austin is not diverse? (Dallas, Georgetown: crimes, gated, to live in)

[gypsygirl1984]

i've read some articles and reader comments abou how austin isnt as diverse or progressive as it boasts. i've never been there, but, according o good ol' wikipedia, that depite the relatively low number of african americans, there is a huge hispanic population, and whites are no longer the majority

so in a city that has so many minority groups, why is the diversity being called into question? is there a lot of segregation?

[+ or -]

Segregation isn't exclusive to Texas, or to Austin -- it's a phenomenon that can be seen across the country in urban metropolises large and small.

That said, yes Austin is segregated, both racially and socioeconomically, but that's the case anywhere. You have historically black areas (which predominate the east side of the city), historically white areas (such as the west, northwest, and north central areas), and racially-mixed areas (south side and far north sides, respectively).

It's all a matter of perspective. If you're coming from a racially and culturally diverse place like New York, Chicago, LA, or even Dallas, yes, you will notice that Austin is not the United Nations. However, it continues to attract diverse talent from across the country and globe through it's educational establishments as well as it's burgeoning tech industry.

My main complaint with the place as a young black man has been that the city is still backwards and small town-minded in regards to racial progressiveness and true acceptance. In other words, here more so than Dallas, for instance, my race seems to be an issue or topic of discussion more than I'd like.

I question how a place can have aspirations of being cosmopolitan or progressive but have a populace who by and large have not had experiences interacting with different ethnicities, cultures, and/or people who don't fit the majority demographic.

[love roses]

I 35 running right through the middle makes a convenient dividing line. Northeast of the city is relatively diverse. See, OP, you can see part of your answer in that already left out part of the general Austin area. Although, I guess technically + or - is only talking the immediate City of Austin itself and not the entire metro surrounding it.

[JERiv]

I have to say, for those who say Austin is not cosmopolitan or progressive in terms of racial/socioeconomic integration, it's more of a question of "to what degree is it integrated". If you compare it to the mayor US metropolitan areas, it may fall a bit short, but then again, not really. Even NY is racially and socioeconomically segragated.

There will always be socio-economic "segregation". It just happens that most of the very wealthy in Austin (same as in most of the US) happen to be white.

I'd say the major "segregation" factor in Austin is socioeconomic in nature, not racially motivated.

Hate crimes, to my knowledge, don't really happen here. And blatant discrimination, well, there are so many minorities here that I have yet to experience it.

Anyway, as for discrimination, it exists everywhere, no matter how "cosmopolitan" or "progressive" a place is.

Oh, and I should note. For me, Austin is VERY diverse. I lived in the Northeast, and lets just say its a lot less diverse up there...

[mimimomx3]

Austin proper is an expensive city to live in- no matter the ethnicity. The suburbs are less expensive and therefore, more diverse (Westlake and the lake areas excluded).

[AustinSpartan]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

Austin proper is an expensive city to live in- no matter the ethnicity. The suburbs are less expensive and therefore, more diverse (Westlake and the lake areas excluded).

Austin is a lot more integrated and diverse than my hometown! Try the Detroit area on for size if you want to see some segregation!

[Pvt. Parts]

Originally Posted by gypsygirl1984

and whites are no longer the majority

Is this true?

[TexasHorseLady]

Define "diverse". I'm sitting here thinking about my children's friends as they were growing up (they're both adults now), and the assortment of ethnicities that were represented. Pretty diverse group, it seems to me. Mostly, we lived near downtown (Highland Park, Manor Road, Barton Hills, etc.), or later out past Georgetown.

Are we talking statistics? Are we talking one person's personal experience (in which case whether or not it's diverse could be very subjective - one person might think if their race is not 50% of their social group, Austin isn't diverse, even if there are several other races represented in that group, another might think that having even one of a wide variety of races is diversity).

So, define your terms!

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Lets throw some numbers out there. Metro Austin is:

Hispanic: 26.23%
African American: 7.96%
Asian: 3.52%

The rest is white.

Austin City is:

Hispanic: 34.2%
White: 50%
Asian: 5.5%
Black: 8.3%

Ill let you guys decide if you think thats diverse.

[CptnRn]

Didn't we beat this topic to death in this last thread?

https://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...racism-20.html