black american looking to move to houston,dallas,dc (DeSoto: insurance, employment)

[zoids97]

hey i was thinking about moving leaving Eugene,Oregon were its currently staying little to know black people houston,dallas,dc is are im thinking of relocating i would prefer to be around more black Americans if that makes sense eugenics had more if a black immigrant population so it was cool people though just would prefer how is the black American population in these cities and which neighbourhood would you recommend

[supfromthesite]

Houston or maybe Atlanta

[texasdiver]

Both cities have large middle class and upper class Black neighborhoods. But honestly, even lots of the predominantly white neighborhoods in urban Texas are going to be a LOT more diverse than Eugene (where I grew up BTW). Both Dallas and Houston have over 1 million Blacks living in each metro area which is probably 10x or more the number living in the entire state of Oregon.

There are web sites dedicated to your question that will provide you with a LOT more information than you will find here. For example:

https://blacksindallas.com/
https://713black.com/
https://aframnews.com/

I know more about Dallas than Houston. In Dallas the traditional middle class Black suburbs are mostly on the south side of Dallas. Places like Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, and Red Oak. But those are more family suburbs rather than urban city neighborhoods that would be more attractive to singles. If you want to live in the suburbs and go to Olive Garden, Panera, and the Starbucks drive through with other Black folks then those would be your sweet spots. I'm less familiar with Houston, but I expect there are plenty of similar places.

Honestly, if you are single (and I'm assuming so from your post) then I would avoid the suburbs and seek out more interesting urban areas in either city. Uptown Dallas, Montrose in Houston.
Places like that. Depending on your budget and work geography. Both cities are enormous and have dozens of interesting and hip neighborhoods scattered all over. They aren't necessarily going to be majority-Black but will still be 100x more diverse than anything in Eugene.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by zoids97

hey i was thinking about moving leaving Eugene,Oregon were its currently staying little to know black people houston,dallas,dc is are im thinking of relocating i would prefer to be around more black Americans if that makes sense eugenics had more if a black immigrant population so it was cool people though just would prefer how is the black American population in these cities and which neighbourhood would you recommend

I think it really boils down to personal preference as far as the type of city you want to be in.

Dallas is preferred by some because it has the most diverse economy and is the most easy to navigate if you prefer suburban living. DC is preferred by others because it's more urban and better access to natural scenery. Houston is preferred by the rest because it's more "salt of the earth" (blue collar & less pretentious) and the warmest winters.

Demographically, all 3 cities has sizable black populations.

[texasdiver]

I missed talking about DC in my post. I've lived and worked there several times over the years.

DC is very much a government town. It is where you want to be if your employment is somewhere in the government or military orbit. Either as a government employee, or part of the even larger orbit of government contractors and associated firms like lobbyists and interest groups and such.

But it is a pretty anemic place to live if you are totally outside that sphere and just wanting to do something normal like music and entertainment or restaurant and hospitality work or ordinary business jobs like banking, insurance, marketing, etc. In other words, the non-government related private sector in DC is kind of anemic compared to other cities like Dallas or Atlanta or Houston. It is a town that works on government hours, and parts of it kind of just shut down on evenings and weekends.

DC is where you want to be for a government or government-related career. But I don't think it is worth the trouble if you are looking for completely private-sector jobs. It's an incredibly expensive and hassle-ridden place to live and frankly, not worth the trouble unless your career specifically takes you there. I knew a lot of people working there in government jobs. And a lot of them were sick of DC and desperate to transfer out to other cities like Seattle, Denver, Dallas, etc. for the better lifestyle and lower cost of living.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by zoids97

hey i was thinking about moving leaving Eugene,Oregon were its currently staying little to know black people houston,dallas,dc is are im thinking of relocating i would prefer to be around more black Americans if that makes sense eugenics had more if a black immigrant population so it was cool people though just would prefer how is the black American population in these cities and which neighbourhood would you recommend

Originally Posted by texasdiver

I missed talking about DC in my post. I've lived and worked there several times over the years.

