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People that are relocating ask questions out of interest and curiosity. It is a big deal to move. Sometimes they want to know what kind of "vibe" they will get from people in regard to their lifestyle. That is what the forum is about.
I'm sorry you feel this way. My attention grabber was not intended to be racist but honest. I am black. I am moving to Arizona and I do need helpful information. As an African-American with a White husband, it is important for us to live in a community where we can feel comfortable. We want to be able to enjoy not only our surrondings but the people in it and want to be around people who can enjoy us as well. Which to me is just as relevant as the crime stats. I know everyplace has its issues and there are bad apples in every crowd but it is the overall spirit and heart of a place that makes it what it is and that is what we were seeking. People can live wherever they want. I find it very "Relevant" to find a place where you can feel that the quality of your life, as defined by you, will not be diminished. It is no different from not wanting (at this time in our lives)to live in an area where the average age of the residents are 90 years old and there is no nightlife.
Also, as an African-American, it is important that resources to meet my needs are available. I have lived in areas where there were no other people of color. As a result, there were no resources like Black hair care products in the stores. I had to drive 20+ miles to get a perm-kit or the right shampoo for black hair or an hour to find someone with skills to do my hair. Believe it or not, not everyone can do black-hair. It's not a race thing. It's an experience thing. So yes, I would like to find and hopefully be close to those who have the experience. For me, the yellow pages does not adequately reflect that and again, for me, word of mouth and reputation goes along way and I find the best way to get that is by "Talking" to other people. If the yellow pages helps you to make "informed" decisions then by all means. You go ahead at work that.
And lastly, as far as finding a church. It was my awseome "Good Faith" that led me to this forum to ask for a recommendation.
I appreciate all of you who have provided helpful information. It is not easy moving to area where you don't know anyone or alot about the areas. But if the postings and the feedback I have received from just about all of you is a reflection of the kind of people I might meet in Arizona, I know I'm going to love being there!!!!
Thanks for keeping it real!
Hi again, Lisa. . . don't worry about the "sensitive" ones on this forum. . . Phoenix is one of the least racially segregated places I have ever lived.
So far as I can tell, we all get along fine, and social groups tend to break down along lines of interest and education, rather than race. You are certainly welcome in my neighborhood. . . . let me know if I can do anything to help, Carol
Ok, I would find it hard to believe that this was written by someone who has experienced discrimination and racism so I'm going to assume that the reason why you wrote this is because you meant well but you just didn't know any better.
Maybe I presume to much by speaking for her but I would think that even though she loves her husband she's also concerned with their quality of life should they move to Arizona and they should be. Yes, love is very important but how you feel in your surroundings is just as important. No one wants to live in a place where they are uncomfortable and that's why she's asking whether or not this environment is a good place for her and her husband to live. That's all.
This is true; considering that the black population here is only about 12%, I see a lot more mixed couples than I did in NYC.
My husband is Asian and I'm part hispanic (Cuban) and no one has ever asks us about being a mixed couple.
This is not entirely accurate.
I've actually done research on this and even if I didn't, you can tell that the black population in Phoenix is not as high as 12%. It's actually 5% (and that's a big difference). It's up 2% from 5 years ago when I moved here. This includes Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, paradise Valley, Buckeye, Surprise, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Apache Junction, Fountain Hills, Laveen and Avondale.
I also grew up in NYC and I've lived here for 5 years now. There are an astronomical amount of mixed raced couples in NY and they are well received there. Here, the mixed couples are mostly black men and white women (or other women other than black) and if you're familiar with the psychology behind mixed race perceptions, sometimes women of color being married to men who aren't of color will get a different reaction than if the ir couple were a black men/ other woman combo.
I didn't make this up. It's just the reality of things. Especially here.
I was taught in school to start with an attention grabber. So I hoped it worked without being offensive. I really am black but most of my questions have nothing to do with that.
Ok, so my husband and I decided to fly out to phoenix next week and look for a place. No longer going to try and do it remotely. So now I'm interested in knowing more interesting things. Any recommendations or thoughts on the following?
My husband happens to be White. Aside from the occasional stares we really haven't had any problems in the Midwest. Just curious do you see many mixed race couples in the phoenix area?
