If you are white: Would you live in a majority black neighborhood?

[ringmastery]

[Amerpie]

1. Yep

Already do

[skooooo]

2. sure, why not?

[ringmastery]

4. because many majority black neighborhoods are poor and in high

crime ridden areas.

[skooooo]

9. some are, some aren't...

The question didn't say anything about crime levels...you brought that into the equation.

[ACK]

34. Big generalization man

Some of the close suburbs in Atlanta are both majority black and very, very middle to upper middle class.

White folks are now moving back into these areas to avoid long commutes and many of the middle to lower middle class black folks are having to move further out because of the increase in property costs.

Things are getting awfully interesting in places where it use to be very easy to generalize about white flight and black concentration in urban areas.

+

[bicentennial_baby]

3. Yep

It's all good with me!

[liberalhistorian]

5. Absolutely!

eom

[kodi]

6. i do

and i have before.

was your point that a white person would have to be afraid because he was white, or that since black communities have higher crime rate statistics, safety would be a mitigating circumstance for deciding to live there or not?

[ringmastery]

10. yeah both of your points

I think most white people would feel uncomfortable living away from their kind, as lots of other groups would...

Ethnic groups tend to cluster and segregate themselves. It happens with hispanics, asians, etc.

But also the high crime would surely factor in.

[kodi]

16. "most white people would feel uncomfortable living away from their kind,"?

gee, i am a member of the human race first.

skin color doesn't bother me, but people with big noses, those are the ones to be careful of. i dont trust people with big noses. they're all alike. shiftless, lazy, and just wanting handouts while they smoke their crack and have welfare babies.

[EstimatedProphet]

7. I do

I'm renting, but I do.

[southerngirlwriter]

I have, and I didn't like it.

I experienced a great deal of harassment and was the victim of several crimes. I think that's because it was a majority-poor neighborhood, not because it's a majority-black neighborhood, but both designations were true of the area.

On edit: The harassment was mostly based on race and sex. "Fat white bitch" and "the cunt downstairs" is what I was called for months after I called the police on a neighbor who was beating his child.

[Catholic Sensation]

8. yes

[mzmolly]

11. I have.

:)

[carols]

12. I do - we love it!

People actually go outside and hang with the neighbors, have barbeques, talk over the fence, help each other - whether it is giving someone a ride to work, raking leaves in the back yard, walking the kids to school...whatever. The only time we have any serious crime here is when some kids come down from another neighborhood. We all know each other too well to give each other any grief. I'm not sure I could live in a white community and feel comfortable anymore - particularly the gated ones...ick-pleh. I'd rather be pecked to death by ducks than have some idiot tell me what to plant in my yard and what color I have to paint my house.
Carol

[seventhson]

13. I used to in Washington DC

loved it

[drumwolf]

14. I'm Asian, not white. But I have lived in a heavily black area....

SF's Western Addition in 1993-94.

Whites (and Asians) are more likely to be comfortable in inner-city, majority-black-and/or-Latino neighborhoods if they're young, single and renting, and they're much less likely to stick around if they're married with kids.

[Delano]

46. Western Addition is prettty multi-culti

I assumed they meant something more like inner-city Oakland...

[drumwolf]

51. SF's Western Addition...

...has become multicultural lately thanks to recent gentrification. It wasn't that way so much a decade ago.

Same with Hayes Valley, where I lived when I first moved BACK to San Francisco in 1999. (I went back to NYC in between that time.) It's been progressively turning into a very posh neighborhood, but a decade ago it was even more predominantly African-American and inner-city, comparable to Hunter's Point or the Fillmore.

That's EXACTLY how gentrification works. The first wave of "gentrifiers" are the young white (or just anyone of any race who comes from middle-class backgrounds) people who are artists, writers, musicians, or just slackers, who are willing to live among working-class inner-city blacks and Latinos. Then they're followed by relatively more "mainstream"/"establishment" folks less intimidated by "those people" as they see that more of "their own kind" are moving into the area.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. I lived in a 50/50 neighborhood one year in graduate school

It was fine.

The socioeconomic level of the residents is more important than their race.

[cally]

17. Yes

I have several times in the past. Never had a problem.

[mouse7]

18. I have - several times.

I've lived in several minority so-called "high-crime" areas. Never had a problem.

Where'd I get attacked and put on disablity? Del Mar, CA... surrounded by multi-million dollar homes.

[MrSlayer]

19. It depends.

If it were middle class working families I'd have no problem. If it was a ghetto, no fucking way.

[TreasonousBastard]

20. My neighborhood is about...

70% Hispanic, 20% black, and then there's us.

