Racial Diversity in Philadelphia (Reading: neighborhoods, university, gated)

[OptimusPrime69]

How would Philadelphia stack up against other metro areas as far as racial diversity goes.

Is it true that it's still just a largely black and white city?
What are the representations of Hispanics? Asians? Caribbean cultures?

Overall, what kind of "vibe" does Philly have? Is it an international vibe like in NYC or Miami or LA?
Or is it more like a racially segregated city, where blacks all tend to live in one area, whites in another? Does it draw a lot of immigrants? Can I walk down the street and hear Spanish? English? Mandarin? Russian? etc?

Is Philly an integrated city? Meaning do people generally live side by side together in harmony?

I've lived in south florida and San diego before and found it very refreshing and nice of the mix of people all living together in the same communities. I liked the mix of people from all over the country and world.


how does Philly stack up?

[rotodome]

Philly is a very segregated city. But....then, so are NYC, LA and Miami. All four are on the BusinessInsider list of The 22 Most Segregated Cities in America:

Miami #13
LA #10
Philadelphia #7
NYC #2

As you can see, the level of integration/segregation in a city doesn't necessarily mean all that much.

[FindingZen]

One can say that Philly is a diverse city but not a melting pot for the most part. Center City, University City (West Philly) and Mount Airy (NW Philly) are some exceptions to the rule. Otherwise, many neighborhoods if not entire sections of Philly can be defined by their racial/ethnic makeup. That said, most everyone will mingle at some point if/when they come downtown.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Tone509

One can say that Philly is a diverse city but not a melting pot for the most part. Center City, University City (West Philly) and Mount Airy (NW Philly) are some exceptions to the rule. Otherwise, many neighborhoods if not entire sections of Philly can be defined by their racial/ethnic makeup. That said, most everyone will mingle at some point if/when they come downtown.

south philly has really changed a lot and is far more diverse...olney is also pretty diverse though most of the whites have left it's still a mix of koreans, hispanics, and blacks

[Phillyboy9088]

Why are some so fixated with race? It's basic sociology that most people tend to want to live around those who make them feel the most comfortable.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by pman

south philly has really changed a lot and is far more diverse...olney is also pretty diverse though most of the whites have left it's still a mix of koreans, hispanics, and blacks

I was actually thinking South Philly was getting more diverse but wasn't sure if it was significant enough to mention. I didn't realize there was a significant Korean population in Olney. Both things are good to know!

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Is it true that it's still just a largely black and white city?

Yeah, it's also true that "grunge" is gonna take over the radio soon. Keep your ears open in particular for a band named Nirvana. They're about to send all the "hair metal" guys running for the hills.

Hey, if we're gonna pretend that what was true 20 years ago is still true today...

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Phillyboy9088

Why are some so fixated with race? It's basic sociology that most people tend to want to live around those who make them feel the most comfortable.

In some places - perhaps not so much Philly - it's more of a matter of similar economic class than similar ethnic/racial background.

[nighttrain55]

If you were hoping to find racial harmony in philly, you better go back to san diego or south florida. We are as segregated as any major city in america.

[Duderino]

While Philly certainly could stand to integrate much more in many neighborhoods, I think the traditional racial "boundaries" are generally becoming much more fluid with each passing year. The major gathering spots in Center City seem extremely diverse -- places like Reading Terminal Market, Rittenhouse, Walnut Street, Broad Street, etc. feel like "We are the World."

It's a matter of context, but as I noted, diversity and integration both definitely appear to be on the rise in Philly.