How is the job market for the I.T. field? Wondering how difficult it would be for me to find work? I do mainly I.T. Support. My husband just became a licensed lawyer. Any info of the Job market for entry-level lawyers?
Where do the Artists and Theater people hang out? We love hanging out with people who enjoy things like music, photography, theater - the arts.
Anyone know of a good Non-denominational church? We will probably be moving to the North or North/East side of phoenix. In addition to having an awesome and inspiring pastor, I'm looking for a church that has a good choir (wanna join) and don't care if you wear jeans! Would love a mix of people too.
Also, looking for a good coffee house hot spot that is not Starbucks?
Last but not least - Would love a recommendation for a black-hair care stylist.
Thanks everyone !!!
Oh geez.... I just read this whole thread and I don't know if you've already moved but I do know that no one here has given you a realistic picture of what Phoenix and the surrounding areas are really like here!! I mean, they have but only coming from their perspective or what they wish Phoenix to be but not as someone who shares your same culture or experiences. I think that it's only logical that when you are asking about what it's like to live in a certain place based upon your culture or your experiences the most accurate information you're going to get is from someone who closely relates to those experiences or your culture. If you look at each respondent you will see that many of them do not. They've either admitted this outright (told you that they aren't AA) or unbenownst to them have said something that lets you know that they aren't. So to me, taking advice on this issue from people who are not African American, have never been in or agree with IR relationships or are African Americans (AA's) who have lived here for so long that they've just resigned themselves to the situation is like asking a neurologist about a gynecological issue. They are both doctors (like we are all human beings) but their education and experiences are in different fields. Therefore a neurologist may not know about gynecological issues unless he or she has chosen to pay attention to these things but let's face it with everything that's going on in their own practice what's the chances of them knowing about something that doesn't pertain to their everyday lives? I'm making this analogy only because I've noticed a lot people who are not African-American or are native to Arizona telling you what it's like to live here as an African-American when they don't or couldn't possibly have a clue.
So, here's a bit of information about myself so that you understand where I'm coming from when I speak to you about Phoenix. I am an African-American female who's lived in several states before moving to Phoenix. I grew up in New York City and have also lived in Florida and in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Phoenix, Arizona. This means I've lived in areas that are multicultural, have had a history of racism and have struggled to break out of the mentality and therefore I can compare it to how people are in Phoenix, Arizona with some depth of knowledge. During the time I lived in the South, I've learned that my preference for churches are typically nondenominational churches and I have visited some in the Valley so I would know a little bit about that as well. Right now I work for the third largest cable company in the Valley in an IT capacity (software analyst) so I might be able to help you with that too. Lastly I am not currently in an interracial relationship but I'm not opposed to a black woman marrying a man of another race as long as he loves her the way she should be loved. I've also been interested in dating outside of my race and therefore I've paid close attention to how interracial couples are treated in this area.
So as you can see there's a difference between getting advice from people who couldn't possibly understand vs. someone who may have a little more insight on what matters to you and why. From what it sounds like what was important to me when I moved here is what is important to you right now. I think the only difference is that I didn't do my research and just followed some family members out here so now I'm dealing with the "if only I had known" thing that people do after the fact.
I will let you know this though. After my experiences here I am definitely planning to run, not walk out of Phoenix as soon as I can! There are various reasons why and I have no problem discussing these with you via e-mail. Even if you choose to still move out here then I can make your culture shock a little smoother by giving you a list of some things you'll need to know, the places you'll need to go (such as beauty supply places, hair salons, coffee shops that aren't Starbucks etc.) as well as what's going on in the church scene
If you want to you can e-mail me by clicking my name above and scrolling down to my e-mail. Just let me know everything that's important to you and I will try to answer them as soon as possible. I'll also put together a list of all of the things that I've mentioned above so that you at least have a head start.
I'm 1/2 of a mixed race couple, and I've not encountered any racism in six years of living in the Phoenix metro area (or the three years I lived in Tucson). However, in the one year I lived in Houston, I encountered racism, oh, it seemed like once per week on average. If you want to see racism, go there. Or the Kern Valley area of California, which also has racial "issues".