As others have said, it's socioeconomic, not race. My neighbors are the best. All of them. Well, OK, almost all of them, but the percentage of assholes is no worse than any other neighborhood I've lived in, and a lot better than some of them.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

21. No, probably not.

Unless there was some compelling reasoon to, I wouldnt live in a majority black neighborhood, no.

[proud patriot]

22. Yes

I have and would again .

[dae]

23. I already do, no problems.

[LWolf]

24. Sure.

I live in a working poor neighborhood; a little 800 square foot house built in the '50s, with a one car garage and an alley in the back. Caucasions are the minority here, with black & hispanic about equally represented, as far as I can tell.

[fudge stripe cookays]

25. It depends where.

I'd love to live in a certain part of Oak Cliff.

It's mostly black, but with a big helping of Latinos. An influx of gays lately has really added a lot to the neighborhood around Bishop Arts; neat little shops and restaurants.

The houses around there are adorable little 20s and 30s bungalows, and they go for much less than the ones in Lakewood or Highland Park. More people are moving there and renovating, and the neighborhood associations are really strong. Plus, there's a strong Democrat streak, and a Unitarian church I'd like to check out.

Sure there's some crime, but I think the area is really enjoying a renaissance. I wish I worked further south; we could have bought there. As it is, the commute would be too much.

[tishaLA]

26. I did in Philadelphia

and it was fine.

Here in LA, my neighborhood is majority Latino.

I don't see the big deal. Nor do I understand why someone would ask.

[ForrestGump]

27. Lived in a majority-black country

Didn't like it but, to be honest, most of my troubles came courtesy of the local whitepersons. Kind of the opposite of many DUers' experiences in that, although not a nice 'hood because of the socioeconomic situation, in this case the motif was not poverty but wealth. I've got some theories as to why, but I'm still somewhat puzzled why so many people of above-average fiscal resources are utter and complete pond scum.

Also stayed an extended period of time in a place (also outside the US) where almost the entire populace was of African heritage -- loved it there, and their fairly extreme poverty (income-wise) didn't seem to hold them back, maybe partly because they to a great extent lived off the land. Ditto with other places where I've stayed for extended periods. I'm pretty used to being a racial minority, a status that can be kind of weird at first.

[ForrestGump]

28. P.S.....yes...

I would definitely live in a majority-black neighborhood. I wouldn't seek it out to prove how enlightened and PC I was and, as is true for anyone with any sense, would do my best to avoid an inordinately-high-crime area of any kind, but I wouldn't even elevate my pulse at the thought of moving into an area where I was a racial minority. The larger question for someone like me is whether I even want to live near people. Forget skin color, it's Homo sapiens that I'd rather avoid living near.

[Samurai_Writer]

29. I already do!

I live in an apartment complex that is a mix of black, hispanic, and white, with black being most prevalent. I'm white, and have always enjoyed living in racially-mixed neighborhoods. Oh, and I happen to usually wind up dating blacks, mostly. But that's a whole other story. ;)

[NightTrain]

30. Absolutely!

I judge people by who they are, not by their ethnicity.

[SarahB]

31. I do need diversity in my life

I grew up in medium sized city with plenty of diversity. The main reason I have some liking for the town I live in (although it does get to me, but anyone's race is no bearing on it) is that it's one of the few towns around here that has a little diversity with a reasonably ok school system. Very middle class, bland, but my neighborhood does have more diversity than some of the other towns in my area. My daughter goes to a magnet school in an urban environment that's even more diverse and I'm pleased she's meeting even more people than before. I'm taking classes at a city college and I'm in a definite minority, but they had what I wanted as far as curriculum.
Anyway, I don't know if I'd seek out being in a majority black neighborhood any more than I'd seek out a majority white neighborhood, but if circumstances lead me to one and I liked it, it wouldn't be a factor for me personally. What gets me is how much racism is still in existence with Caucasian folks. And how they assume because I'm WASPy looking, I'd somehow share their narrow minded viewpoints. That bothers me more than anything.

[laruemtt]

32. already do, and

i'm married to a beautiful roan-colored jamaican! even before him, i lived in a mixed neighborhood north of chicago. what's the biggie?

[MsSnood]

33. If it were a nice neighborhood, yes. That would be fine with me.

[ACK]

35. Use to rent in majority black area

Almost bought a townhouse in Inman park and looked at houses in Grant park. All in Atlanta.

[mmonk]

36. Let's see...

my neighborhood is quite diverse in my part of Raleigh. It is racially mixed with several different nationalities. I haven't given it too much thought.

