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See this is where we run into the problem: there is literally no way to measure this. Its all based on observation and people live different lives.
It seems like literally everywhere I go in Houston, there are tons of people of different ethnicities or races hanging with each other. I live in Southwest Houston so that might color things, but I see the same thing in areas like Midtown or Post Oak. But like every other cities, it probably depends where.
In LA for example, the area around Long Beach is SUPER socially integrated. Long Beach is probably the most socially integrated city in the US. The areas north of the 105 are not at all. West LA is anything but socially integrated.
Sure. But. OP asked a question. And I gave my answer. And my experience and perspective as you’re giving yours. No place will be integrated to the last decimal especially in USA. But of my experiences and the people I know and their circles, I honestly have to agree with LA.
I already said what I had to say about Midtown above. Post Oak I agree, but to be fair it’s both the premier shopping district of the city as well as the headquarters for many international companies so this is sort of expected there.
And don’t get me wrong, LA is not the picture that Disney channel shows portray it as. But regardless of the places I can think of based on what I’ve seen and the people I know from these places, LA seems to be the answer.
I went out to eat with a group of people in Tyler, TX and we were very, very diverse - this was just this past weekend. Different ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religions, back grounds, you name it. It was tons of fun. Some people brought their spouses but most didn't. The spouses though were also from different backgrounds and ethnicities.
Diversity is everywhere around here - you just need to look for it and embrace it.
Vegas doesn't really seem like its super socially integrated actually. Despite being residentially integrated. ive been there enough to see there a white-dominated political world and a distinct white sort of moderate conservative type vibe. tourist areas are very integrated though. For sure.
Ironically, Las Vegas used to be quite segregated, with black people pretty much relegated to the West Side of the city. https://travelnoire.com/black-las-vegas
See this is where we run into the problem: there is literally no way to measure this. Its all based on observation and people live different lives.
It seems like literally everywhere I go in Houston, there are tons of people of different ethnicities or races hanging with each other. I live in Southwest Houston so that might color things, but I see the same thing in areas like Midtown or Post Oak. But like every other cities, it probably depends where.
In LA for example, the area around Long Beach is SUPER socially integrated. Long Beach is probably the most socially integrated city in the US. The areas north of the 105 are not at all. West LA is anything but socially integrated.
I respect that someone can live in the same city and have different experiences. That's why I posed this question. Would you mind elaborating on where in southwest Houston you're seeing a lot of cross racial fraternalization? I know the areas on Richmond and Westheimer west of Fondren pretty well, and there were few white and Asians to be found at the clubs. I guess everyone goes to Tropicana but mostly with their own kind. The areas close to Bissonet I tend to stay away after certain hours so can't say. Unless you're talking AMEs and Hispanics I really didn't notice much cross racial socializing.
I went out to eat with a group of people in Tyler, TX and we were very, very diverse - this was just this past weekend. Different ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religions, back grounds, you name it. It was tons of fun. Some people brought their spouses but most didn't. The spouses though were also from different backgrounds and ethnicities.
Diversity is everywhere around here - you just need to look for it and embrace it.
I'm sure there's diversity everywhere, but in certain places you don't have to look that hard to see it.
I respect that someone can live in the same city and have different experiences. That's why I posed this question. Would you mind elaborating on where in southwest Houston you're seeing a lot of cross racial fraternalization? I know the areas on Richmond and Westheimer west of Fondren pretty well, and there were few white and Asians to be found at the clubs. I guess everyone goes to Tropicana but mostly with their own kind. The areas close to Bissonet I tend to stay away after certain hours so can't say. Unless you're talking AMEs and Hispanics I really didn't notice much cross racial socializing.
Southwest Houston is one of the most international corridors in all of USA. Problem is that it’s not necessarily tied together. Indians in Hillcroft, Chinese in Chinatown, Vietnamese West of the belt. I realize many of these population don’t live there and instead work/visit but the thread is about social integration so point remains. By the time you get to Sugar Land it seems to start tying together though. Alief is also fairly socially integrated.
My opinion, Post Oak and Texas Medical Center are the most socially integrated portion in Houston. Their industries probably have a lot to do with it.
Post Oak: shopping + international companies
TMC: Healthcare + higher education + biotech
Usually these industries result in diversity and integration.
