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I would definitely recommend either Atlanta or Charlotte.
I'm 2 weeks away from moving from Atlanta to DC, but the only reason I'm going is for a job. I'm not knocking DC because I've always loved the area's excitement and energy. BUT, from a practical perspective, it makes a lot more sense to live in Atlanta or Charlotte (preferably Charlotte). Coincidentally, my fiance (a native Virginian now living in MD) and I just had this conversation the other day.
Generally speaking (no matter WHAT the online salary calculators say), salaries in Atlanta are equivalent to OR HIGHER THAN the same salaries in DC. Teachers make about the same. Attorneys starting salaries are about the same. Accountants earn about the same. Legal Assistants and Administrative Assistants can earn a little less, in many cases. However, the cost of living, and more importantly, the STANDARD of living in Atlanta and Charlotte are MUCH higher. (I'm having a really hard time reconciling this for my own move).
In my experience, looking at apartments and houses, I just cannot believe that I will be earning the same salary I earned in Atlanta, and affording much less in terms of housing. Many of the houses here are older and have fewer amenities than you'll find in Charlotte or Atlanta. Homes in both those cities are pretty much BRAND NEW, as the cities are much newer themselves. Therefore, most amenities (garden tubs, garages, 3 or 4 bathrooms, track lighting, wrap around porch, double masters, etc.) come standard in a regular, working class neighborhood, and are affordable. Furthermore, the roads are worse in DC, so they're might jack up the suspension on your car.
If I had to choose between the three, I'd go for Charlotte first, Atlanta as a second choice. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck in Charlotte (more house for your money, and be able to save/invest more money), and you will spend less on auto maintenance thanks to the nicer roads. Plus, you'll still be a 4-hour or less drive from DC, Atlanta, VA Beach, Myrtle Beach, and all sorts of other spots... Although the job market is pretty healthy in all three places, there's a lot less competition in Charlotte. All three have a great nightlife, and a healthy social and cultural scene for Blacks. Charlotte probably has less of a nightlife than the other two.
All three have great churches to choose from (I know two AWESOME churches in Charlotte, and quite a few in DC or Atlanta as well). Charlotte has the least amount of traffic, and the least amount of crime. Atlanta and DC both have HORRIBLE traffic, and DC's crime rates can be pretty astounding. All three are diverse and have 4 distinct seasons. However, Atlanta has a very short fall and winter, and a long spring and summer (which I happen to appreciate).
If I can help any further, feel free to PM me.
Note: this is not intended to bash DC. I love DC. This is just my perspective.
It seems the previous poster looks for very different things in a city than you seem to be. He/she seems focused on most/best house for your money, dependence on the automobile, churches... From that perspective, it would make sense why he/she wouldn't choose DC.
Based on your post, it seems you're much more interested in the urban value of what's best for the collective city, not necessarily the suburban value of what's best for the individual. If I'm right on that, I don't think you can go wrong with DC. Charlotte is VERY suburban, even downtown. I can't speak on Atlanta, having only been there for work a few times. For what it's worth, I was not impressed. Atlanta was a very cold city (culturally) with a sterile downtown. I'm sure many would disagree who live there, but I went a lot of places looking for something stimulating. I'm also not black, so take that with a grain of salt.
I lived in DC for 4 years and am moving back. If you're a young professional looking for all the things you listed, it can be quite a mecca. There is a significant professional black population - a very proud history stemming a great deal from the influence of Howard University on the region and the natural influx of people to the city for the government. The professional black culture is not necessarily separated from the other young professional community. DC is such an open minded, international city that its cultural divisions rest more on class than race (it's at once one of the most educated cities in the country while also having the highest illiteracy rate). Places like Adams Morgan, U Street, and Dupont Circle draw everybody - it's just a smorgasbord (I've never had to spell that word before - hope it's right) of race and culture. Shaw / U Street especially has a vibrant black cultural life, stemming back to the jazz era of the 20s and continuing through today as the onslaught of gentrification brought a lot of professional whites, but also a lot of professional blacks. Plus, with the stellar mass transit, you hardly ever even need a car - which is not something you can say in Atlanta (if that's important to you).
Anyway - perhaps Atlanta, being in the South, has a much more concentrated professional black population that would appeal to you more. But, if you're simply looking for a vibrant city that has professional black culture integrated into the fabric of many other cultures, then DC is on the rise and is not going to disappoint. Just my two cents.
I went to Atlanta over new years and although I had a blast visiting friends I must say it isn't even CLOSE to being comparable to DC other than horrendous traffic. If people think the DC area has a sprawl problem, they need to visit Atlanta, there is a reason they call that area the "poster child for sprawl."
