Pittsburgh, one of the worst towns for interracial dating? (Wilkinsburg: real estate, renting)

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by vonnie54

Most African Americans I've spoken to are in agreement, that Pittsburgh is a racist city. This is from people who are born and raised here. I also agree that is is not the friendliest place. Places south are WAY friendlier! Also, yes, I do see lots of interracial couples but they are almost always black man/white woman. Seeing a white man/black woman is like finding a 4-leaf clover! Extremely rare. I've always wondered why that is.

That's funny, because I know several people that have lived in different cities across the country, say that they've never lived in a city where blacks dislike whites as much as they do in Pittsburgh.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

As a whole though, black girls don't often date white men. That's how it is.

I agree with this. Black women aren't dumb. They've seen the statistics on how few of them will get married or stay married. Clearly, they are willing to either wait for a good black guy to come find them or simply live the rest or their life all alone. Marriage is not a requirement for happiness. Many black women live alone or raise their families alone without a man and they are perfectly happy. Just because Asian women and Hispanic women date white guys all the time doesn't mean black women should be pressured to do the same.

[youngabe]

I think a lot of posters' individual opinions are speaking as.."Pittsburgh is..." While I am a white man, I do see interracial couples all over. No one stares, no one talks, they live their life. Although, I've just plain never understood any kind of discrimination myself, so maybe that's why I view things as "everyone just meshes." I judge anyone based on their actions...not their skin color, sexuality, ethnicity, etc.

[macdee425]

I've been reading this thread which appeared to have started in 2007. I will be visiting the area in July. I am interested in moving to the area from Dayton. I am married to a white man and we have two biracial children. I am wondering what type of reception we'll receive during our visit let alone if we move there. This is all good information. I have been posting on a subject about a Pittsburgh neighborhood for us. On that thread, I've been told that I need to look in the Morningside section for affordable housing. The Mexican War Streets section was mentioned as far as diversity.

Thank you all for sharing your opinions about your city. It helps outsiders, really. I appreciate it.

[Uptown kid]

I'm guessing if yall toke a stroll through the Mexican War Streets you'd be looked at/treated like a regular couple... Although in Morningside I presume it's a steep below the War Streets on the approval chart.. Yet the most discriminating incident I could foresee happening is an old white man staring at you with mean facial expressions or something relatively trivial like that. In the actual city it's self race relations are OK... Only derp in the far out counties such as Butler County is the idea of a inter-racial couple IS NOT accepted.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by macdee425

I've been reading this thread which appeared to have started in 2007. I will be visiting the area in July. I am interested in moving to the area from Dayton. I am married to a white man and we have two biracial children. I am wondering what type of reception we'll receive during our visit let alone if we move there. This is all good information. I have been posting on a subject about a Pittsburgh neighborhood for us. On that thread, I've been told that I need to look in the Morningside section for affordable housing. The Mexican War Streets section was mentioned as far as diversity.

Thank you all for sharing your opinions about your city. It helps outsiders, really. I appreciate it.

I'd avoid the Mexican war streets and the north side as a whole unless you want to be a widow. I'm a white guy that dated a black girl before and never had an issue with white people in the 'burbs. The black guys in the east end had a major issue with it though. They never said much to me about it, other than comments like "Oh, you must be rich!" But they had no problem confronting my gf and asking her why she was with a white guy...even right in front of me. Trust me, the least diversity the better. You will face far more problems living in a diverse area than you would in Moon or Gibsonia. Just my personal experience. If you were a white woman with a black husband, then Mexican war streets or east end would be fine, but wm/bf relationships are completely different.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by beenhereandthere

Hi there, I visited "the Burgh" 2 Novembers ago and was very impressed by it. With the hills and rivers, it's a little bit like Portland (OR), the area where I live right now. I often think about moving back to the East Coast for family reasons and Pittsburgh seems intriging. However, I cannot stand bigotry (and that means anyone who uses race in just about any reasonable decision) and even though this survey is 10 years old, Pittsburgh rated one of the worst 10 towns for interracial relationships in the US. If that's the case, for me that's a red flag. I don't have plans to move there (or just about anywhere else) tomorrow, but this concerns me, particulary after I liked the town a lot. Does anyone "see" the ranking (does it make sense, can you put it past Pbugh?)?
On a side bar, if the Penguins ever left, that would knock it's appeal as well. Thanks.
PS. I know someone people can say, I'm just not attracted to a black men, I not attracted to, whatever....but usually most people against that think that it's wrong, which is so 1950's.

Can't be worse than Portland, Oregon.

Portland has a lot of things going for it....but racial issues is not one of them. It's one of the whitest cities in America, and seems to always come up for racial related incidents.

I remember years ago, most Chinese and Koreans nicknamed it 'Deportland', because so many Asians would be detained and deported out of there, despite having everything in order visa-wise. Haven't followed it in years, but I believe they shut down those international flights to/from Asia, because of Portland's reputation. Maybe they started up again since than, not sure.

I can't imagine Pittsburgh possibly being any worse than Portland. I've also heard of quite a few white supremist types group seem to hover around out in Oregon and Idaho for that matter.

How can IR dating be a high criteria coming from Portland? I guess that's my main question. It's going to be basically a wash, and maybe slightly slightly better in Pittsburgh, I'd think, just because it's not quite as white.

[feline6]

well i wouldnt go that far to call Pittsburgh racist.Its just that people are not used to seeing people who haven't lived here for >30 years :-).I moved from Ohio and I love pittsburgh,lived in the east for a couple of years and have just moved North.I found people are definitely more friendlier in the east.Out north everyone tends to mind their own business and i don;t mean that in a good way :-) well its a changing and Pittsburgh is a great city ,but you do have to go out of your way for people talk to you sometimes.just a matter of getting comfortable with people from all ethnicity.The more the mix the better it will get.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by Love2Golf09

I'd avoid the Mexican war streets and the north side as a whole unless you want to be a widow.

As a resident of the Mexican War Streets who constantly feels like he's fighting an undeserved, negative reputation of the neighborhood, I would really hope that we could refrain from this kind of inaccurate and flammable hyperbole. It does nothing to further your point and rather makes me think you've little constructive to add to the conversation.

I've never been in an interracial relationship but have observed many in the War Streets over the last several years WM/BF, BM/WF, BM/WM, etc and haven't witnessed or heard of any threats or acts of violence. My actual experience is very different than your theoretical construct.

Anecdotally, you recalled experience that you've had in the East End. I'd be curious to know exactly where in the East End, but honestly it doesn't matter much. I can weigh your account's relevance to the discussion, apparent veracity and weight I'd want to apply to it on it's own merits.

For some reason though, you felt like extrapolating your unfortunate experience in a completely different area of the City and tar one of the most welcoming (not just tolerant) neighborhoods I've had the pleasure to experience in the entirety of Pittsburgh. In the future I'd appreciate it if you took more time before you flippantly dismiss an entire neighborhood you obviously know little about and in the process mar its reputation to those who haven't had the pleasure to visit.

I once knew an ignorant, boorish guy who loved to golf...

[Uptown kid]

Yea the Mexican War Streets area is definitely safe!!! Now days it's more hot/desiresble housing area than Squirrel Hill... To hell with it's not safe (and there are more safe places on the Northside as well)! I'd say it ranks one level below Squirrel Hill on the hypothetical safetey chart while up 10 levels over other places on the Northside (Northview Heights & Upper Manchester).