[Nancy in Nokomis]

We have one son who is adopted from Korea and I am worried about him fitting in.

Does the abovementioned area have a lot of racial problems?

I know there are blacks, whites and hispanic people in this area but what about Asians?

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

We have one son who is adopted from Korea and I am worried about him fitting in.

Does the abovementioned area have a lot of racial problems?

I know there are blacks, whites and hispanic people in this area but what about Asians?

Florida as a whole has very few Asians and the Daytona Beach area is no exception. According to the US Census around 1% of the 443,000 living in all of Volusia County are of "Asian" heritage which includes East Asian nationalities like Indians and Pakistanis. I wouldn't say Volusia County would be a good fit given it's overall considered by many to be rather unaccepting of those outside the local norm (low to middle income whites). Places like Gainesville or Tallahassee (college towns) or cities with a significant presence of a large university (Tampa or Boca Raton) would be your best bets in Florida, as college towns tend to be more diverse and accepting of various cultures/ethnic differences.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

klye19125 - Well - we would be renting in a mostly middle to upper class neighborhood - but it is sad to hear that parts of Florida are still racist and backward. I do know that college or military towns are better because the people are usually more worldly and sophisticated.

We recently visited the Daytona area and were treated fine - no one looked twice at us and I saw many black/white mixed couples - but not many Asians - but just visiting an area does not show the true picture I guess.

Key Largo Guy makes me so extremely angry - my son is just 9 years old and the sweetest, kindest child you would ever meet - I have had him since he was 4 months old and he speeks perfect English -

Are many people in Florida as rotten as Key Largo Guy?

[DodgeGirl78]

Fairfax Mom, you will be fine. This area is so transient that truly everyone is treated the same in my opinion. I know there are several Asian families in the Ormond area because I see them at the schools etc. but I don't know what neighborhoods they live in though.

No, not everyone is as rotten as KLG....he is very special

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Thank you for the nice post DodgeGirl78!

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

Key Largo Guy makes me so extremely angry - my son is just 9 years old and the sweetest, kindest child you would ever meet - I have had him since he was 4 months old and he speeks perfect English -

Are many people in Florida as rotten as Key Largo Guy?

Actually that is pretty common behavior here as prejudice, intolerance and hatred are rampant in Florida and is most apparent to those who have lived in other areas of the country. It sounds like you have already made the commitment to move here, so I wish you the best of luck and would advise you to continue even more so your due diligence as a parent.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Thank you Kyle - our move is still up in the air - so thank you for your opinion

[smarino]

Hey, there is racism and prejudice in all parts of the US. Why pick on Florida? Me, as a Southerner, I will tell you in a heart beat that things are much more racist up North, it's just that they do it behind people's backs. I had a good friend from Boston that was black, and he said he would NEVER move back there again due to the racism. It burns me up when I see this sort of thing. Like other people in other areas are so much better. Ha!

There are Asians here. The Emory Riddle School Aeronautical University has plenty. There's several really good Thia restaurants here. They sure look Asian to me in there. My eye doctor is Asian. You know, I lived in Daytona Beach for about 2 years some time ago, and recently the wife and I moved back (I'm white, she's black), and neither of us has seen ANY sort of racial incident. As an interracial couple, there's been no stares, no nothing. Sorry folks, you'll have to take that nonsense somewhere else. It isn't true at all.

[Crane's Rooster]

I really think you could be over thinking the whole issue. There are not alot of Asian people in Volusia county but you're son won't likely be the only Asian kid in his school. On top of that, Volusia county is basically a suburb of Orlando, I can get to Daytona Beach in about 45 mins with no traffic and just over an hour in traffic. If you want to bring your son into an area with Asian Cultural influences Orlando is very close. There are many Korean churches, restaurants and grocery stores throughout the area. There are all types of Asian cultural events throughout the year. Having grown up and been school in Central Florida I visited or played against many Volusia county high schools. In my experience the coastal schools tend to be more affluent northern transplants and the interior schools are more "old Florida". That being said I never felt unwelcomed anywhere I competed in Volusia county because of my race or ethnicity, if anything we hated just each other due to sports rivalries. So really I don't think this issue should be nearly as much of a concern as just finding the right area and school for your family.

[mateo384]

Originally Posted by smarino

Hey, there is racism and prejudice in all parts of the US. Why pick on Florida? Me, as a Southerner, I will tell you in a heart beat that things are much more racist up North, it's just that they do it behind people's backs. I had a good friend from Boston that was black, and he said he would NEVER move back there again due to the racism. It burns me up when I see this sort of thing. Like other people in other areas are so much better. Ha!

There are Asians here. The Emory Riddle School Aeronautical University has plenty. There's several really good Thia restaurants here. They sure look Asian to me in there. My eye doctor is Asian. You know, I lived in Daytona Beach for about 2 years some time ago, and recently the wife and I moved back (I'm white, she's black), and neither of us has seen ANY sort of racial incident. As an interracial couple, there's been no stares, no nothing. Sorry folks, you'll have to take that nonsense somewhere else. It isn't true at all.

What are your views on Daytona Beach? Do you like living there? Able to find work?