Im the PP here. I've had 2 people tell me that Boston is the only place they have ever been called the N word to their face. And both were within the last 10 years. I have never lived there but have spent a lot of time for work. If you pay attention you will notice how white centric the entire city is. And how uncomfortable people who arent white are made to feel. I was there for work last month. A black colleague told me he wasnt willing to eat at a restaurant alone because he couldn't get any service. He just got ignored. If youre used to a place like DC with lots of culture and ethnicities, Boston is very different in the wrong way imo. Of course there are lots of other places like this in America, Boston isnt the only one, but on this list of DC, NYC, Boston it stands out for being the most racist. And I wouldn't raise my family there for that reason. |
My sister in law has a similar story but is Asian and it occured in NYC. Is that not racist to you? |
Asian American here. I have heard there is a lot of racism against Asians in NYC since Covid. I grew up in NY and most racism I have gotten was from blacks and Hispanics, not whites. |
Cold grey weather gets to me, so I’d stick with dc. Manhattan would be cool but too hard to find down to earth people. Long Island is hard no people are too aggressive. Westchester is too passive aggressive. Love the culture in Boston but the weather is too rough. I’d live in Bethesda if I could afford it but I can’t so I’m near annapolis/Baltimore which has its own perks, nice to be near the water. |
If you’re going to live in the suburbs no matter what, I’d pick the close-in DC burbs. I’m raising 3 kids in a walkable part of Arlington where we can have a SFH, but also walk to metro, parks, restaurants, etc. As my kids get older they’ll have freedom to get around without a car, we can easily access city amenities, and it’s a dense area full of kids, but also with all the perks of living in the suburbs (like good schools despite what some posters claim, county services, etc.)
If you want to raise kids *in* the city, I would pick NYC hands down. I think it would be such a cool place to grow up with so much going on if you have the money to make it feasible. But I am not sure that I’d want to pay the high cost just to live outside of NYC. Also, it’s so easy to take Amtrak from DC do NYC for a long weekend. We take the kids up there for short getaways on occasion (or DH and I have gone just ourselves). And whenever we get back to Union Station from NYC we always look around relieved to see the sky again. DC’s low buildings make it feel like a more manageable city to me, but that is just a personal take. |
Same. My sister and her family live on the north shore and I am envious of them being close to the water and the east of northern New England. |
Unfortunately, as a POC, I can tell you about racist incidents I’ve experienced in DC too. No where is perfect and all three cities have their pluses and minuses. |
Boston is FULL of highly educated immigrants, so much diversity. |
The equivalent of Bethesda in MA is Brookline or Newton. Go check them out. |
Lexington is also the rough equivalent of Bethesda, but ok, here you go: Whitman: https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04427.pdf Black: Less than or equal to 5% Asian: ~15% Hispanic: ~10% White: ~60% Newton North HS: https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=02070505&orgtypecode=6 Black: ~5% Asian: ~15% Hispanic: ~11% White: ~60% Brookline HS: Black: 7.4% African American Asian: 16.0% Hispanic: 12.9% White: 53.3% White Lexington HS: Black: 4% Asian: ~45% Hispanic: ~4% White: ~38% Your point? |
I don’t remember Boston being so Asian but then again, I went to school there over 20 years ago. |
Not blacks |
DC has a well educated black population. |
Black isn’t the only type of diversity. |
If only Massachusetts had gotten on the slavery bandwagon, just think how much more diverse a place it would be today! |