I respect that someone can live in the same city and have different experiences. That's why I posed this question. Would you mind elaborating on where in southwest Houston you're seeing a lot of cross racial fraternalization? I know the areas on Richmond and Westheimer west of Fondren pretty well, and there were few white and Asians to be found at the clubs. I guess everyone goes to Tropicana but mostly with their own kind. The areas close to Bissonet I tend to stay away after certain hours so can't say. Unless you're talking AMEs and Hispanics I really didn't notice much cross racial socializing.
Like PS said, Southwest Houston is one of the most international corridors in the US. But my experiences with being socially integrated are more in areas like Westchase, montrose, Greenway Plaza, Post Oak, Westheimer west of 610, and Meyerland/Westbury/Willowbend. You go to restaurants or bars in that area and you see lots of mixing across all groups. Other areas less so.
Even with LA being tossed around as the answer to this question, I say yes and no. The true answer, IMO, is Long Beach. Basically the LA area South of the 105 and north of the Orange County line. Long Beach, Lakewood, Carson, Bellflower, etc. That is the true answer to this question. But LA north of the 105? Absolutely not. That area isn’t integrated at all.
I agree. And this is pretty much the only website you see people throw Houston as some integrated wonderland. You may hear diversity chants but outside of here, I never really hear integration change. If you look at a zip code map, you may see ethnicities live fairly close to eachother but there’s a lot more to the story than just that and there’s boundaries beyond just zip code borders. It’s not like Chicago where the black population is extremely skewed south and the white north and such. Or Detroit and so forth. But I mean considering how segregated those two are, that’s not saying much.
Plenty of segregation especially socially. Even in the places you mention, the social groups tend to stick to each other. Midtown, in northern Bagby street, you see a hotspot of black bars/clubs. To the south, it’s mostly white + Hispanic. Washington Ave as you point out is very white. There’s pockets of integration in some suburbs and such but as a whole I don’t see it.
As I and others have mentioned, LA and Cali as a whole the best answer I can think of. Maybe Las Vegas? and that one is for the soul reason of being a tourist gathering center, so I’d say LA’s is much more impressive.
The LA I went to seemed less socially integrated than Houston. And I'm not just speaking from a Black perspective but from a social and ethnically based perspective. From my personal experiences Inner loop Houston is segregated more on a residential level but socially it's very integrated. I can literally go to bars, restaurants and lounges in Midtown/ Montrose/ Eado/ Heights/ Rice Village and see a little bit of everybody mixing and mingling. Even the Heights where crowds are predominately white have different ethnic groups that don't stick out. Also I was just on Washington ave. 2 weekends ago. and imo it's a lot more diverse than when I use to hit it up in my clubbing days back in like 09-11. Back when they were notorious for turning Black guys away at doors.
LA culturally and socially seemed similar to Houston in some ways but I do agree with Above when he says Long Beach feels A LOT more socially and culturally integrated than LA. I also felt Houston vibes wise felt more like Long Beach and that's because of the social and cultural interaction. Because unlike Houston LA does have neighborhoods that are very segregated and territorial to the point of violence. Like you don't have to be in a gang to encounter violence just based off ethnicity once you go deeper into some of the lower income/working class neighborhoods in LA. Which I notice tends to lend to some hesitation in certain spaces when dealing with other ethnic groups.
Again I'm not implying Houston is a integrated paradise but it's common to interact with other ethnic groups from different backgrounds. From my personal experience. I don't get that on that level. Didn't get it in San Francisco/ Chicago/ Miami/ Dallas/ Austin/ St. Louis/ Atlanta. I think that's one positive I can give Houston. And I'm very hard on Houston but this is one area I give credit to.
LA culturally and socially seemed similar to Houston in some ways but I do agree with Above when he says Long Beach feels A LOT more socially and culturally integrated than LA. I also felt Houston vibes wise felt more like Long Beach and that's because of the social and cultural interaction. Because unlike Houston LA does have neighborhoods that are very segregated and territorial to the point of violence. Like you don't have to be in a gang to encounter violence just based off ethnicity once you go deeper into some of the lower income/working class neighborhoods in LA. Which I notice tends to lend to some hesitation in certain spaces when dealing with other ethnic groups.
Ive heard some say Houston feels like a mini-LA and I absolutely reject that. But it does seem like a large version of Long Beach.
The East Coast and Midwest cities tend to be more segregated by race/culture despite having mixed demographic numbers on a census. You'd probably have more luck out West (yes, including Texas) and certain Southern cities like Atlanta.
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