanee and the white Suwanee - and they didn't interact, unless it was kids in school. You could see it in churches. I went to one a couple times where everyone was korean except me, and it did feel weird. Went to another where literally every person besides me was a married couple in their 30s - 40s. Another was entirely Romanian. There were ones where everyone had grey hair too. I couldn't find one that was actually mixed age and ethnicity wise. Basically Gwinnett was where immigrants decided to get houses because they could find a community from their same country and people that spoke their native language. Then these groups didn't interact.
There was the age thing too, everyone was Gen X parents in Suwanee. People told me that I was frankly in the wrong location and people my age were all down in Roswell or inside the perimeter - 45 minutes away. Have fun driving through ATL traffic to get to that.
Contrast that to somewhere like Junction City KS, where the military brought in people from different backgrounds. Because it's too small to self segregate, there actually is cross group interactions.
Then there's Denver - on paper a very diverse place but in function it's a bit of a hivemind in culture - sports, beer, dogs, skiing, crossfit, Salt & Table type of restaurants. Colorado Springs, quite a bit smaller, feels more diverse. And Taos feels the most diverse of all, where you have all these different groups around that actually interact. People actually have in depth conversations routinely with people from different generations - that's something you just don't see in many big cities.
I notice a lot of interaction between different ethnicities in metro areas. The question is likely which part of the metro areas you're referring to.
I find the more outer suburban areas have less interaction between ethnic groups. Often, Whites are heavily concentrated here along with South Asian Indians or Koreans.
From what I have witnessed, having a little diversity in a given community will change perceptions. But, there are some people who will not be very receptive to this. They may see this diversity as some kind of "betrayal". There is a lot of general insecurity in these types.
I've spent alot of time in Colorado Springs this year, never did I think it felt more diverse than Denver in any way.
Small towns and big cities can have this effect.
It comes up in conversation. People in COS are more all over the board view wise than Denver and these groups live closer to each other. The military brings in people from all different backgrounds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhays25
Churches tend to be segregated? Can't say I'm surprised.
In a bigger city, people tend to segregate in some ways but not in others.
The best urban districts tend to be a mix of old and new, with all sorts of people doing all sorts of things.
Sidewalks are always good at mixing people. You need an urban city or town where people walk.
Work tends to be mixed.
Stores can sort by price range, but many are mixed.
PS, I've always seen small towns as more hive-minded than cities.
Churches can be segregated moreso than other places, but in some respects they are manifestations of the cultural interchanges that are happening. There's many that are giant mixing pots - ironically evangelical ones tend to be the most so - like the one I grew up in in COS, literally a smorgasbord of people. It's interesting seeing the mix at the Catholic churches here in Taos.
The sidewalks and urban districts are quiet though now and the office is 2 days a week. That may have been where people mixed and mingled in the past but it's not happening so much now.
I guess I'm challenging that assumption that small towns are more hive minded. Here's my premise, big metros allow us to self select a group of people just like ourselves while smaller places force interaction across ranges because there's not the options to self segregate.
Looking at the age dimension, how often do you see inter generational conversations in the Seattle area that aren't families?
Quote:
Originally Posted by rrampage
I notice a lot of interaction between different ethnicities in metro areas. The question is likely which part of the metro areas you're referring to.
I find the more outer suburban areas have less interaction between ethnic groups. Often, Whites are heavily concentrated here along with South Asian Indians or Koreans.
From what I have witnessed, having a little diversity in a given community will change perceptions. But, there are some people who will not be very receptive to this. They may see this diversity as some kind of "betrayal". There is a lot of general insecurity in these types.
Outer suburbs are a giant portion of the American big metro experience though - the urban core is pretty small in comparison.
Wanted to get others opinions on this - often times on city data people tout diversity as one of the advantages of big metros, something that they have while small town america is monoculture.
Looking at raw numbers, they can paint that picture, but numbers only speak to who's there, not at all to how those people actually interact. Likewise there's more than just ethnicity; it's things like culture, mindsets, activities, worldviews, ages, etc that are real drivers of diversity of thought and experience. Heritage doesn't correlate to thought patterns much.
In my experience, big metros tend to self segregate into clusters where people don't actually interact much with those outside their group. In contrast smaller towns somewhat force people to interact across groups. Some small towns can be very monoculture, but not all of them are that way, and the smaller groups force people to talk to each other.
Here's my personal experiences: I lived in Gwinnett county GA, which is one of the most diverse counties in the US, but it was hugely self segregated. There was the korean Suwanee and the white Suwanee - and they didn't interact, unless it was kids in school. You could see it in churches. I went to one a couple times where everyone was korean except me, and it did feel weird. Went to another where literally every person besides me was a married couple in their 30s - 40s. Another was entirely Romanian. There were ones where everyone had grey hair too. I couldn't find one that was actually mixed age and ethnicity wise. Basically Gwinnett was where immigrants decided to get houses because they could find a community from their same country and people that spoke their native language. Then these groups didn't interact.
There was the age thing too, everyone was Gen X parents in Suwanee. People told me that I was frankly in the wrong location and people my age were all down in Roswell or inside the perimeter - 45 minutes away. Have fun driving through ATL traffic to get to that.
Contrast that to somewhere like Junction City KS, where the military brought in people from different backgrounds. Because it's too small to self segregate, there actually is cross group interactions.
Then there's Denver - on paper a very diverse place but in function it's a bit of a hivemind in culture - sports, beer, dogs, skiing, crossfit, Salt & Table type of restaurants. Colorado Springs, quite a bit smaller, feels more diverse. And Taos feels the most diverse of all, where you have all these different groups around that actually interact. People actually have in depth conversations routinely with people from different generations - that's something you just don't see in many big cities.
In terms of the bolded, a lot of this has to do as much with interacting with people you usually have a connection with in terms of occupation and in terms of housing. So, there is really no other option, but to have a diverse range of people interacting with each other due to Fort Riley.
What is also interesting with that area is that Junction City is also in the Manhattan KS metro area, which is also home to Kansas State University. So, you also have a big university presence, which can also attract a diverse range of people to that area.
It comes up in conversation. People in COS are more all over the board view wise than Denver and these groups live closer to each other. The military brings in people from all different backgrounds.
Is this simply because of the military or the size of the city? If so, the whole premise of this thread is debunked.
What the OP is describing really struck me when I visited Toronto. People who live there tend to bleat on and on about how wonderfully diverse their city is, but what I saw what that each group tended to live within its own very monochromatic neighborhoods. My wife and I visited a Korean friend in North York during our visit, and it felt like we were the only non-Asians there.
As someone that lives in Suwanee, GA (in Gwinnett County) I can see what you're saying. Many of the Korean shopping plazas in Suwanee and Duluth are separate and exclusively Korean. In my neighborhood I would say the demographic breakdown is 40% Asian 40% White 20% Other. At schools and parks you will see everyone together in a melting pot but for churches, stores, restaurants, it's more monoculture.
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