What is the racial climate of Seattle like? (Tacoma, Bellevue: low income, best cities)

[peregrinefalcon4]

I've often heard that Seattle tends to be a fairly liberal area, but then again, I also know that the city has a troubling history of restrictive housing covenants and fairly low levels of racial diversity (according to some metrics, Seattle is the "whitest" major city in America). Personally, I am a black male who has lived in the Southeast for much of my early formative years, childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood (in fact, I currently live in a Southern state at the moment). Although there is no such of a thing as a magical prejudice-free community, I was simply interested to know if the overall racial climate of a place such as Seattle would be less hostile than the region that I currently live in.

[Ira500]

I don't know the level of hostility in the place you're at now. The South certainly had its share of racial prejudice, and it's had to have changed dramatically in some places more than others, but...
In Seattle, you'll have to discern whether people aren't being friendly to you because you're black, or because this is Seattle, a place not known for it's warmth and hospitality. We're not friendly to white folks either. The overall racial climate here is fairly mellow. There are far less black folks north of the ship canal in Seattle, but you shouldn't feel unwelcome in Greenlake. Seattle isn't a hostile place. Violent crime is very low. Seattle neighborhoods did have housing covenants, and some neighborhoods are still very white, but there's also neighborhoods where blacks, whites, Asians, and hispanics all live. To me, those are the more interesting( and less expensive) neighborhoods.

[Kalex]

A lot of people come on here and say there are only white people in Seattle. That confused me to death for months until I realized they must only go to certain "trendy" neighborhoods in the city. Those neighborhoods are very white. But that's not true of the city as a whole. In general, I think this is a very diverse and openly so area. I grew up in and moved from the South so that's my point of comparison. There are fewer blacks and Hispanics here than the South, and more Asians. But people in general don't care that much where you're from and no one's going to ask you what church you go to or who you voted for. They're far more interested in what kinds of things you're doing with your time, if they're interested at all

I'll admit though, I'm really searching for a better answer to the "where are you from" question. South Carolina really freaks people out!

[415_s2k]

Seattle is definitely white majority but it's very well integrated overall. As Ira said, it's not the friendliest place but it's by no means hostile... just avoidant. People may not reach back to shake an extended hand of friendship, but that's not because you're black, it's because they don't know you. Certainly, no one is going to single you out for a hard time due to your race and you won't be "unwelcome" in any specific area.

[amaiunmei]

I'd start with this series:

Black In Seattle | KUOW News and Information

And then I'd check this out:

//www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...tle-metro.html

Long story short: your mileage may vary. This question is kind of like the oft-asked weather question: you can do as much research as you want on the subject (and I strongly recommend that you do so), but you won't know whether you like it or not until you come up here. I recommend giving this place a year and assessing your experience accordingly.

When I've talked to people who have moved "back East", one thing gets repeated over and over: the lack of a "black community" can be a dealbreaker for a lot of people. The traditional black community in Seattle has been located in the Central District; gentrification due to escalating housing costs (and a location that is relatively convenient to Amazon and other tech companies in the center of town) has encouraged a lot of people to leave. Many of these folks are landing in Tacoma, so there is something of a migration south that is happening as we speak.

The "black community" actually has sizable elements of African-Americans, Africans, and Afro-Latinos. I'd say right now most African-Americans are moving out of town; the Africans largely inhabit South Seattle and Tukwila; the Afro-Latinos are spread out all over but have some very high-profile events (MAS, the AfroLatino festival, various potlucks for folks from different countries, etc.).

Try it and see if you like it. This place is beautiful, even if it can be tough to find hair products.

[Andy]

In today's Seattle, other than the racist Seattle School District administration, Seattle and the surrounding area is very accepting.

[skidamarink]

OP your question is going to be varying degrees of answers, because everyone's perception on this issue is too different. I know black people who came to Seattle and said this was the first place they've experienced discrimination and they hate it here, and I've also met black people who love it here and never want to live anywhere else. It's really the luck of the draw as to what kinds of people you'll be interacting with (more than likely the first people you meet here will be your co-workers), and that's going to shape your entire outlook on a place. Don't rely too much on stereotypes of what city is liberal or conservative and don't give too much weight to these statistical reports ("Best Cities For Minorities" or whatever). They're fun to think about, but ultimately useless. Figures don't lie, but liars figure.

