Relocating from Canada (Atlanta, Savannah, Dallas: real estate, house, school)

[steviemcnasty]

My wife and I are looking into moving to the US from Canada. We have 2 kids (12 & 4) and would love to get some feedback about the pros and cons of living in Georgia. We are a black couple eager to immerse ourselves in a new way of life. Please reply. Thanks.

[atlantagreg30127]

Oh man, someone's gonna slap me.

Ok, my best advice is for you to find some social type boards that have black people from around the U.S. that frequent them, and ask them what they think about Atlanta, Georgia, and/or the South in general. I am not black, but I will repeat to you what black friends I have from back home (WV) and from California and Colorado have said to me. I am repeating what they've said - that's all I can do.

My black friends back home warned me not to move here. They said the black culture in the south was "very different" (in apparently a bad way) than in many parts of the country. I didn't listen to them as I came years ago to go to school, but observations were in my eyes, they were correct.

Since that time I've had friends who were black (married couples and a couple of single friends) who were both from California and Colorado. Those from California moved here, and after a year or less, moved out, going in one case back to California, and in someone else's case, to Washington State. The other couple I knew who were from Colorado, left after 3 years here, and went to Florida.

I will only say that I trust you fully understand what they meant, when they said the black community here is, quote, "Very ghetto".

I did not talk in length about this topic to all of them as they left, and today I only keep in touch with two of these folks, but when making the decision to move, I heard comments from them such as, "I can't believe these people", to "ghetto" comments, to "no self respect with folks down here", to "violent mentality". Snippets of comments, and that was basically it. I will add that across the street from me, a woman from Kenya (as in Africa) bought a home. She has two kids still in Kenya and had planned on moving them here with her. After having been here for a year, she recently told me that there was no way she was going to move her kids here - they were staying in Kenya with their grandparents. Her reason was simply stated as, "If I move them here, they will wind up in jail with the black children here - the roll models are horrible!!". I haven't pressed her for comments since as she gets upset even talking about her kids now.

Anyway - hey, I'm white. If we stay this stuff, people call Jesse Jackson to march around our house and say we're racist. All I can do is repeat what black people I've known who apparently have a grasp on this have said to me, and I assume they can't be accused of being racist since they're black.

I do know that if *I* were black, there is no way I've move to the Atlanta area, and really from what I've heard from others as well, anywhere in the south. It just seems like the culture is so much more sophisticated and grounded with proper priorities in the midwest, north, and west coasts than here. Again, I dunno - but that's just my observation.

I can tell you that the person I knew who moved to Bellevue, Washington LOVES it there, and told me on the phone one night that it was culturally decades ahead of anywhere here, and more diverse with tons of stuff to do I(although expensive real estate).

[Tdiddy0027]

why did you move here Greg?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Tdiddy0027

why did you move here Greg?

I moved here in 1984, to attend college. If you know anyone who was in the 18 year old range in 1984, talk to them. You will hear that Atlanta was a VASTLY different city back then, on so many levels (all good compared to today). Today, due to family, associations, job, and literally just financial reasons, I am "stuck" here, although I have managed to move 20 miles outside the city to get a small amount of relief. Trust me - one Fantasy Five win, and I'm gone.

[jxu66]

Everybody can have his or her opinion. I think that Atlanta is great city. It is my favorite city after living in Tampa, Boston and Dallas.

If the city is such bad for African american, how comes so many sports African American personalities and entertainers chose to live here?

Atlanta do divided by income. Those are have and have not place. It is pretty extreme. But it probably true for almost all cities I have lived.

[sachalsmom]

AtlantaGreg is right on the money. Don't come farther south to Savannah either. As a life long native, my family and I are relocating to British Columbia after my son graduates next year. For any well-educated, tolerance seeking individuals (black, white or other), the south United States is not the place to be. You will be bombarded with racial, religious, and sexual discrimination on all levels. I have found that by reading the R&R sections of Craigslist.com, you can find an awful lot about the mentality of a city, state or country. Good luck with your search, eh!

[chaz longue]

Steviemcnasty -

You're in Montreal, no?

Why on earth would anybody leave Montreal? If I couldn't live in Burlington VT, I'd move to Monteal so fast my neighbors hats would blow off from the draft ;-)

Seriously though - why are you considering a move? Why Georgia?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by jxu66

If the city is such bad for African american, how comes so many sports African American personalities and entertainers chose to live here?

Older post, but I'll still respond to this part of it. If you do your research, you'll find that these "famous African American" personalities live predominately in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, and many of not most in the West Paces Ferry Road area and surrounding streets. You know - the VERY large homes with gates, sitting far far back from the street, with security, completely segregated from the residents of the city?

They could just as soon be living in L.A., Tampa, or Germany - they're cut off in that area from the "little people" (black and white). You MIGHT see them out on the town visiting a restaurant or club that is privately owned by one of their personal friends - not mingling in common areas with the public. They move here to avoid the media attention they get in L.A. or NYC, yet are still near Hartsfield airport, so can get around by air very very easily - nothing more.

[jxu66]

Sure, wealthy african american people can choose any where they live. But a large percentage of them do choose Atlanta for whatever reasons, whether they live isolate from others or not. That was my point.

By the way, your explaination is only one of many possibilities why. I don't agree that it is major reason.

[susel1331]

Dear Friends;
Please reconsider the moving to USA, being black in USA is not an easy thing, plus you will never get the same treatment you have gotten in your native Canada. Here in the States it seems to be people are not ready for the challenge of living with other cultures and or accepting the afro-american culture. Just watch the movie "Crash" it tells the reality american people are living. Raciscism goes both ways, people here has lost the sense of being human beings and before they can extend their hands they will look at the color of your skin and or where you are from.
Please think twice before you fully move to the States.
A Black/Hispanic woman's opinion.