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Yeah, it has a nice mix of homes and businesses. It bridges the predominantly black South End with the middle class collection of neighborhoods to the west, which include a few small colleges and Albany Academy, an independent private school known for its Basketball program.
If OP wasn't taking into account PG and MoCo, wouldn't Baltimore be a more suitable choice for middle-class families compared to DC?
It's ironic that Boston and DC, which are better-run cities, would probably rank last in this thread because both cities are facing the problem of a disappearing middle class. I mean, you can definitely argue living in poverty or being part of the 'upper upper' middle class in those cities offers a better quality of life compared to Philadelphia or Baltimore in terms of environs, but that is a topic for another day.
I'd only truly consider moving back north to either the Pittsburgh area, or a select few places in New York: Queens, Albany, Syracuse, Binghamton, Buffalo, or Rochester...
Whether these are all truly "great" places for black folk is subjective, and there are objective trends and data that give reasons many of these places aren't great for us. The only one of these places that my employer doesn't have transferability to is Queens, but there's other options if that's the case...
I've recently begun considering a move back north as I started dating a woman from Plattsburgh NY. I wouldn't be moving for at least a year anyway, so we're talking a year to see how this long distance holds up, and it could be longer because obviously my children are here in NC...
Plattsburgh is outta the question, it's only ~4% black, I'm not doing that **** to myself. But I am open to a potential move back to NY in the future, we'll see how this long distance thing goes. But the place I go to has to have a respectable black population...
Right now Albany would be the leader in the clubhouse, and she's also open to a return back to NC down the line or a place elsewhere we agree to, should this relationship sustain despite the distance ..
If OP wasn't taking into account PG and MoCo, wouldn't Baltimore be a more suitable choice for middle-class families compared to DC?
It's ironic that Boston and DC, which are better-run cities, would probably rank last in this thread because both cities are facing the problem of a disappearing middle class. I mean, you can definitely argue living in poverty or being part of the 'upper upper' middle class in those cities offers a better quality of life compared to Philadelphia or Baltimore in terms of environs, but that is a topic for another day.
Given that western Baltimore County is full of predominantly black, middle class communities, it would be an area that offers good options for those looking for that type of community.
Geographically and historically southern, but in 2023 It has more in common with Philadelphia and Wilmington than Norfolk and Charlotte.
This debate has been ongoing for years, unlikely that we'll ever reach a consensus.
IJS that's why it's not in the poll. The demography is too different from northern metros.
It feels like it has a lot in common with Charlotte/ DC in its middle-class populations/suburban populations and Philly/Wilmington in the city.
IMO being all over here there are good spots for middle-class black people, especially in the suburbs. Its just the general overall QOL is lower than Boston or DC. Like....
the retail stores are worse
parks are worse
scenery is worse
crime is worse
schools are worse
roads are worse
air quality is way worse,
drivers are worse
nightlife is maybe the same but I think worse
and blight is infitnely worse.
It's just a much- much- harsher environment than Boston overall. But that goes for most of the mid-atlantic.
There's not really any area other than COL where Im in Baltimore and feel like it's "better" than Boston materially at least. Maybe the food actually. But of much more African American culture over a larger area. People are more outgoing, traffic is way better, weather is a little better (too muggy /rainy).
Places like Randallstown or even Woodlawn are middle-class black but they're kind of ugly/rundown especially and particularly in commercial areas (still better than inner ring PGC). Totally unwalkable, and schools are meh- still probably better than Boston Public Schools, I think...
Owings Mills and Reisterstown are better black communities
DC has the advantages of Boston and Baltimore my only issue is its really not Northern and i dont really vibe with the people. I think if it were on here it would win the poll.
What a pleasant surprise!!! That is my beloved mother in the youtube video!!! She is a pillar of the community and well known throughout the neighborhood. Thank you for posting this as I have not viewed it in its entirety.
What a pleasant surprise!!! That is my beloved mother in the youtube video!!! She is a pillar of the community and well known throughout the neighborhood. Thank you for posting this as I have not viewed it in its entirety.
