Race Relations in Detroit Suburbs (Troy, Rochester Hills: college, places to live, wealthy)

[odieluck]

I'm a mixed race college student, and I was raised in Denver and later in North Texas. Both these places are diverse and integrated, and I had positive experiences there. I was almost raised in Oakland County (we were thinking about Rochester Hills) when my dad (a black man) got a job offer there when I was little. This makes me wonder how we might have been received as a family in this area. I know Detroit has had troubled race relations in the past, but what has it been like over the last 15 years specifically? My parents are from Memphis and we view that as the worst example of bad race relations, so how does it compare to a place like that?

[Coldjensens]

It all depends on your experiences and who you encounter. You could grow up in Rochester Hills believing racism is not an issue at all, or you could come away thinking it is Alabama in the 1950s. There are racists, even extreme racists pretty much everywhere in every population. If you encounter them, you will generalize that the entire place is extremely racist. If you never encounter any of them, you will think it is not racist at all. Some suburbs have a reputation for a history of racism but in most cases it is Bullpucky. For example the town of Howell has been decried as a racist haven because in the 1980s a flamboyant KKK leader had a farm in Choctaw - a township near Howell. The guy has been dead for 20 years or more and Howell itself is not and never was particularly racist, but the water cooler widsom had dammed Howell for all eterinty. It will likely never shake that reputation, despite the fact that it is all abused on the presence of one farm in a neighboring town that housed a racist at some time int he past. .

However Rochester Hills never suffered from any such reputation. It has a well educated and wealthy population. While there are undoubtedly some racists there as there ae everywhere,there is no reason to generalize about the area one way or the other. You can find someone who encountered the wrong groups of people there and has decided to lable the whole place racist base on their anecdotal experience, just as you will find soem people who will assert it has zero racism. The fact is, it is a place. LIke every place, it has some racists and it has some anti-racists and some people in the middle.

[UrbanQuest]

Only been once and it seemed about average in that regard. You could feel the tension though.

[mgkeith]

Originally Posted by UrbanQuest

Only been once and it seemed about average in that regard. You could feel the tension though.

What suburb were you in at that time?

[exit18b]

Rochester Hills is high on the "list" of places to live for middle to upper middle class black families. Especially when relocated to the area for auto related jobs. I know a few and they have not had any problems.

[Rudy saleh]

Originally Posted by odieluck

I'm a mixed race college student, and I was raised in Denver and later in North Texas. Both these places are diverse and integrated, and I had positive experiences there. I was almost raised in Oakland County (we were thinking about Rochester Hills) when my dad (a black man) got a job offer there when I was little. This makes me wonder how we might have been received as a family in this area. I know Detroit has had troubled race relations in the past, but what has it been like over the last 15 years specifically? My parents are from Memphis and we view that as the worst example of bad race relations, so how does it compare to a place like that?

Are you kidding, you'll be fine. In terms of area, I rather live in Troy or birmingham, or even royal oak. I think you and your family will like it more.