Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
English education college level .. I was looking for something more along the east coast..but I'm not opposed to other parts of the country... But i wanted to know more about md or dc even Florida... Midwest wouldn't be bad but i prefer a city.. Do you have any suggestions Robert polyglot?
English education college level .. I was looking for something more along the east coast..but I'm not opposed to other parts of the country... But i wanted to know more about md or dc even Florida... Midwest wouldn't be bad but i prefer a city.. Do you have any suggestions Robert polyglot?
I think most have been tossed out. Maybe even Philly. Add Baltimore, since with the suburbs, it runs right into DC's suburbs. Boston will be expensive and tends to be degree-glutted. As for Midwest, I'd still go Chicago. Twin Cities is an ice box, as if Chicago isn't. As for Florida, Miami is still in a slump, economically, and still manages to be expensive. Also, it's schizophrenically liberal and conservative. Then, the whole experience is more Hispanic-centric. Great place for a vacation, though.
The other thing is that wherever you're doing your degree might have more of a regional pull. I won't ask for specifics, but certain schools tend to be liked more in certain regions.
But, the good thing is, you've got choices to explore between now and then.
Thank you for your help and honest feedback..robertpoly it is much appreciated.. most of the time I get a lot of crazy responses... i'm used to cold weather so I would take on Chicago. .. it's only one flight away from New Jersey where most of all my family lives..
My best friend lives in Florida with her husband and i grew up visiting there. Not a bad place but I've heard that the job market isn't that great.. I will definitely look into Balitmore and Chicago. Hopefully, see what I can find.
Depending on where you are, some small cities in non-huge-city states will have little enclaves where you can be totally open lesbian, i.e. the gay bar. But outside of that, you can't easily like make out in public with a same-sex partner, you could hold hands, but that's it. You could also stay in the city until night to hang out, where you can be yourself openly.
For example, my city of Hackensack is like this. There's a gay bar, but I wouldn't recommend kissing a same-sex partner in public outside of that bar, but you could take the train (or bus) in the morning into the city (NYC) for your morning commute, and then just stay in the city to hang out on the days that you want, and be open there, can kiss and make out in public and everything.
I'd like to mention something about the Pacific NW, Portland and Seattle region.
Others are right in that there are hipsters and a lot of white people. But there are certainly people of all shades present, and I never, ever caught a hint of racism from the people up there. There is a culture of acceptance of just about everyone, based a whole lot more on who you are as a person, than what color anybody was born.
I only say this because depending on your personal priorities, interests, etc. you may or may not care if there is a black community in a place, but you should know that there would not be a rejection of you for race even if there isn't, up there. If anything, they really adore diversity in my opinion and experience. Whereas you could go to some cities, say in the south or maybe even the east coast and while there will be a black community, you might actually experience some discrimination from other races. I think Florida can probably be that way in some areas, or at least with some people. Probably some of the retirees. Seems more of the racist people I meet are old people, hanging on to old ideas.
I visited FL recently though, and Tampa definitely has a gay district, Ybor City, if I'm not mistaken is considered that among other things.
For east coast I concur with others that Baltimore and NY might be your best bet.
Ah, but here's the thing about living in predominately white cities: You feel it. Yes, everyone's nice and no one is racist towards you but when you walk into a bar/pub and you can count the number of PoC around you, it feels...a little uncomfortable. When you can walk into a coffee shop and there's you, a bunch of white families, and a black girl handing you coffee, you feel like you stand out in a major way. When you walk down the street in your neighborhood and there are multiple couples holding hands but not one of them is a WoC, it's like, "Well, damn. Am I the only one here?"
It's hard to explain what it is because while I'm sure cities like Portland and Seattle would love a larger Black population, if there isn't already one there, it's difficult to want to stay when it's just you moving alone. I hope I'm making sense here.
I'm probably interjecting myself too much in this overall conversation, but I think the issue of visibility is why a couple of us were cognizant of tossing out cities with large lesbian and minority populations. But, anyway like you said, lashaun217 might not even care about that. Though, this forum is huge and maybe some lurkers who aren't posting in this topic might care.
Ah, but here's the thing about living in predominately white cities: You feel it. Yes, everyone's nice and no one is racist towards you but when you walk into a bar/pub and you can count the number of PoC around you, it feels...a little uncomfortable. When you can walk into a coffee shop and there's you, a bunch of white families, and a black girl handing you coffee, you feel like you stand out in a major way. When you walk down the street in your neighborhood and there are multiple couples holding hands but not one of them is a WoC, it's like, "Well, damn. Am I the only one here?"
