Best Cities for African Americans 2007 (live, gangs, rich)
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First you have to remember that the majority of all blacks in the US are originally from the south. Even if they do not want to admit or believe it. But, there are definitely considerable cultural differences between northern and southern blacks just like northern and southern whites. IMO, blacks in the north and in Cali are more open minded, liberal and progressive. They are also more cosmopolitan and culturally mature because of their environment. Southern blacks are a reflection of the south. Most of the south is very rural, laid back, easy going and friendly. These are generalizations based on one person's opinion, so I didn't mean to offend anyone. One thing that both groups share is food.
First you have to remember that the majority of all blacks in the US are originally from the south. Even if they do not want to admit or believe it. But, there are definitely considerable cultural differences between northern and southern blacks just like northern and southern whites. IMO, blacks in the north and in Cali are more open minded, liberal and progressive. They are also more cosmopolitan and culturally mature because of their environment. Southern blacks are a reflection of the south. Most of the south is very rural, laid back, easy going and friendly. These are generalizations based on one person's opinion, so I didn't mean to offend anyone. One thing that both groups share is food.
Well, you're actually correct, but generally whenever this type of topic is brought up in the Atlanta forum (where I typically hang out), it gets very heated.
I've lived in Atlanta for around 23 years (I'm white, by the way) but to keep this short, I'll just say that some of the most racist comments about blacks who are from here that I've ever heard have come from other blacks who come here from other parts of the country, or, those who move/visit here from other countries (such as the UK).
Around the U.S., it's not rare to find that many whites look at southern whites as "slower, less educated, more zealous in their views on religion", etc. Heck, people in Alabama have whole joke books written about them. Well this is just an outside observation, but it appears to me that in a slightly less outwardly verbal way, the same goes for blacks in America. Northern and West Coast blacks seem to have a similar opinion of southern blacks, though it's not something you hear as openly joked about like you do on the white side when they make comments about white southerners.
While whites from other parts of the U.S. will use terms like "redneck" and "trailer trash" when making mean jokes about southern whites, you will hear "ghetto" a lot from blacks when they refer to southern blacks. I've heard this A LOT via my jobs when working with blacks who are from other regions when they talk about blacks (or whites) in the south. But then, you can keep expanding this and find racist comments from all over... for example, I have worked three times in the past with blacks who were born and raised in the U.K. All of them pretty much used words like "violent, uneducated, noncaring" to describe black Americans as a whole - they didn't bother to break it down into regions... they just clump everyone in the U.S. that way who's black, etc. So I don't know.. generalizations can be found everywhere, and if you expand out far enough, seem to include not only people from certain regions, but from whole countries if seen by outside eyes.
I hear a lot of southern blacks say that Atlanta is the "mecca" for black people, and when they move here they love it - if they come from places like Charlotte, Raleigh, Birmingham, etc... but when I've met and talked to blacks who move here from California, Washington (state), Colorado - they almost always have a negative impression of Atlanta and a "THIS is what they hype about??" attitude about the city.
So yes, as politically incorrect as some feel it is, I do feel you are right in your observations, but you're apparently not the only one making them.
Last edited by atlantagreg30127; 02-25-2008 at 01:34 PM..
Atlanta is extremely overrated and I hate how everyone assumes it's the best place to live for African Americans! Why?!?! Because that's where all the black celebrities are? It has a big black population?!
I get sick and tired of magazines trying to tell us blacks what's the best place for us.
Any city there that is easy on a young independent debt prone college graduate who want to start a family with a high attention on early childhood education with commute time to at least 1/2 hour from a posh job?
Hey I am glad it's a new year, maybe this one will be answered with BE 2008.
I think they also forgot to include gentrification.
Atlanta is extremely overrated and I hate how everyone assumes it's the best place to live for African Americans! Why?!?! Because that's where all the black celebrities are? It has a big black population?!
I get sick and tired of magazines trying to tell us blacks what's the best place for us.
Chicago is ideal. Large African American population. Cook County (the county that includes Chicago) has more African American owned businesses than any other area in the entire country. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of black owned businesses i Chicago increased by 69%, to nearly 55,000. There is a strong African American community here. Some very vibrant communities such as Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Kenwood (where Barack Obama lives), Beverly, South Loop, that are heavily African American.
Unfortunately Chicago is actually pretty darn segregated
Im kinda surprised Indianapolis (#8) is ahead of my city, Columbus (#9). Indianapolis seems like more of a country town than Columbus, kinda opposite of African-American interests.
And about the Houston/DC diversity argument, my own opinion is that DC is way more diverse just because of the importance of DC not only on America, but also the world. If you look at surrounding suburbs DC looks to be much more diverse than Houston
I also forgot to say that according to BET (black entertainment television), Columbus was ranked the #1 city in America for African-Americans. http://www.nashvilleareainfo.com/Docs/Best%20Cities%20for%20Black%20Families.pdf (broken link)
1. Columbus, Ohio
2. Houston
3. Boston
4. Charlotte
5. Indianapolis
6. Los Angeles
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Oakland
9. Philadelphia
10. Nashville/Jacksonville, Fla.
11. Dallas
12. Detroit
13. New Orleans
14. Memphis
15. Cleveland
16. New York
17. Atlanta
18. Chicago/Milwaukee
19. Baltimore
20. St. Louis, Mo.
I don't think there are any "best cities." Where can a black person simply exist as a "person"?
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