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You must mean big cities here. When it comes to Chicago vs Houston vs Dallas vs LA vs NYC vs Philadelphia vs SF vs D.C. vs Boston, sure, we can have a conversation about affordability vs character.
However, per my earlier comments that I brought up to you about mid-size metros, there are tons of medium sized cities of reasonable size that are more affordable but also offer quite a bit of character. You listed a few (though some of the cities you listed are actually quite expensive), but there are tons more.
If you aren't aware of them, it's probably because they aren't overly hyped up by the media, which is probably the reason behind why they've managed to retain character while still being affordable.
Most times cities become discovered it is because a major economic sector within it see's large growth which makes it capable of sustaining a larger population and during this period of time, it is still typically more affordable than most premier cities so you end up with a miniature gold rush to inhabit it and buy affordable real estate while also obtaining or maintaining a career path that city specializes in.. ..For Austin that was Tech, for Charlotte that was FinTech & Banking.. ..then what ends up happening as more people inhabit that area - real estate values begin to rise faster than housing can be supplied, especially if that area tries to hold on to its character and not build housing thus you end up with a condensed expensive metro.
For a city to retain affordability and character at the same time, it would need to retain low demand as people will only discover an area that can comfortably support their employment & fiscal needs where many smaller cities exist that do carry character and affordability, the average working joe could not comfortably build his career life there. That is typically due to economic sectors within its region not being as strong as the larger contender media hyped cities. I give you that some cities are excessively hyped, like Austin, where Charlotte is an excellent contender for a mixture of affordability, employment, nature accessibility (a bit further out but you do have mountains and beaches within 2 - 3 hours of the city).. ..obviously it doesn't get everyone excited because it's not landing the major players like Google, Apple, Tesla, Oracle ect.. ..but its by no means insignificant and boasts an excellent economy with plenty of high paying tech jobs as well.. ..I could probably make a lateral move there without taking any financial hit and maybe even save money on Real Estate.. ..but the curve kind of nose dives pretty quickly once you start getting into municipalities that are too small or lacking economic activity, that's the main reason people move to mid-sized / larger cities... ...for retirement purposes I would say there is a stronger case but someone in employment probably wouldn't be able to do as well.
Alright, on paper, you have proven a portion of my statement to be nonsensical. Your unsourced statistics give your argument quite a lot of weight, and there is not much I can say.
But let me provide more context for what I meant by Texas lacking a cultural mosaic. A cultural mosaic is a distinct and apparent acknowledgment of the various cultures that coexist, creating a mosaic. To be more specific, Houston's diversity is spread more evenly because people are moving there for jobs and affordable real estate.
For example, I can go to Meyerland in Houston and wouldn't know it has a high concentration of Jews if it weren't for the synagogues. It's indistinguishable from any other middle-class neighborhood throughout Texas that is sprinkled with nouveau riche upper class for good measure. But I can go to the Bala Cynwyd area in Philly and feel like I am stepping into a historically Jewish neighborhood filled with old and new shopping and experiences distinct from just Philly overall. That's just one example of many.
So although Texas can brag about its factual diversity and reference the concept as a melting pot, it never felt that way. At least to me. Hence, it's just a personal opinion that could very well be all kinds of wrong. Chicago, SF, Detroit, Boston, etc., feel like actual melting pots -- a cultural mosaic. Houston and the other Texas metroplexes feel like a salad smothered in BBQ ranch dressing.
The sources is data.census.gov. Table B05006.
Your second paragraph sounds like you view a "cultural mosaic" as ethnic neighborhoods. That implies segregation which is exactly what Houston isnt. Most of our neighborhoods are very integrated and dont have majority of ethnicities when looking at the metro area as a whole.
Houston is a melting pot. Cultures mix, they dont live by themselves. To me, that actually fits the definition of a cultural mosaic better but thats just my opinion.
Your second paragraph sounds like you view a "cultural mosaic" as ethnic neighborhoods. That implies segregation which is exactly what Houston isnt. Most of our neighborhoods are very integrated and dont have majority of ethnicities when looking at the metro area as a whole.
Houston is a melting pot. Cultures mix, they dont live by themselves. To me, that actually fits the definition of a cultural mosaic better but thats just my opinion.
Location: East Texas, with the Clan of the Cave Bear
3,266 posts, read 5,633,404 times
Reputation: 4763
I have a simple question and that is "Why stay in Texas"? Why search for that reason to stay?
If it is incumbent on your senses to leave then you must do so. You can always return.
Now a differing perspective: Did you ever consider the possibility that you are just not a happy person? That you are blaming Texas for your unhappiness?
I'll submit to you that if happiness is due to your external stimuli versus an inner sanctum then you will be unhappy or find reasons to be unhappy everywhere you go. It appears that you rely on your feelings more than facts so a journey of seeking external stimuli is before you. You must find that out for yourself so I encourage you to leave Texas. You must go on this journey of seeking wisdom and "finding yourself" as millions, if not billions, of young people have before you.
