Why isn't black culture more prominent in Nashville? Why are there no upperclass black neighborhoods? (Oak Hill: middle-class, 2014)

[Jadedfadedisbae]

I am honestly curious why Black culture is not more prominent in Nashville? There are 4 Historically black colleges and universities in Nashville-which is the most outside of Atlanta. The city's signature dish is Nashville hot chicken, which came out of Nashville's black community. The origin of the city's nickname, "Music City", originates in the 1800s when the Fisk (HBCU) jubilee singers performed for an English Queen. She proclaimed that the singers must have come from a "Musical City".

Yet, there is no prominent upper class or even middle class black neighborhood. How can you have 4 colleges/universities and not a single strong economically viable neighborhood? Bordeaux and Trinity Hills are the closest Nashville has and they are sorely lacking in amenities. Almost every black neighborhood is gentrifying. I guess Antioch is the closest thing Nashville has to a middle class black neighborhood but its only 38.1 % black. The hip hop artist to achieve national success was Young Buck over a decade ago.

On top of al of it, Meharry Medical is a medical school. There was never a better way to escape poverty.

[anonimuso]

Originally Posted by Jadedfadedisbae

I am honestly curious why Black culture is not more prominent in Nashville? There are 4 Historically black colleges and universities in Nashville-which is the most outside of Atlanta. The city's signature dish is Nashville hot chicken, which came out of Nashville's black community. The origin of the city's nickname, "Music City", originates in the 1800s when the Fisk (HBCU) jubilee singers performed for an English Queen. She proclaimed that the singers must have come from a "Musical City".

Yet, there is no prominent upper class or even middle class black neighborhood. How can you have 4 colleges/universities and not a single strong economically viable neighborhood? Bordeaux and Trinity Hills are the closest Nashville has and they are sorely lacking in amenities. Almost every black neighborhood is gentrifying. I guess Antioch is the closest thing Nashville has to a middle class black neighborhood but its only 38.1 % black. The hip hop artist to achieve national success was Young Buck over a decade ago.

On top of al of it, Meharry Medical is a medical school. There was never a better way to escape poverty.

Are there black people living there? Then there is black culture. It may not be the black culture as you define it though. Using myself as an example, not every black person likes or listens to hip-hop music (or even thinks that, in its current form, it is 'black culture'). Not every black person went to an HBCU or has that connection. Not every black person wants to live in a 'black community'. Perhaps the people you are looking for just work hard and have decided to live in normal middle-class neighborhoods. Maybe these are the reasons why there is no specific black neighborhood like the one you're looking for and why you don't feel like there is a 'prominent' black culture.

[ckhthankgod]

These areas are or could be viewed as predominantly Black areas that are in the range of middle class in the area(tracts or block groups): Census Block Group 012802-3 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Census Block Group 012802-1 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Tract they are in: Census Tract 012802 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Tract 012702 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Tract 010106 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Tract 010105 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Block Group 012801-1 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Census Block Group 012801-3 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Tract they are in: Census Tract 012801 in Davidson County, Tennessee

There may be some others, but those are areas based upon median household income that could fit. All are just below or above the state median household income for that time($44,621 according to 2010-2014 census info, $52,805 for the metro area, $47,434 for Davidson County, $46,758 for the Metro government area, $53,482 nationally).

[Jadedfadedisbae]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

These areas are or could be viewed as predominantly Black areas that are in the range of middle class in the area(tracts or block groups): Census Block Group 012802-3 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Census Block Group 012802-1 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Tract they are in: Census Tract 012802 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Tract 012702 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Tract 010106 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Tract 010105 in Davidson County, Tennessee

Census Block Group 012801-1 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Census Block Group 012801-3 in Davidson County, Tennessee
Tract they are in: Census Tract 012801 in Davidson County, Tennessee

There may be some others, but those are areas based upon median household income that could fit. All are just below or above the state median household income for that time($44,621 according to 2010-2014 census info, $52,805 for the metro area, $47,434 for Davidson County, $46,758 for the Metro government area, $53,482 nationally).

I looked through all of those areas out of curiosity and they were unsurprisingly all in Bordeaux, Whites Creek, Trinity Hills, or the Haynes area. The only one missing was Parkwood.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Jadedfadedisbae

I looked through all of those areas out of curiosity and they were unsurprisingly all in Bordeaux, Whites Creek, Trinity Hills, or the Haynes area. The only one missing was Parkwood.

Parkwood area: Census Tract 010904 in Davidson County, Tennessee

An adjacent census block group: Census Block Group 011001-3 in Davidson County, Tennessee

[artemis]

My opthomologist is a black man, and lives in Oak Hill. People live where they want.

[mjtinmemphis]

This is a very interesting subject.

There seems to be very few zip codes that are predominantly Black with a median household income of over 75k. Anywhere.

My thing is when I visit Nashville, I was under the impression by the type of cars, clothes and attitudes Blacks have there would be atleast one or two. There are no predominantly Black zip codes median household income over 50k in Davidson county.

North Carolina and Georgia seem to have quite a few $75k+ zip codes that are over 30% Black. Not so much Nashville.

[key2success]

When it comes to upper class and having money$$$$ there is NO such thing as upper class black or white neighborhoods. The only color that matter to them is the color GREEN $$

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

This is a very interesting subject.

There seems to be very few zip codes that are predominantly Black with a median household income of over 75k. Anywhere.

My thing is when I visit Nashville, I was under the impression by the type of cars, clothes and attitudes Blacks have there would be atleast one or two. There are no predominantly Black zip codes median household income over 50k in Davidson county.

North Carolina and Georgia seem to have quite a few $75k+ zip codes that are over 30% Black. Not so much Nashville.

Nashville is not that type of city. Nashville has a lower black population than the cities you mentioned, and the city is largely more integrated. The blacks that are wealthy or even middle class choose their neighborhood based on location and appearance. The culture of Nashville in general is not pretentious or boujie. However, Nashville could do a better job promoting black cultural institutions, eliminating retail redlining, and adding more upscale urban commercial districts. The black clubs and restaurants that are around are one dimensional and subpar compared to what you see in some other cities.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

This is a very interesting subject.

There seems to be very few zip codes that are predominantly Black with a median household income of over 75k. Anywhere.

My thing is when I visit Nashville, I was under the impression by the type of cars, clothes and attitudes Blacks have there would be atleast one or two. There are no predominantly Black zip codes median household income over 50k in Davidson county.

North Carolina and Georgia seem to have quite a few $75k+ zip codes that are over 30% Black. Not so much Nashville.

The problem with zip codes is they can vary and given that the state median household income is in the mid $40,000's and in the mid $50,000's nationally, I would say that if they are in that range, it would still be viewed as middle class. I say that due to relative cost of living.

I think finding census tracts/block groups is good due to being more in line with a neighborhood, whereas zip codes can cover a section of a city or parts of multiple municipalities.

NY State and Maryland have quite a few zip codes that would fit that original criteria as well.