It's hard to explain what it is because while I'm sure cities like Portland and Seattle would love a larger Black population, if there isn't already one there, it's difficult to want to stay when it's just you moving alone. I hope I'm making sense here.
I'm probably interjecting myself too much in this overall conversation, but I think the issue of visibility is why a couple of us were cognizant of tossing out cities with large lesbian and minority populations. But, anyway like you said, lashaun217 might not even care about that. Though, this forum is huge and maybe some lurkers who aren't posting in this topic might care.
I see what you're saying. I think it is perhaps human nature to seek common ground with those around us.
Racial divisiveness just makes me sad, or rather the notion that anyone might feel uncomfortable living in a given city because of it. I love people, all kinds of people, I've loved women and men and people of different races, I love them for who they are. I'm interested in the story of their lives, not the color of their flesh, except to say perhaps that it is lovely...and so I guess the idea of someone being uncomfortable anywhere because of that bugs me.
So I guess that while I can accept a person having preferences, I would be unhappy if they felt that they had limits because of that. If that makes any sense?
Ah, but here's the thing about living in predominately white cities: You feel it. Yes, everyone's nice and no one is racist towards you but when you walk into a bar/pub and you can count the number of PoC around you, it feels...a little uncomfortable. When you can walk into a coffee shop and there's you, a bunch of white families, and a black girl handing you coffee, you feel like you stand out in a major way. When you walk down the street in your neighborhood and there are multiple couples holding hands but not one of them is a WoC, it's like, "Well, damn. Am I the only one here?"
It's hard to explain what it is because while I'm sure cities like Portland and Seattle would love a larger Black population, if there isn't already one there, it's difficult to want to stay when it's just you moving alone. I hope I'm making sense here.
I'm probably interjecting myself too much in this overall conversation, but I think the issue of visibility is why a couple of us were cognizant of tossing out cities with large lesbian and minority populations. But, anyway like you said, lashaun217 might not even care about that. Though, this forum is huge and maybe some lurkers who aren't posting in this topic might care.
No, you hit the nail on the head. Portland and Seattle do NOT dish out any racial discrimination, but they won't exactly embrace you, either, not that one needs to be embraced. It's this stupid namby-pamby put-on "gotta love everybody" act that people are expected to put on in the region. I seriously think most black, or ANY, people would rather be dealt with in a more direct and less "formal" manner than what the PacNW is able to dish out. If a black person opts for the PacNW, they should probably have experienced somewhere more white, homogenous, and/or Western, like DEN, Twin Cities, Boise, or SLC, before doing so. The PacNW is the poster child region for passive-aggressive political correctness. Trees, waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, and clean moist air? Yes. Uptight douche bags? That, too, relative to other regions of the U.S.
Last edited by robertpolyglot; 12-21-2012 at 03:19 PM..
Ah, but here's the thing about living in predominately white cities: You feel it. Yes, everyone's nice and no one is racist towards you but when you walk into a bar/pub and you can count the number of PoC around you, it feels...a little uncomfortable. When you can walk into a coffee shop and there's you, a bunch of white families, and a black girl handing you coffee, you feel like you stand out in a major way. When you walk down the street in your neighborhood and there are multiple couples holding hands but not one of them is a WoC, it's like, "Well, damn. Am I the only one here?"
It's hard to explain what it is because while I'm sure cities like Portland and Seattle would love a larger Black population, if there isn't already one there, it's difficult to want to stay when it's just you moving alone. I hope I'm making sense here.
I'm probably interjecting myself too much in this overall conversation, but I think the issue of visibility is why a couple of us were cognizant of tossing out cities with large lesbian and minority populations. But, anyway like you said, lashaun217 might not even care about that. Though, this forum is huge and maybe some lurkers who aren't posting in this topic might care.
Yup I agree! I think in some places although people are "friendly-ish," they have a lot of trouble forming genuine and lasting social bonds with someone who is "not like them." And this is the really isolating part.
It isn't like we are all the same, and all have the same needs. But it is a little harder for some people to look past the surface to find those commonalities.
I tend to notice other PoC, and the composite of the groups they are in. (And this is 90% of the reason I live where I do. I see lots of PoC. In mixed groups too. And no one thinks it is weird.)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