But Phoenix, by and large, is not a racist town.
I'm 1/2 of a mixed race couple, and I've not encountered any racism in six years of living in the Phoenix metro area (or the three years I lived in Tucson). However, in the one year I lived in Houston, I encountered racism, oh, it seemed like once per week on average. If you want to see racism, go there. Or the Kern Valley area of California, which also has racial "issues".
But Phoenix, by and large, is not a racist town.
I would even go as far to say the entire state of California is full of racists.
Nothing is better then "white people are evil" campaign smeared across the state.
I've actually done research on this and even if I didn't, you can tell that the black population in Phoenix is not as high as 12%. It's actually 5% (and that's a big difference). It's up 2% from 5 years ago when I moved here. This includes Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, paradise Valley, Buckeye, Surprise, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Apache Junction, Fountain Hills, Laveen and Avondale.
I also grew up in NYC and I've lived here for 5 years now. There are an astronomical amount of mixed raced couples in NY and they are well received there. Here, the mixed couples are mostly black men and white women (or other women other than black) and if you're familiar with the psychology behind mixed race perceptions, sometimes women of color being married to men who aren't of color will get a different reaction than if the ir couple were a black men/ other woman combo.
I didn't make this up. It's just the reality of things. Especially here.
Most mixed race couples involving African Americans and Caucasians involve Black men and White women and not the other way around. That isn't just true of Phoenix. In fact, there are books and films dedicated to this subject and many Black women question this huge disparity.
Mixed race couples are very accepted here to the point that it isn't an issue. I'm Hispanic and my wife is White and it's not an issue. In Dallas, we would get a lot of stares. My friends who are African American tell me they don't receive the same attention they did in other cities with regard to their White spouses. In the South, they still believe interracial relationships are wrong because of how their children will supposedly be treated. A Judge in Louisiana denied an interracial couple a marriage license based on racial reasons.
Being a physician, I interact with a lot of random people. I have a large patient population (1000+) and then I see patients in various hospitals accross the valley. I see a lot of mixed couples(Black and White). I don't think people realize how common it is here. I know it's not uncommon to hear my mixed race couple patients tell me they moved here for acceptance because they heard Arizona is welcoming to mixed raced couples. Perhaps since you are single and a Black woman (as opposed to a Black male), your situation is different but for existing mixed race couples and single Black men, they like it here.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 10-26-2009 at 11:48 AM..
If you want to you can e-mail me by clicking my name above and scrolling down to my e-mail. Just let me know everything that's important to you and I will try to answer them as soon as possible. I'll also put together a list of all of the things that I've mentioned above so that you at least have a head start.
Stay blessed,
Jaine Blaize
Jaine,
You bumped an old thread with your series of posts. The original poster (OP) hasn't been back here since early June. (You can see when any poster was last here by clicking on the "Pubilic Profile" that comes up under the poster's name) I doubt the OP will see your responses.
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I just read this whole thread and I don't know if you've already moved but I do know that no one here has given you a realistic picture of what Phoenix and the surrounding areas are really like here!! I mean, they have but only coming from their perspective or what they wish Phoenix to be but not as someone who shares your same culture or experiences. I think that it's only logical that when you are asking about what it's like to live in a certain place based upon your culture or your experiences the most accurate information you're going to get is from someone who closely relates to those experiences or your culture. If you look at each respondent you will see that many of them do not. They've either admitted this outright (told you that they aren't AA) or unbenownst to them have said something that lets you know that they aren't. So to me, taking advice on this issue from people who are not African American, have never been in or agree with IR relationships or are African Americans (AA's) who have lived here for so long that they've just resigned themselves to the situation is like asking a neurologist about a gynecological issue. They are both doctors (like we are all human beings) but their education and experiences are in different fields. Therefore a neurologist may not know about gynecological issues unless he or she has chosen to pay attention to these things but let's face it with everything that's going on in their own practice what's the chances of them knowing about something that doesn't pertain to their everyday lives? 
I'm making this analogy only because I've noticed a lot people who are not African-American or are native to Arizona telling you what it's like to live here as an African-American when they don't or couldn't possibly have a clue.
