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Single af-am male here in Raleigh and being very familiar with eastern NC I say most places already mentioned are better by far. Im eyeing Dallas/Ft. Worth myself. Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix are also contenders.
I don't know if it will work in terms of cost of living, but the Seattle-Tacoma area may work. I believe that there are more Black males than Black females in the area due to the military presence there. Look into suburbs like Lakewood, Renton, Tukwila, Kent, Federal Way, Sea-Tac, Spanaway and a few others. Many of these places are in between Seattle and Tacoma.
Minneapolis-St. Paul may work as well. In that area, look into northern Brooklyn Park, Bloomington, Richfield, Hopkins, Columbia Heights, Crystal, Fridley and even parts of the Twin Cities themselves.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 02-26-2013 at 07:25 PM..
I don't know if it will work in terms of cost of living, but the Seattle-Tacoma area may work. I believe that there are more Black males than Black females in the area due to the military presence there. Look into suburbs like Lakewood, Renton, Tukwila, Kent, Federal Way, Sea-Tac, Spanaway and a few others. Many of these places are in between Seattle and Tacoma.
The only problem with those recs (with the exception Renton, Kent and Federal Way) are that the schools in those areas are atrocious. With Renton and Kent, their school districts are a mixed bag. For the areas within Renton and Kent that do have the good schools, she would have to up the budget. Federal Way's SD is so-so, but she definitely could find an apartment in her budget.
I'd say Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; maybe even Nashville, TN and St. Louis (area), MO.
The only problem with those recs (with the exception Renton, Kent and Federal Way) are that the schools in those areas are atrocious. With Renton and Kent, their school districts are a mixed bag. For the areas within Renton and Kent that do have the good schools, she would have to up the budget. Federal Way's SD is so-so, but she definitely could find an apartment in her budget.
I'd say Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; maybe even Nashville, TN and St. Louis (area), MO.
What about Bremerton, Auburn, Lacey, Lynnwood or Everett?
Also, only because of some of the places mentioned here in other posts, perhaps Amherst outside of Buffalo could work. Amherst Central, Sweet Home and even parts of the Williamsville school districts would work. All of them are good and have diversity. Parts of the Amherst Central SD around the University of Buffalo are close to the rail/subway line. There are bus lines too. Here are accounting jobs in the area: Accounting jobs in Buffalo, NY - Indeed Mobile
I'm absolutely biased- but based on your requirements for diversity, family friendly and affordability- St. Louis should definitely come into play as a contender! I just moved back here myself in December from Eastern NC (Jacksonville area) and couldn't be happier! I'm expecting my first baby and I can't wait to raise him here with everything St. Louis has to offer!
As for the size requirements- although the City of St. Louis has just over 300,000 people- the Greater Metro Area actually has 2.8 Million so it's a very sizable city in that regard.
So, looking at your requirements vs St. Louis more closely:
Diversity: St. Louis City is about half African American- but this isn't representational of the Greater Metro Area (the Greater Metro is 75% Caucasian). With that said however, I live in a wonderful neighborhood with a mix of ages, backgrounds and races- and everyone gets along beautifully! In the houses immediately surrounding mine, there's an African American family, 2 Bi-Racial families, 2 Caucasian families and an Asian family. Everyone (with the exception of us, we're the newbies!) has been here for years and there are very strong community bonds. I love it here Also, there are plenty of other neighborhoods and suburbs which are similar. Obviously, some neighborhoods are 'bad' or racially divided- but for the most part there are plenty of good options to choose from!
Jobs: With your accounting degree, I don't think you'll have a problem finding a job! There are a LOT of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies in St. Louis. The unemployment rate here is a little higher than the national average, but not as high as Eastern NC and with your qualifications, I think that finding work would be a breeze! The majority of the jobs lost over the past number of years have been warehouse / factory / blue collar jobs in the St. Louis region.
Activities: This is really where St. Louis wins. According to Kiplinger's, St. Louis is the Best City For Cheapskates with more museums and libraries per capita than any other major city in America (even beating out NYC). There is an abundance of free and affordable cultural activities for children and families here- everything from outdoor recreation (Lake Creve Coeur, Katy Trail, etc) to places such as The Zoo, Science Center, Art Museum, History Museum, City Museum, Magic House, Forest Park, Botanical Gardens and an array of other options including a multitude of historical sites. The options here are truly wonderful!
School System: This is going to depend where in St. Louis you are. In St. Louis City, I cannot recommend the school system one iota. However, there are a number of suburbs in the greater metro with truly outstanding school systems such as Kirkwood, Rockwood, Ladue, Parkway, Pattonville, Lindbergh, etc, etc.
Walkability: This is going to depend where you are- there are plenty of walkable neighborhoods in the city (although I wouldn't recommend them purely due to the city public schools) but additionally there are fringe suburbs with decent school systems such as Brentwood, Maplewood, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, University City, etc which offer walkable 'downtowns' (think old school, Main Street USA kind of stuff) and decent school systems
Mild Weather: This all comes down to a matter of opinion. Northerners will tell you that St. Louis Summers are too hot & humid- but coming from Eastern NC myself (and I grew up in Australia) I can tell you that comparatively our Summers are not hot & humid! I wouldn't say they were mild, but they definitely aren't as bad as ENC! Winters on the other hand, Southerners will say they're harsh, Northerners will say they're nothing. We get some snow throughout Winter, and it's a touch colder than in ENC but it's nothing like what is experienced in New England or somewhere like Minnesota. St. Louis does however get 4 very distinct and beautiful seasons. I personally like the weather here
Affordability: Again, this is where St. Louis wins. It's crazy affordable, especially in comparison to some areas of ENC! An online cost of living calculator shows that housing alone is 56% cheaper in St. Louis than in Wilmington, NC. As for your rent maximum, there are plenty of areas in which you could get a single family, detached 3 bedroom property $1000 or less. St. Louis housing is amongst the most affordable in the nation.
Churches: Not a problem! I swear there's something for every denomination on the planet, in addition to an array of non denominational options. You'll definitely get more variety than in ENC!
Overall, best of luck to you! I hope that helps! ♥
What about Bremerton, Auburn, Lacey, Lynnwood or Everett?
Lacey is part of the Olympia School district and though it's the lower performing part-- the school district itself actually is quite excellent. Budget-wise, it could work for OP.
Everett has some excellent schools (though a lousy SD)... again it's like Renton and Kent-- the better part with schools is very pricey. Auburn is the least diverse of all, actually regarded as "redneck" by people here, but the schools are ok. Bremerton is ok.
Lynnwood is a big no, just based on schools alone.
In the Pittsbugh area, you may like Monroeville(Gateway SD), the Carlynton SD area or parts of the city of Pittsburgh around the University of Pittsburgh(Oakland, squirrel Hill, etc) could work in regards to that area.
Look into the Phoenix/Mesa/Scottdale area. That is where I plan to relocate to this year. I can understand you wanting to get out of NC as I reside in Charlotte. Phoenix has great weather(300+days of sunshine), Affordable cost of living,
and the job market is slightly better than NC. North Carolina has the 5th highest unemployment rate in the nation. Also, Phoenix is centrally located near San Diego, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.(6hr drive). It's a very scenic/diverse area that is slowly coming up for African-Americans. Look into it.
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Also, there are plenty of other neighborhoods and suburbs which are similar. Obviously, some neighborhoods are 'bad' or racially divided- but for the most part there are plenty of good options to choose from!
