Do you consider race when looking for a neighborhood to live in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, whatever the historical, social, and economic reasons for California's dwindling African American population, it makes it a very unhealthy place to raise children who have a realistic perspective of true diversity in this country.

In California you encounter more poverty, more social, economic, educational, professional, ethnic, and religious diversity, more Latin American diversity, more Asian American diversity, and more new immigrant diversity, yes, undoubtedly, but at a loss of the State's African American diversity.

I once read a comment to an article on this issue, posted by a self-identified African American, who said that California today was like a conglomeration sketch of every possible type of diversity, to which someone had taken an eraser to the African Americans in the picture.

I've lived in CA for over 40 yrs - both north and south - LA, OC, Bay Area. When I was younger, in LA, the majority of the kids in my HS were black. Today, if I look at the makeup of that HS, it is majority Hispanic. I don't know where blacks are moving to, but the hispanic population is taking over in that LA area.

In the Bay Area, PP had it right about how blacks don't have the wealth in that area. There are hardly any blacks in the high tech industry, and housing in the Bay Area is really expensive. For the most part, they are highly concentrated in the Oakland area and Hunter's Point in SF, or way further out in Vallejo or something.

A lot of black people have flocked to areas that have a better reputation for having more upwardly mobile black people. This is why Atlanta is known as the black mecca. There were tons of black people from everywhere flocking to Atlanta for over a decade. The same with Houston. I have quite a few family members in California and a number of their children have left California and moved to areas that are perceived to be better and more welcoming for blacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My AA parents bought a home in 2003 in a predominantly white but changing neighborhood. When my parents went to close on the house my mom asked the woman why they were selling because she cried the entire time. The woman said her husband hates the diversity of Northern Virginia in the last few years and refuses to leave the house. So she said they were moving to West Virginia. Though their current neighbors have lived in the house next door for over 60 years and are the friendliest old (white) people.

Wow, I can't imagine that being a reason to move, and I also can't imagine him saying it to an AA person at the closing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I think you're being naive thinking it is only one incessant poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol at all of the people lying through their teeth in this thread. Of course everyone considers race. You don't see bleeding heart liberals moving to the depths of PG county, nor do you see many African Americans moving to Old Town Alexandria. for the Canadian OP: people pay attention to race because they are concerned about property values and crime. Like it or not, certain demographics are more likely to commit violent crimes and property crimes. There is a history in this country of "blockbusting," where realtors would use subterfuge to sell one or a couple houses on a block to African Americans, then would start throwing bricks through people's windows to make them think the neighborhood was going to hell in a hand basket. The realtors would put their business cards and flyers all over the neighborhood and, before you knew it, the white home owners would be selling like hot cakes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbusting).

I do agree people are lying. PG is 30% white, some people assume there are no white people here and that's not true. Hispanics also compose the fastest growing group in PG, so it's becoming pretty diverse. I still appreciate the opportunity to live in an area with upper middle class blacks. I grew up in an all white area and people had varying reactions to our family. Some good, some bad. I want my children raised in an area where they will feel welcomed so I would never choose to live in an all white area personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I think you're being naive thinking it is only one incessant poster.

I was referring to the specific phrasing and repetition of the same thought. I am under no delusions that there are not a lot of ignorant, racist mofos posting on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My AA parents bought a home in 2003 in a predominantly white but changing neighborhood. When my parents went to close on the house my mom asked the woman why they were selling because she cried the entire time. The woman said her husband hates the diversity of Northern Virginia in the last few years and refuses to leave the house. So she said they were moving to West Virginia. Though their current neighbors have lived in the house next door for over 60 years and are the friendliest old (white) people.

Wow, I can't imagine that being a reason to move, and I also can't imagine him saying it to an AA person at the closing!

The poster said that the wife gave that reason for the family move. I don't know why you can't imagine that conversation. Some people are not closeted about their beliefs. And if you ask them a question, you need to be prepared for the answer.

[Anonymous]

Just to be clear, it is illegal for any one involved in helping you buy a home to steer anyone to or from any neighborhood because of race. That means realtors, lenders, assessors, etc. can't talk about the racial composition of residents or the school population. The fact that there is still rampant housing discrimination and terrible residential segregation does not make anyone's desire to avoid people of color less morally repugnant.