That being said, if there IS widespread racism here (I'm white and most of the people I've interacted with here are white, so it's not an issue for me), it's probably going to be the same quiet & passive aggressive racism that you get in any other city in which EEOC policies are enforced. A white employer isn't going to be dumb enough to outright tell you that they're scared of hiring a minority, so you'll probably never know. Personally, I'd rather live in a place where people are blunt and vocal about their racism rather than a place where everyone's nice up front but doesn't want to hire me or rent to me. It's kinda of a catch-22. The anti-discrimination laws had good intentions but they don't really help.

[branh0913]

There are solid black communities in Seattle, but they're lower class communities. The black communities are always in low income areas, and there is a lack of a solid black middle class/upper middle class community. The few black middle class people who are here live in mostly mixed neighborhoods.

It depends on what circumstances youre coming to Seattle. If you're not already established, its not worth your time. Seattle is terrible for upward mobility no matter what race you are. This is why its a city largely filling jobs with people out of state. Its not a great city to establish yourself. It's perfect if you want to enhance an already established career. Working in Seattle got me into Apple in California, and into where I work now. When I moved to Seattle I was only making 80k, now I'm over 6 figures.

6 figure salaries put you into a certain circle in Seattle, but people will often wonder how you got there. I use to get on the bus to Bellevue, and people kind of looked at me like 'what is he doing in here?'. If you're in certain areas, people will kind of act awkward like you shouldn't be there. But I liked it, because there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it.

Black people are the most down to earth people. And the lack of black people is felt in it's culture. There is very little soul and people are distant and aloof. Any city with blacks has character, soul, and personality. Which is why Atlanta, Houston, NY, DC, and Philly has a lot of charm and character.

My advice is dont move to Seattle unless you're already somewhat above the 80k to 90k mark already. I can imagine being a lower class black in Seattle sucks. If you're upper middle class like me, and very confident in your skill, class, and ability you will do well. For me, I'm a black guy, but I have so much damn class, you can't help but to tip your hat to me.


I've been hired in Seattle, and never had issues. But again, I come into an interview with a nice suit, and sound like I know my stuff. Plus in my field, Indians do most of the hiring, and they generally aren't hung up on someone's race.

[ctr88]

It's a total misconception people have nationally that Seattle is a really white area. Maybe 30-40 years ago but not now. King County is only 63% white, that means it is closing in quickly on being 40% not white. Also many surrounding cities are even more diverse, Bellevue 41% minority, Kent 51% minority, Tacoma 41% minority, Renton 51% minority...and on and on and on. There ARE certain neighborhoods that are very white in Seattle though (Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, Madison Park for example). But others that are extremely diverse in South Seattle for example (Central District, Beacon Hill, Othello, etc..).

[branh0913]

Originally Posted by ctr88

It's a total misconception people have nationally that Seattle is a really white area. Maybe 30-40 years ago but not now. King County is only 63% white, that means it is closing in quickly on being 40% not white. Also many surrounding cities are even more diverse, Bellevue 41% minority, Kent 51% minority, Tacoma 41% minority, Renton 51% minority...and on and on and on. There ARE certain neighborhoods that are very white in Seattle though (Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, Madison Park for example). But others that are extremely diverse in South Seattle for example (Central District, Beacon Hill, Othello, etc..).

Yeah but the neighborhood you mentioned sucks. I dated some women in south Seattle. Everyone down there is broke or trying to scam the system for government benefits. Seen it with my own eyes. Nut minorities in Seattle don't have the same hustle they have on the East coast anyway. Which is why being black in Seattle almost always mean you're poor. I've never witness such a lack of ambition until I saw the poor minorities in Seattle. Especially after coming from Atlanta where everyone is about trying to make money no matter what race. The racial attitude in Seattle is very much like I've seen in the Midwest, but people are less honest about it.