Wow...No problem.
Also, can you break down some neighborhoods in the city/area that have a black middle class presence?
Among others...Something to keep in mind is that Syracuse's black percentage from 1980-2010 doubled from 15.5% to 31.1%(black alone and in combination non-Hispanic). So, this is a city that has seen its black population grow: https://s4.ad.brown.edu/projects/div...cityid=3673000 and in turn, political/leadership representation has grown.
As for the Say Yes to Education Program, which is the bolded information and could apply to anyone, Buffalo also has this scholarship program citywide. https://sayyestoeducation.org/where-we-work/
So, if you go with the city of Buffalo, you have plenty of non private options and all would allow you to qualify for the scholarship program. Some that go private may go with city schools such as Canisius(all male, good Football program), Bishop Timon-St. Jude in South Buffalo, The Nichols School, Nardin(girls), Mount Mercy(girls), Academy of the Sacred Heart(girls) or if they go outside of the city schools such as The Park School(very good Boys Basketball program), Cardinal O'Hara in Tonawanda(very good Girls Basketball program), St. Joe's in Kenmore(boys, good Football program), St. Francis(boys, also known for Football program) and St. Mary's in Lancaster.
As for the city in relation to the thread, I'd say that North Buffalo, Elmwood Village, Parkside, Central Park(neighborhood), the NE corner of the city(parts of University/University Heights, Kensington Heights), Linwood and parts of the Allentown and Hamlin Park neighborhoods would have a presence of such families. Hamlin Park is actually a historically designated neighborhood with a long history of having a black middle class, with some streets retaining that character better than others: https://buffaloah.com/h/hamln/hamlin.html
Nearby Parkside across Main Street is another historic style neighborhood with a long time and visible black middle class due to the neighbors standing firm in staying the neighborhood versus leaving: https://parksidebuffalo.org/index.php
The eastern half of these middle class census tracts cover much of the neighborhood(in between Delaware and Main) and it is also very close to Elmwood Village: https://censusreporter.org/profiles/...t-169-erie-ny/
Keep in mind that this is a city with around 100,000 black residents, give or take/who you include(about 36-40% of the city) and quite a bit of black people in leadership positions(mayor, police chief, school superintendent, city council president(also a prominent pastor in the city), a deputy fire commissioner, President of Buffalo State College(about 33% of students are black), etc.
Once things open up, you are less than 100 miles from Downtown Toronto and for the family, there's Niagara Falls, Darien Lake amusement park, historical sites, etc.
If you want suburbs, Eggertsville in Amherst(Amherst Central SD, very good schools), Cleveland Hill in Cheektowaga(Cleveland Hill SD, solid schools), the Sweet Home SD in Amherst(solid/good schools), Cheektowaga Central SD(solid schools) and Maryvale SD in Cheektowaga(solid schools) are suburbs with higher black populations that others. Williamsville SD is arguably the area's top SD and has historically been another suburban SD where some athletes/coaches/professionals have lived, with the zones for South and North Highs having more of a presence. Some go with the Kenmore-Tonawanda SD, with Kenmore West having more of a presence historically; Cheektowaga-Sloan and West Seneca Schools as well. Lackawanna is a steel town that has had a long time and quite visible black population that is largely concentrated on its west side(known for having some very good Football teams at times). Ironically, a lot of the Bills players live near the stadium/facility in the Southtowns(Orchard Park and Hamburg) south of the city, while most of these listed suburbs are North/NE/East of the city.
Keep in mind that it is 5th in the Northeast in black population only behind NYC, Philadelphia, Boston and Newark, while being one of only 5 cities in the region with at least 100,000 black residents. Plus it is close to the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada which has about 500,000-600,000 or so black residents(for instance, I found out that the very popular Caribana festival in Toronto: https://www.torontocarnival.ca/ actually started as a combination of the African American descendant Emancipation Day celebration and a Caribbean Festival in 1967) and Rochester only an hour away(if that) is 6th in black population in the Northeast with about 85,000 black residents.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-27-2023 at 03:00 PM..
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