And, no it is not the same for whites and people of color. A person of color weighing whether there are other like them in a neighborhood are considering whether they will get stopped by cops when driving home and whether their new neighbors will slash their tires or beat up their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I know that it is not politically correct to acknowledge facts when they don't fit the PC narrative, but you'd better believe that people consider them when they choose where to live. African Americans are 12.2% of the U.S. population, yet according to the FBI they constitute 56% of the arrests for burglary, 52% for murder, 30% for burglary, 31% for rape, etc. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-43 I'm sure you explain this by saying that police are racist and only arrest AAs, but those are some huge disparities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I know that it is not politically correct to acknowledge facts when they don't fit the PC narrative, but you'd better believe that people consider them when they choose where to live. African Americans are 12.2% of the U.S. population, yet according to the FBI they constitute 56% of the arrests for burglary, 52% for murder, 30% for burglary, 31% for rape, etc. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-43 I'm sure you explain this by saying that police are racist and only arrest AAs, but those are some huge disparities.

Sorry that should have said 56% for robbery, 30% for burglary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I know that it is not politically correct to acknowledge facts when they don't fit the PC narrative, but you'd better believe that people consider them when they choose where to live. African Americans are 12.2% of the U.S. population, yet according to the FBI they constitute 56% of the arrests for burglary, 52% for murder, 30% for burglary, 31% for rape, etc. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-43 I'm sure you explain this by saying that police are racist and only arrest AAs, but those are some huge disparities.

You have to consider these data in the context of SES. Upper middle class, educated black families are not committing burglaries, murders, rapes, etc. If you move to an upper middle class neighborhood with good schools, and some black and Latino families happen to live there, none of this would apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I know that it is not politically correct to acknowledge facts when they don't fit the PC narrative, but you'd better believe that people consider them when they choose where to live. African Americans are 12.2% of the U.S. population, yet according to the FBI they constitute 56% of the arrests for burglary, 52% for murder, 30% for burglary, 31% for rape, etc. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-43 I'm sure you explain this by saying that police are racist and only arrest AAs, but those are some huge disparities.

You have to consider these data in the context of SES. Upper middle class, educated black families are not committing burglaries, murders, rapes, etc. If you move to an upper middle class neighborhood with good schools, and some black and Latino families happen to live there, none of this would apply.

Agreed. But if you are considering buying in Brookland DC or H Street, the neighboring areas are not full of upper middle class folks. If the debate is north Arlington vs. Nuck, they yes you're probably right that Nauck isn't too much more dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

NP. Not sure why you're so upset about Oregon. Someone posited that the "historical reason" there are so few blacks there is that the state wasn't an industrial center. But Los Angeles and SF certainly were industrial centers as were Seattle and Portland and all these cities received a great many blacks during the Great Migration. http://guides.lib.uni.edu/content.php?pid=322696&sid=2836317

So yeah, misinformation all around.

However, northern cities were far more violent toward black people when it came to real estate. Mob attacks and bombings were common in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and smaller places in between, though they don't teach much about that in schools. Weakness or pure f*cking evil?

None of those were industrial centers on the scale of Chicago or Detroit or Cleveland at the time of the great migration. Plus they were more distant. They did receive some black in migration then (at least the Calif cities did) but smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, whatever the historical, social, and economic reasons for California's dwindling African American population, it makes it a very unhealthy place to raise children who have a realistic perspective of true diversity in this country.

In California you encounter more poverty, more social, economic, educational, professional, ethnic, and religious diversity, more Latin American diversity, more Asian American diversity, and more new immigrant diversity, yes, undoubtedly, but at a loss of the State's African American diversity.

I once read a comment to an article on this issue, posted by a self-identified African American, who said that California today was like a conglomeration sketch of every possible type of diversity, to which someone had taken an eraser to the African Americans in the picture.

I've lived in CA for over 40 yrs - both north and south - LA, OC, Bay Area. When I was younger, in LA, the majority of the kids in my HS were black. Today, if I look at the makeup of that HS, it is majority Hispanic. I don't know where blacks are moving to, but the hispanic population is taking over in that LA area.