[Pinko Commie]

37. I lived in an area that was majority black/hispanic, and was glad I moved

out.

Had mothing to do with the racial mix, though. I moved out about 6 months before the sniper shootings started, so that should tell you where.

It's very strange to have sat on the bench in front of that post office, bought gas at that gas station, and shopped at that supermarket.

[Van Helsing]

38. To be totally honest...

probably not. I wouldn't feel comfortable there.

[Champ]

55. Why would you not feel comfortable?

[Beaker]

39. plantation owners did.

there were usually more blacks than whites living on the plantation...
but the whites lived in the big house, and had the guns.

[Beaker]

40. i'm white, and i wouldn't live in a majority polish neighborhood...

i had some friends who used to live over by 47th and archer, and when i'd go to visit, the blue-hairs would have a heart attack if you so much as stepped on the grass in the parkway(between the sidewalk and the curb). the houses were all ticky-tack bungalows, with immaculate lawns...and no soul.

[LDS Jock]

41. Sure, why not? I live in a majority hispanic place right now

According to the US Census site, my zip code is 51.6% hispanic.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=78741&_lang=en&_sse=on

I'm more concerned with other things about the place than the race of those living by me. If its a nice place to live, who cares about the rest?

[Barbara Ann]

42. Why not?

I wouldn't want to live in a ghetto, but if it's a middle class neighborhood, where I'd like to live, I don't care what color my neighbors are.

[Beaker]

43. only if it was on the verge of gentrification.

i'm a homeowner, and i have to consider our investment, which is pretty much our life savings, with a roof on it.
our current home has tripled in value in the 8 years since we bought it- i know that it's not somethng we can count on with the next place, but i sure wouldn't move someplace where things were stagnant or worse- going down.

[Dees]

54. Thinking back on

the upscale communities I've owned homes in I can safely say...Trash comes in all colors.

[huellewig]

44. I did.

I lived at Killingsworth and Albina in North Portland for two years of school. People sold crack outside my house. But, I only had one problem (got beat up really bad) and that was due to a friend being stupid. I actually get more shit now living on campus with drunk fratboys running around. I would take the old neighborhood over the new one in a second.

[Delano]

45. Probably not.

Even if it were a safer neighborhood, I prefer my children grow up with the dominant culture being the same as their parents' (white and Japanese). I see white kids aping black culture, wearing stupid slogans like "G-Money" or "Thug 4 Life" and it just seems so incredibly pathetic. And if I were black, I'd be annoyed if my kids behaved that way too. Kids(or whatever race) who excel in school in black neighborhoods are often ostracized and bullied, and there's a huge pressure to not excel and fall in with the rougher crowd. Even if that crowd are not criminals or gang members, I expect better of my kids than to be riding around in boom cars at all hours of the night.

Call me whatever names you want, my kids' futures are WAAAAY more important to me than somebody's PC-utopian ideals.

PS - I would feel creepy to live in a too-white area too. Where I live now, it's about 60% Chinese, 25% White, and 15% everything else.

P.P.S. - I have a MAJOR problem with boom cars and booming noisy parties at all hours, so I would avoid any neighborhood where they are common, and that rules out most black and hispanic neighborhoods. I grew up in a very quiet part of the country, and that racket drives me nuts.

[Piperay]

47. No, I did in the past

and I found it very stressful. I felt that I should be kind of a good will ambassador for my race and so I was always on my best behavior. If I had been in an all white area I wouldn't have had to be so polite and so quiet all the time. :evilgrin:

[SmileyBoy]

48. Sure.

As long as my house is nice, I'd have no problem.

[SoCalDem]

49. Whites are a minority in our neighborhood already

We have a UN style neighborhood.. Asian,African-American,Whites,Caribbean,Mexican,Ecuadorean,Guatemalan,and there is a handicapped adult facility on the corner..

Couldn't get more mixed than our neighborhood :)

[Doomsayer13]

50. yes

if it was a nice neighborhood, I could care less about the color of who lives there

[RunOfTheMillDemocrat]

52. I would live in any middle class neighborhood, regardless of

what color my neighbors are.

[Champ]

53. I live in an ethnically deserve area

The whole overall city is mostly white mormons but the area I live in has mostly hispanics, whites, blacks, natives. To answer your question maybe, it depends. I'll live anywhere that has ok housing or apartments, basketball courts or a park nearby, corner stores and other food and department stores in the area. Other then that I don't care if the people are black, yellow, purple, whatever.

[Ellen Forradalom]

56. I already do

Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois.