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

[Anonymous]

The reason I am asking is because I'm trying to understand who folks around here (DMV) think.

Recently an affluent black couple purchased a pretty expensive home on our block (I think the most expensive) in MoCo. The racial make-up of my small neighborhood is about 60/30/10 white/asian/black+other. Recently, more blacks have moved into the area. In recent discussions with my neighbors, they have shared concerns that, with so many homes for sale in the area, more blacks may be moving in, and the value of our property would start to tank. Their logic wasn't that they think blacks would not keep up with the home or be good neighbors. It was the perception that other more affluent white or asian families who would buy in the area might be turned off by seeing a black couple. Hence, demand would drop since whites and asians in this area generall have more buying power. They then cited examples from PG county and East MoCo, which have affluent blacks in their neighborhood but have lower housing values and lower performing public schools.

To me this line of thinking is almost like a self fulfilling prophesy. Is this truly a concern for you when you are looking to purchase a home/or rent? I'm not asking to judge, but moreso to understand where these beliefs derive.

[Anonymous]

I looked for an equally diverse community. I would not care that an affluent what ever race moved in. What a strange question.

[Anonymous]

I looked in an hour that my family's diversity wouldn't be looked at as strange. Interracial couple and kids.

[Anonymous]

I do not. It never even occurred to me. I've only visited homes I've boughy 2 to 3 times, and I never really ever saw anyone around.

[Anonymous]

"Hour" should be "area"

[Anonymous]

I'm white and didn't look at race or diversity when buying a house. I'm in FFX county and I think my neighborhood is about 60/35/5 on white, asian and black. I'm living here to be close to work and because I like the homes.

I wish more blacks would move here to VA. I don't think it's racism that keeps them away though, I think they choose to live near friends and family. (Same reasoning for why MD has more Jewish people than VA)

[Anonymous]

It's called "white flight," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight

It's not a new thing.

[Anonymous]

OMG your neighbors are racists, fabulous.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's called "white flight," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight

It's not a new thing.

OP here

I'm Canadian and am not familiar with this term. Thanks for the link. This does help partially explain why, for an area that is so diverse (DMV), it seems very segregated from a housing standpoint. The eastern and western parts of MoCo seem like two separate places. I also found this to be ture when we lived in NW DC. I have been told that this wasn't always the case.

[Anonymous]

As a white person, I didn't want to live in an overwhelmingly middle and upper income white neighborhood so race and class were an issue. Any time I live in a neighborhood like that, I find myself slowly becoming more fearful of poor and working class people and of African-Americans. When I live in a more mixed neighborhood, it's easier to see people for who they are, not their demographic category. I wanted my kid to grow up in a neighborhood like that, not in a small wealthy white town like I did.

However, the dynamic you describe is pretty typical and it's one reason that African American families have not been able to build up the same amount of wealth as white families. People don't realize that US government policies which rewarded white suburban flight and penalized inner city black neighborhoods have done a lot to shape residential segregation today. That is enhanced by white fears of living in a neighborhood with too many blacks. A good resource on this is American Apartheid by Massey and Denton -- although I'm sure you can find something more recent. It's a bit dated.

[Anonymous]

I read years ago that the tipping point is 8%, that is, under 8% of residents are black and this sense isn't triggered, but over that level and it starts.

[Anonymous]

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/

[Anonymous]

I wanted a neighborhood with some ethnic diversity, so in so far as that's a racial consideration, yes, I considered race. I did not discount neighborhoods due to their racial composition, though, and race was not anywhere near close to the top of my list of things to consider. Proximity to downtown, amenities available in the neighborhood, and the general vibe were things that I cared about. I checked out the neighborhood school and it seemed okay to me. That it is majority children of color and I have a blonde haired blue eyed daughter did not make me think differently.

[Anonymous]

I looked for an area that was somewhat racially diverse when we were looking to buy a house. However, we are a multi-racial family.