In the Bay Area, PP had it right about how blacks don't have the wealth in that area. There are hardly any blacks in the high tech industry, and housing in the Bay Area is really expensive. For the most part, they are highly concentrated in the Oakland area and Hunter's Point in SF, or way further out in Vallejo or something.

A lot of black people have flocked to areas that have a better reputation for having more upwardly mobile black people. This is why Atlanta is known as the black mecca. There were tons of black people from everywhere flocking to Atlanta for over a decade. The same with Houston. I have quite a few family members in California and a number of their children have left California and moved to areas that are perceived to be better and more welcoming for blacks.

Born and raised in California. Every Black person/family I know who moved to Atlanta, some Texas town, etc have all come back or desperately want to come back within a few years. Apparently the culture, weather, and earning potential, among other issues are oppressive. For me, DMV is as far south as I can stand.

Of course, once they leave, it's very hard to get reestablished back in California, so they either move to one of the less desirable areas (Riverside, San Bernardino) or they just never come back and regret it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why whites are "racist" if they want to live among other whites. Given the fact that demographics other than whites or Asians are far more likely to commit violent crime and property crime, it seems reasonable. Even the most shrill liberal won't endanger their children by moving to an ethnic neighborhood.

Is it the same sicko spouting the same garbage who is commenting in any and all threads that have even the hint of racial politics in them?
Your speel is ignorant, tired and not factual.

I know that it is not politically correct to acknowledge facts when they don't fit the PC narrative, but you'd better believe that people consider them when they choose where to live. African Americans are 12.2% of the U.S. population, yet according to the FBI they constitute 56% of the arrests for burglary, 52% for murder, 30% for burglary, 31% for rape, etc. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-43 I'm sure you explain this by saying that police are racist and only arrest AAs, but those are some huge disparities.

You have to consider these data in the context of SES. Upper middle class, educated black families are not committing burglaries, murders, rapes, etc. If you move to an upper middle class neighborhood with good schools, and some black and Latino families happen to live there, none of this would apply.

Agreed. But if you are considering buying in Brookland DC or H Street, the neighboring areas are not full of upper middle class folks. If the debate is north Arlington vs. Nuck, they yes you're probably right that Nauck isn't too much more dangerous.

Well then why have so many white people chosen to live in places like Capitol Hill and NoMa? Crime is still a problem in these areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, whatever the historical, social, and economic reasons for California's dwindling African American population, it makes it a very unhealthy place to raise children who have a realistic perspective of true diversity in this country.

In California you encounter more poverty, more social, economic, educational, professional, ethnic, and religious diversity, more Latin American diversity, more Asian American diversity, and more new immigrant diversity, yes, undoubtedly, but at a loss of the State's African American diversity.

I once read a comment to an article on this issue, posted by a self-identified African American, who said that California today was like a conglomeration sketch of every possible type of diversity, to which someone had taken an eraser to the African Americans in the picture.

I've lived in CA for over 40 yrs - both north and south - LA, OC, Bay Area. When I was younger, in LA, the majority of the kids in my HS were black. Today, if I look at the makeup of that HS, it is majority Hispanic. I don't know where blacks are moving to, but the hispanic population is taking over in that LA area.

In the Bay Area, PP had it right about how blacks don't have the wealth in that area. There are hardly any blacks in the high tech industry, and housing in the Bay Area is really expensive. For the most part, they are highly concentrated in the Oakland area and Hunter's Point in SF, or way further out in Vallejo or something.

A lot of black people have flocked to areas that have a better reputation for having more upwardly mobile black people. This is why Atlanta is known as the black mecca. There were tons of black people from everywhere flocking to Atlanta for over a decade. The same with Houston. I have quite a few family members in California and a number of their children have left California and moved to areas that are perceived to be better and more welcoming for blacks.

Born and raised in California. Every Black person/family I know who moved to Atlanta, some Texas town, etc have all come back or desperately want to come back within a few years. Apparently the culture, weather, and earning potential, among other issues are oppressive. For me, DMV is as far south as I can stand.

Of course, once they leave, it's very hard to get reestablished back in California, so they either move to one of the less desirable areas (Riverside, San Bernardino) or they just never come back and regret it.

Some might but that hasn't stopped others from coming. The majority of people in the Atlanta area aren't even from the south. Tons of people are flocking there from everywhere. The cost of living is a major draw. If you can find a job there you can live very well.