All your reasons for liking and disliking Texas are just so superficial that I deduct you must be so too. Happiness is such an internal thing! You need to grow and maybe a quest for the "perfect" place is what you need !
Saddle up, Texan. You have a long trail ahead of you! Maybe you are cut out to be a superficial Californian or an arrogant New Yorker. Perhaps you'll find yourself in expensive Hawaii or dangerous Mexico or Central America. Maybe Canada would be to your liking where there is cradle to the grave central gubmint care but the grave is where they want you when you become a non-taxpayer (thus the brakes are applied when that centralized healthcare is needed). The options are endless and you are getting no younger.
Location: East Texas, with the Clan of the Cave Bear
3,266 posts, read 5,633,404 times
Reputation: 4763
Quote:
Originally Posted by As Above So Below...
The sources is data.census.gov. Table B05006.
Your second paragraph sounds like you view a "cultural mosaic" as ethnic neighborhoods. That implies segregation which is exactly what Houston isnt. Most of our neighborhoods are very integrated and dont have majority of ethnicities when looking at the metro area as a whole.
Houston is a melting pot. Cultures mix, they dont live by themselves. To me, that actually fits the definition of a cultural mosaic better but thats just my opinion.
Y'all need to quit trying to put a bandaid on a gaping wound and see the big pic with the OP.
all i know is i never had a slave, i hired lots of people of various colors for very difficult and technical jobs, treated everyone like i wanted to be treated and ate enough of this crap for being called a racist or homophobe or cracker or honky or a ++++ hole for most of my adult life and have had enough
get over this white black brown yellow bs and stop making damn excuses for everything that goes wrong in your GD life - i bet 90% or more was due to poor fracking choices you made somewhere along the line
today there are enough successful people black, brown yellow etc to prove that hard work and doing the right thing you can win
the more anyone keeps throwing the race card around the more you WILL create racists cause we are sick and damn tired of being told we are when we were not! ENOUGH ALREADY
Bravo. That was pretty much the thrust of what I was trying to get across. Also, the fact that I have no advantages over non-white people today in America, just because I am white.
There are enough non-whites that have made it in America today that melts away all the excuses and blabbering on about Jim Crow or whatever else is used as an excuse.
Stay in school
Don't have kids out of wedlock
Don't do drugs
Get a job
There it is! There is the great "how whitey makes it" playbook.....now go do these things and you will not wind up pumped full of drugs and with a cop's knee on your neck.
You simply do not have an excuse anymore...sorry.
This is not up to white people...this is up to YOU now.
Alright, on paper, you have proven a portion of my statement to be nonsensical. Your unsourced statistics give your argument quite a lot of weight, and there is not much I can say.
But let me provide more context for what I meant by Texas lacking a cultural mosaic. A cultural mosaic is a distinct and apparent acknowledgment of the various cultures that coexist, creating a mosaic. To be more specific, Houston's diversity is spread more evenly because people are moving there for jobs and affordable real estate.
For example, I can go to Meyerland in Houston and wouldn't know it has a high concentration of Jews if it weren't for the synagogues. It's indistinguishable from any other middle-class neighborhood throughout Texas that is sprinkled with nouveau riche upper class for good measure. But I can go to the Bala Cynwyd area in Philly and feel like I am stepping into a historically Jewish neighborhood filled with old and new shopping and experiences distinct from just Philly overall. That's just one example of many.
So although Texas can brag about its factual diversity and reference the concept as a melting pot, it never felt that way. At least to me. Hence, it's just a personal opinion that could very well be all kinds of wrong. Chicago, SF, Detroit, Boston, etc., feel like actual melting pots -- a cultural mosaic. Houston and the other Texas metroplexes feel like a salad smothered in BBQ ranch dressing.
When you brought up Texas has no cultural mosaic and you mentioned you live in Houston I started to put 2 and 2 together and figured you were talking more on an aesthetic level. Houston's ethnic enclaves are not going to be like older legacy cities.
They're going to look like typical landscapes outside the inner loop which is primarily typical suburbia landscapes. Case and point Chinatown or Hillcroft, those are every bit culturally diverse and ethnically rich as what you would find in certain areas like NYC. The difference? Aesthetically they look no different than any other part of suburbia Houston. Lots and lots of strip malls. So even though the people make the area, the infrastructure of the area itself lacks that character you'll find in legacy cities with older ethnic communities.
Since you brought up Philly, take for instance Philly has their own version of Chinatown. When me and my Wife stayed in Rittenhouse we happened to walk to Chinatown and the neighborhood felt distinctly different than the surrounding areas. Chinatown in Houston does to but the experience does feel different and more personal when you can walk block to block while still being in the heart beat of the city.