The city of Atlanta reminds me more of suburban Northern VA (minus the urban hubs of Arlington and Alexandria) with some really tall buildings. Outside of downtown/midtown the area is poorly planned (another suburban Northern VA characteristic) with rows of houses and big box stores and then a small cluster of high rises going in here and there.
As for the bars, I literally got in an argument with a person down there who tried to tell me the nightlife in DC was more tame than in Atlanta. There seemed to be no centralized bar district just pockets of 2 or 3 bars here there which was a pain in the you know what, compare that to DC with Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Dupont/U Street, Penn Quarter, etc.. I was told Buckhead used to be a great bar district but Atlanta cracked down on that and believe me this was well displayed. Atlanta does have some awesome restaurants but then again so does DC, I didn't find anything down there I couldn't get up here plus much more.
The public transportation system in Atlanta is nice but its service is very limited compared to Metro, I also noticed a much longer wait time in between trains. That being said, I loved the TVs in MARTA and the lighter crowds, I'm surprised more people don't use it down there though.
Those are just some of many observations I made while down there. It is true that DC is more expensive but I've always felt the extra cost was more of a "luxury tax" to live here lol, not everyone loves the hectic fast paced lifestyle that the DC metro area has to offer but I do and personally have no problem paying higher prices for it.
Jackson, Mississipi is another option. 71% A.A. I don't know what u can do with you degree there though. DC is fine but it's a expensive here. Expect to spend nearly 50% of your monthly take home pay on rent, if you choose to live by yourself. The black population in DC tends to be concentrated in certain areas. Same goes for the night life. Corporate-wise, i don't know about DC but we (i'm A.A, btw) are outnumbered here in Northern Va. If you have other options, try them first cause it's expensive here. Picture this: I'm 26 y/o, my rent, car note, and its insurance alone run me a whopping $ 1750/month (Expect to pay nearly this much for housing alone if you choose to live in a decent DC neighborhood). On that note, What's Seattle like? Demographics and such. City data facts can be deceiving sometimes.
I don't want to get into an online debate, so the only other thing I'll add is that it's hard to tell much about a city by visiting. I would be more apt to take a person's opinion if they had lived in that city, versus just visiting it, although I do acknowledge that you can get a good glimpse of a city from frequent visits, or from what you hear or read. Nonetheless, you never know the city until you live there.
Bluefly - I responded directly to what the OP requested. He asked for information on churches, so I gave my input. The information about the roads is, IMO, relevant to the overall discussion of traffic/travel/transportation. The only thing I offered that he didn't ask for was my take on the financial sensibility of living in Charlotte or Atlanta versus DC. But, even that was welcomed, I'm sure, since the OP asked for "anything else you can think of."
Bottom line, most working class people will live a higher standard of life (nicer and newer homes, more property, more money to save/invest/spend) in Charlotte or Atlanta than in DC.
I don't want to get into an online debate, so the only other thing I'll add is that it's hard to tell much about a city by visiting. I would be more apt to take a person's opinion if they had lived in that city, versus just visiting it, although I do acknowledge that you can get a good glimpse of a city from frequent visits, or from what you hear or read. Nonetheless, you never know the city until you live there.
Bluefly - I responded directly to what the OP requested. He asked for information on churches, so I gave my input. The information about the roads is, IMO, relevant to the overall discussion of traffic/travel/transportation. The only thing I offered that he didn't ask for was my take on the financial sensibility of living in Charlotte or Atlanta versus DC. But, even that was welcomed, I'm sure, since the OP asked for "anything else you can think of."
Bottom line, most working class people will live a higher standard of life (nicer and newer homes, more property, more money to save/invest/spend) in Charlotte or Atlanta than in DC.
This is very true and I'm sure there is a lot more to Atlanta than what I've seen in my visits there, this forum is however mostly an opinion forum. As for the higher standard of life, that could be debated. Although housing is more expensive in the DC area, the average salaries are also much higher, according to the US Census Bureau 11 out of the top 25 wealthiest counties in America are in the DC area, including the top 3. WorldNetDaily: America's 25 richest counties I only see 2 Georgia counties on there and they aren't that high on the list.
Yes it is expensive to live here and people are never afraid to announce that all over this forum, however those same people usually neglect to mention that our wages are generally MUCH higher than most other metropolitan areas in the country.
I don't want to get into an online debate, so the only other thing I'll add is that it's hard to tell much about a city by visiting. I would be more apt to take a person's opinion if they had lived in that city, versus just visiting it, although I do acknowledge that you can get a good glimpse of a city from frequent visits, or from what you hear or read. Nonetheless, you never know the city until you live there.
