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I am considering relocating to North Carolina in the next year or so and would really like some advice/ suggestions as far as my best options. I currently live in New Jersey and I am currently renting where i pay $1100 for a 1 bd 1 bath approx 750 sq ft. A little info on myself below.
I am 29 years old, a black male with a career in Database Analysis, i have no kids and don't plan on having any until i'm stable. I am really considering the Raleigh area to call home but i know nothing about North Carolina or the south. I really would like a diverse area and a safe apartment to move into. Without beating around the bush, is it really racists around those parts? I don't look for drama and would really like to avoid any at all costs. Would love some input regarding this. As well as a list of some nice apartments if any. Thanks so much.
Race relations in the south are much better than most people from the northeast imagine them to be. Doesn't mean its perfect. Narrow minded jerks exist everywhere.
Raleigh/Durham isn't exactly known to be the most popular place for young, childless people. Never the less, the area is awesome for tech jobs; you'll more than likely be able to find a job in your career field. People in the Triangle aren't really all that racist; everyone just gets along for the most part. Personally, I would consider an apartment in North Raleigh like the above poster.
To the OP, you most likely won't run into any of the old "you're in the wrong part of town, boy" racism that you're asking about, especially not in any of the cities.
As far as apartments, it's probably a better idea to nail down a job location first. Then the people here can point you where you need to go.
Last edited by RedZin; 02-13-2016 at 09:35 AM..
Reason: Quoted post deleted.
If I were a young, career-oriented black man, I would move to either the South or DC, because there is thriving black culture in these areas. I grew up in the South, but spent the past 20 years in Boston. Boston is such a white town, also many Asians (my boyfriend is Asian). In returning to the South, I was struck with the flourishing African American presence. I see black men and women everywhere here, in a way that I never did in the Northeast.
Atlanta in particular is heavily populated with African Americans, and is also becoming a really cool city, that's WAY more affordable than NJ. The Triangle may have more tech jobs, but as a young black male, Atlanta would be my recommendation, as it's a far more lively and vibrant city.
The South in 2016 has come a LONG way. I think you would be extremely pleased with the culture here, and how much you can get for your money. You should come for a visit and see what you think.
Be careful and proceed with caution. I'm an African-American male and was raised in NC. I was excited about returning to my home state after living in New Jersey and other northern states. I thought NC represented the new south, but I see a lot more confederate flags that I expected to see in "the new south" especially in 2016. And I live in Wake County which is supposed to be more progressive than other counties in NC. Recently there was an annual moral Monday rally in downtown Raleigh organized by the NAACP. One of the state's leading republicans said the group doesn't represent NC. His dismissive comments implied that voting rights, pay equity, etc are not concerns that people in NC care about. Additionally, NC has so gerrymandered districts and packing African Americans in certain districts, that it's difficult for their votes to have real impact. As a young adult living in the north, the saying was that the difference between the north and the south for Black people is that in the north, people hid their racism and you never knew where you stood, but in the south, people didn't hide their racism and you always knew where you stood. Today's racism in the south is more calculated and subtle. Although it can be "one on one," in most cases it's institutionalized such as resegregating schools. Just want you to get another perspective. People always say you can confront racism anywhere which is true. But NC is still the south, and concerning race relations, on many levels it's still the old south.
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