Now me personally growing up in East Texas with little to no diversity and living in West Houston with is full of different ethnicities from all over the world, while the area might lack character being around these many different cultures and interacting with other cultures is still a plus for Houston. It's still unique in itself. But I totally get where you're coming from. You want the look and feel of the neighborhood to match the people in it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
It should not be mandatory learning. It should be at most an optional course. What we're doing today is much closer to cancel culture. We are mandating that all people believe a certain way and people should have a right to their own opinion and belief system. We are surrendering our rights to government and giving them the authority to rule over us in hopes that they will fix social equality issues.. ..that isn't what's going to happen. They will instead employ solutions that may 'look' like they're addressing the issue but leave those issues longstanding as a means to have reason to remain in power. Government never gives anything unless what they are getting back is greater than what they are giving, and in this case it is not money.. ..its power.. and there is alot of power in manipulation. I'm being real here, how many of the elite democratic party are black? Do you think they really care about us? I would think twice...and honestly it shouldn't be about their skin tone at all, it should be about what their policy and what they are going to do to the country.
Many people in the privileged class made sacrifices or ulterior choices to obtain their wealth rather than living in the moment they planned for their future. Many millionaires started off as an average Joe, with no wealth background and this country has plenty of Millionaire's, many of which you would never know they were, because they look, dress, and live like ordinary people but practice conservative spending habits and made sacrifices on their desires, did not go out to party, did not buy that expensive car, did not buy a condo near downtown and pay extraordinary rent, they used that money to make more money.. ..yes I will give you there are those snotty Billionaires who were born with money, but they still follow the same principals which is how they retain their wealth... ...some along with using others... I won't state that all of them followed clean methodology, greed is a real thing.. ..but my issue is many people who have made legitimate choices are being lumpsum'd into the privileged class despite making wise financial decisions. I will give you that not all of those people are the kindest of people to be around, but that does not necessarily discredit their sacrifices to get to where they are.
Lets reverse the cards a bit and initiate 'Black Privilege' - the exact opposite...
Put yourself in these shoes.. ..you've worked hard for everything you own, you have excess money in the bank, investments in real estate or stocks, ect.. it took a long time for you to get to this point and it was decided by careful spending and choices... ...when the chips were down in business you worked a job on the side ... you made wise financial choices and planning to obtain your fortune.. you want to teach your child to do likewise to be financially successful ..suddenly the school system tells you that your child will have to learn CRT because of black privilege, despite the minority white class having the ability to conquer all odds through wise planning which you yourself have done as a black.. ..now you have to teach your son that someone else should have just as much privilege as himself, only because his race experienced misfortune regardless if that person makes wise financial planning decisions or not.. ..you particularly remember how difficult it was to get to the financial platue you stand on and have a resounding disagreement, you want people regardless of race to have equal rights, but also be willing to make the choices and sacrifices you made to obtain what they want out of life...
THIS is why the majority of the right wing are resounding against CRT. It is not because they are privileged or racists.. ..they want all races to be equal in opportunity and no race should have special privilege's in terms of treatment or doing what is necessary to succeed in life.
But you're perfectly fine with having schools mandate a white washed inaccurate depiction of Texas and American History in grades K-12? You're fine with them mandating kids to stand in pledge allegiance to the flag everyday in class like some programmed robots. Those things are cool but introducing the concept of CRT is where you draw the line?
Which btw if that's how you feel fine, I just want some consistency here. Let's take history out of the classroom too since we're not going to teach it right. Let's not indoctrinate children with outdated racist Whitewashed propaganda and lets just focus solely on Math, Reading and science. Unless you're going to get a job dealing with History (which you'll have to learn a more accurate depiction of History once you go to college anyway) the average American doesn't need it in the workplace.
If you are trying to find a reason to stay, shouldn't you just leave. I mean seriously, you have to ask? If it's just wandering fever, you'll find out and be able to return. When I was younger, I went and lived in Denver (big mistake, should have gone to the Springs). Spend months in other places like NY, Hawaii, California. Came back to raise my family and hope when I die it's in Texas. That's how much I love it here. Texas is my heart, Texas is my home. However, go find out for yourself, explore and live life, you will find your answers.
For example, I can go to Meyerland in Houston and wouldn't know it has a high concentration of Jews if it weren't for the synagogues. It's indistinguishable from any other middle-class neighborhood throughout Texas that is sprinkled with nouveau riche upper class for good measure.
But I can go to the Bala Cynwyd area in Philly and feel like I am stepping into a historically Jewish neighborhood filled with old and new shopping and experiences distinct from just Philly overall. That's just one example of many.
Then head to Philly ASAP / pronto, since that is obviously your kind of place. Quit griping about your decision to place yourself in the wrong location.
You're preaching to the wrong choir, you're souring the 'music', and we want you out of the building! LOL
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