Bluefly - I responded directly to what the OP requested. He asked for information on churches, so I gave my input. The information about the roads is, IMO, relevant to the overall discussion of traffic/travel/transportation. The only thing I offered that he didn't ask for was my take on the financial sensibility of living in Charlotte or Atlanta versus DC. But, even that was welcomed, I'm sure, since the OP asked for "anything else you can think of."
Bottom line, most working class people will live a higher standard of life (nicer and newer homes, more property, more money to save/invest/spend) in Charlotte or Atlanta than in DC.
Relax - I wasn't insulting you. I apologize for missing the bit about churches. Although, to not know what denomination the OP is would seem to negate being able to offer any truly helpful information in that regard. Church of Scientology? Buddism? Baptist?
My entire point was that you were reflecting the values of a different lifestyle, and I was pointing that out. Not a better or worse lifestyle, just different. This is evidenced in your final statement: "most working class people..." Based on the post, the OP is most definitely not working class, possessing a Masters Degree and describing him/herself as a "young black professional".
That YP mindset, generally, values different things from a city beyond the stability of a nice home for a good value. I was simply providing feedback from a more "young professional" perspective, one which is generally okay with renting a smaller apartment for a higher price if the surrounding cultural amenities provide a higher overall quality of life.
Just like you, I have only my prism of the world and the few lines from the OP's post from which to derive meaning. Perhaps I am the one off the mark. Again, though, I was not insulting you. Godspeed.
Atlanta isn't even on DC's level. There are more affluent black people in DC than Atlanta, hands down. Plus DC's economy is almost recession proof. My salary for a PR professional in Atlanta would be about $15,000 less per year, but my COL would be a lot cheaper. The housing stock in Atlanta is newer but you can't get a 100 year old brownstone with character like you can in DC. DC is more walkable and urban, plus DC is just more vibrant, has better transportation options and more opportunities for AA. DC also has greater diversity. Plus, Georgia is a very racist state. I would never consider living there.
Disclaimer: I'm not African American, so there's probably a lot about the specific subcultures in the different cities being discussed in this thread that I just don't know. But I can tell you what I do know, and that might help too.
The earlier posts were right that there is some cheap housing in Charlotte. They were doubly right in saying that there's no city to Charlotte. If you want urban life, Charlotte is not the place to come. The downtown is still only a few blocks long, and there's not much there. The whole place is focused on families and children. Single people complain to no end that there's no dating scene here.
DC is a vibrant city with diverse people, things to do and stuff going on. There is a large African American population both in the city and in the suburbs, and there is a lot of diversity within that population. The city itself has a large African American homosexual community, and I think Prince George's County has one of the largest, richest African-American suburban populations in the country (I heard some statistics about that years ago, but I don't remember the details, sorry).
I don't know much about Atlanta, except that it's very Southern and salaries are much lower than they are in DC (as is the cost of living). Whether you feel pulled to DC or Atlanta probably depends on whether you like the South. DC is a lot more middle-of-the-road -- not quite Southern, definitely not New York/New England in feel. Laid back, but not too much.
Like I said, I'm not going to get into an online debate or anything, but as I read these responses, something did come to mind that I'll share.
I hope you'll pose this question (if you haven't already) in the Atlanta and Charlotte forums as well. Chances are, you'll get just as many anti-DC responses and pro-Atlanta or pro-Charlotte responses depending on the city forum you're in. Unless you're in the Baltimore forum, you can pretty much expect that people are going to defend their city, and there's nothing wrong with that.
What I will say regarding the salaries is that it COMPLETELY depends on your job title and the company. I cannot ignore what the statistics say, however, that has not been my experience at all. I moved here from NY and made a lot more money here in Atlanta than I did in NY. Furthermore, I'm moving to DC in 2 weeks, and will be making less money than I currently make after comparing 3 different job offers. This is also true of many entry-level teachers (same salary range in Atl as DC), first-year attorneys (same range), administrative and legal assistants (usually more in Atl than DC), interns (same range, slightly higher in DC, but not enough to justify COL), property managers/leasing agents (same range), and contracts administrators (same range). Oh, I also have a friend who is a patient account representative and she also reports that she was surprised that the job postings in DC weren't any higher than they are. This is all based on what I've seen myself from countless postings in the Post, Baltimore Sun, and Monster; and it's based on what my friends have experienced. I do realize, however, that a great deal of people do indeed earn more in DC, and that our experiences are one small fragment of a much greater statistic.
Again, I'm not going to argue about it because I am aware of what the statistics say. I just know what MY experience has been (and my acquaintances' experiences).
Like I said earlier, I wouldn't take the word of people who have only visited. You should hit up the other city's forums to see what their residents have to say. Best wishes to you in your search!
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DC wins by a landslide