DC is very much a government town. It is where you want to be if your employment is somewhere in the government or military orbit. Either as a government employee, or part of the even larger orbit of government contractors and associated firms like lobbyists and interest groups and such.

But it is a pretty anemic place to live if you are totally outside that sphere and just wanting to do something normal like music and entertainment or restaurant and hospitality work or ordinary business jobs like banking, insurance, marketing, etc. In other words, the non-government related private sector in DC is kind of anemic compared to other cities like Dallas or Atlanta or Houston. It is a town that works on government hours, and parts of it kind of just shut down on evenings and weekends.

DC is where you want to be for a government or government-related career. But I don't think it is worth the trouble if you are looking for completely private-sector jobs. It's an incredibly expensive and hassle-ridden place to live and frankly, not worth the trouble unless your career specifically takes you there. I knew a lot of people working there in government jobs. And a lot of them were sick of DC and desperate to transfer out to other cities like Seattle, Denver, Dallas, etc. for the better lifestyle and lower cost of living.

To the OP:

In light of the excellent points this poster raises about DC, I'm going to make a wildcard suggestion and say Philadelphia might also interest you.

It offers much of the same perks you would get living in DC, but doesn't have the "government town" feel.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by citidata18

To the OP:

In light of the excellent points this poster raises about DC, I'm going to make a wildcard suggestion and say Philadelphia might also interest you.

It offers much of the same perks you would get living in DC, but doesn't have the "government town" feel.

Yep.

Honestly any big city outside of the Pacific Northwest and maybe Denver is going to have large and vibrant Black populations. Pick any of them that interest you for economic, recreational, and social reasons and you'll find vibrant Black communities.

Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Nashville, etc.

And also lots of other somewhat smaller cities like Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, Richmond, Louisville, Raleigh, Orlando, Kansas City, Sacramento, Oakland, Columbus, etc.

But for the largest and most vibrant Black communities that are also in vibrant economically growing cities that are still affordable I think your three top choices will be Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Yep.

Honestly any big city outside of the Pacific Northwest and maybe Denver is going to have large and vibrant Black populations. Pick any of them that interest you for economic, recreational, and social reasons and you'll find vibrant Black communities.

Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Nashville, etc.

And also lots of other somewhat smaller cities like Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, Richmond, Louisville, Raleigh, Orlando, Kansas City, Sacramento, Oakland, Columbus, etc.

But for the largest and most vibrant Black communities that are also in vibrant economically growing cities that are still affordable I think your three top choices will be Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.

I’d take Minneapolis off though. It’s black community is mainly foreign born from east Africa.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

I’d take Minneapolis off though. It’s black community is mainly foreign born from east Africa.

The Census says Minneapolis is about 20% Black. It has a larger black population than the entire state of Oregon. I'm sure they are are not all foreign-born from East Africa. The artist Prince was from Minneapolis, for example.

Edit: The Minneapolis Star says the percentage of foreign-born Blacks in Minneapolis is at 30%, up from 18% twenty years ago: https://www.startribune.com/black-mi...ies/329659731/

The point is not that Minneapolis is the perfect destination. But that nearly any city outside the Pacific Northwest is going to be more diverse than Eugene. Which is BY FAR the whitest place I have ever lived.

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

The Census says Minneapolis is about 20% Black. It has a larger black population than the entire state of Oregon. I'm sure they are are not all foreign-born from East Africa. The artist Prince was from Minneapolis, for example.

Edit: The Minneapolis Star says the percentage of foreign-born Blacks in Minneapolis is at 30%, up from 18% twenty years ago: https://www.startribune.com/black-mi...ies/329659731/

The point is not that Minneapolis is the perfect destination. But that nearly any city outside the Pacific Northwest is going to be more diverse than Eugene. Which is BY FAR the whitest place I have ever lived.

Compared to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle metro excluded), Minneapolis is a huge step up in diversity. But I wouldn’t compare it with Atlanta, DFW, Houston or DC either.