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

[Anonymous]

DC is so pricey, that we based our purchase mostly on what we could afford, then school district. Anything else didn't really get to be a priority or a concern.

[Anonymous]

Of course people take race into account. Why else would the suburbs east of DC be predominately black while the suburbs to the west are predominately white/asian/hispanic?

This map illustrates the divide particularly well. http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/

[Anonymous]

When we looked at neighborhood we didn't specifically look for race, but we did look for religion (we are white and Jewish). As another poster mentioned we preferred MD to VA for this reason. And we wanted to be relatively near a synagogue. We did look at one neighborhood where we felt a bit uncomfortable because it was about 80% black and we felt like people might resent us or think we were "gentrifying." We would have no problem with black neighbors or living in a majority black neighborhood except that we did not want to be the outsiders. As Jews we are accustomed to being outsiders already and just did not want a double strike. I still think about that neighborhood sometimes. It was lovely and the people seemed nice, and we would've gotten a lot more house for our money.

[Anonymous]

Most people look at school ratings which in most cases corelate to racial makeup of the neighborhood. If your school gets worse your property value will follow.

[Anonymous]

If you are really in one of the more affluent parts of MoCo (potomac maybe?) then no one is going to assume that's going downhill anytime soon. I think this is more like, something people might consider when moving into a neighborhood in dc or pg county. IE, there are certain neighborhoods that people might feel the need to 'scope out' more to see if they'd feel comfortable walking around or whatever. No one drives through one of the mcmansion neighborhoods in potomac and thinks 'man i hope there aren't a lot of black people here.'

Unrelated to your question, it sounds like your neighbors are horrible and racist.

[Anonymous]

Where is this neighborhood where it's apparently 1968? Jesus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is this neighborhood where it's apparently 1968? Jesus.

Eh, immigrant Asians are pretty racist about this stuff. I had a friend who wanted to buy a condo in Shaw, his older Chinese immigrant parents were gifting him the $100K downpayment (he's an only child, a total Chinese "princeling"). Parents refused to give him the money unless he bought in Dupont or Georgetown, citing that they thought "those people" in Shaw would bring down property values.

His parents are stupid rich, live in a gorgeous part of Southern California.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am white and I do consider race when deciding on where to live. But, I think I am the opposite of what your neighbors fear. I am much more likely to buy a home in a neighborhood with a diverse racial makeup than one without. I prefer my surroundings to reflect my values to the extent that I can control. And to be frank, your neighbors sound like assholes.

Ditto this. We are white and on are we looked in was almost 90% white. Here, in DC metro. I didn't want my child growing up in an area like that because I assume she would encounter racist assholes like the OPs neighbors. We specifically looked for more diverse racially neighborhoods (by look and feel) as that was our comfort level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG your neighbors are racists, fabulous.

I read OPs post and thought it must be a joke. People still talk about 'the blacks' lowering their property values? Is this 1950?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG your neighbors are racists, fabulous.

I read OPs post and thought it must be a joke. People still talk about 'the blacks' lowering their property values? Is this 1950?

OP here

This is certainly not a joke. I really have a hard to comprehending the thought process though (hence the question)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG your neighbors are racists, fabulous.

I read OPs post and thought it must be a joke. People still talk about 'the blacks' lowering their property values? Is this 1950?

OP here

This is certainly not a joke. I really have a hard to comprehending the thought process though (hence the question)

op, you said you were Canadian? this is classic American 21st century racism. Very few white Americans think THEY are ever the problem--it's everyone else who's racist and would make decisions based on race. This is a pretty common cognitive bias (the fundamental attribution error, google it). This amazing recent article may also help you understand the American white perspective: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-metta/i-racist_b_7770652.html

I think one appropriate response would have been to say just what you said in your OP: "I'm surprised to hear you say that. It sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy." Saying nothing indicates your agreement, while calling their POV racist results in defensiveness and them not trusting you with such confidences.

[Anonymous]

No, OP, white people in this area do not explicitly consider race hen choosing a neighborhood BUT if you spend a short time on the schools or real estate forums you will see people who are looking only in areas with "good schools," which nearly always correlate to high scoring, white and Asian neighborhoods. There is a tremendous academic achievement gap in this area between whites/Asians and everyone else. When people choose neighborhoods based on test-based school performance, they reinforce the racial divide whether they know it or not.

[Anonymous]

I look and make sure there aren't Hispanics in the area. I am against catering to illegal aliens. I look at the school zone, ESOL and FARMS. I also don't like high Jewish populations because they are very inclusive, self-centered and snobby. So living in MoCo, it is very hard to not find one or the other. Otherwise Asians, Europeans, African Americans, Indians etc.... love the diversity.

[Anonymous]

AA here. Too many conflate race with class. The DMV boasts one of the largest intellectual and professional concentrations in the country - all hues are stripes. Certain neighborhoods are the way they are because of wealth or the lack thereof. I suspect most people want to live in a cultural rich environment if and when possible, so it is unlikely that the "black professional" couple moving next door is going to bring down your property value.

An influx of people from a different "class" could lower property values regardless of their "race." I live in PG (Upper Marlboro), and my neighborhood is class and people diverse. We have horse riding and Golden Corral - what more could you ask for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The truth is that racist government-sanctioned housing policies for a long time DID mean that an influx of non-Whites would tank home prices in affluent areas.

If you want to understand the impact of housing policies on race and race relations in this country, I would strongly recommend that you read this article: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/05/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

I am a conservative (generally) Republican, and I thank you for posting this. I have started reading it and find it very interesting. I look forward to finishing it later tonight.