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[Tommie Hu$tle]

Nashville is becoming an increasingly attractive place for African-Americans to call home.

Making its debut on the magazine's list, Nashville ranked fourth in the nation for best cities for African-Americans to live, according to July's issue of Black Enterprise.

The rankings are based on an online survey, as well as on measuring job opportunities, the business environment, length of commutes, quality of life and cost of living indicators, said Alfred Edmond, editor-in-chief of Black Enterprise.

''I think Nashville has its arms wide open to African-American businesses to come on board,'' said Edward Stevenson, owner of Kijiji Coffee House & Deli on Jefferson Street. ''The biggest challenge is finance, getting the capital that can sustain a business, but Nashville is a prime location for African-Americans to do business.''

The low cost of living in Nashville compared with other cities is the city's biggest draw, according to the magazine's report.

''Even if you have a medium-level income job, you don't need a lot of money to get a lot of home,'' Edmond said.

Memphis ranked eighth, while Atlanta topped the magazine's list.

''Combine greater perception of job opportunity with lower cost of living and you are going to attract some people,'' Edmond said.

Nashville's black unemployment rate is 7.5%, while the national black unemployment rate was 10.2% in March, which also helped move Nashville up the list, he said. The overall unemployment rate for the Nashville metro area in March was 3.9%, according to the Web site of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And with seven of the top 10 cities located below the Mason-Dixon line, this year's report corresponds with Census numbers indicating that black Americans are moving in record numbers to the South. More than 680,000 blacks ages 5 and older moved to the South from another region between 1995 and 2000, outnumbering the 333,000 who moved away by a better than 2-1 margin, according to a Census Bureau report released last year.

Besides its business opportunities, some locals said, Nashville has other advantages compared with larger cities, including an emphasis on religion and family values.

''Dollar for dollar, your money goes a long way, but it's also a great city to raise a family,'' Stevenson said.

''People seem to be making a good living, and things will get better and better for African-Americans,'' said Cathy Hunt, owner of Razzmatazz, a new and consigned clothing shop on Brick Church Pike. ''One of the most important things is, there are a lot of good churches. There's a big spiritual movement in Nashville.''

The number of higher education institutions also makes Nashville attractive, locals said.

''We've known that Nashville was a special and dynamic city for quite some time, and it is always nice to be recognized by someone outside our city,'' said Dewayne Wright, Tennessee State University spokesman. ''One thing we hear a lot at TSU (about Nashville) is the access to college graduates. This certainly plays a big part in making any community attractive.''

Debbi Howard, a 1994 graduate of TSU and local Realtor, said she stayed in Nashville after graduation because of the city's growing black influence.

''The African-American presence is getting stronger every day,'' she said.

But many visitors and locals alike said the main attraction of Nashville and other Southern cities has to do with the hospitality.

''People are very friendly here,'' said Michael Murry, a chemical engineer from Chicago who is visiting Nashville.

''I had an experience yesterday with someone letting me use their cell phone. That would never happen in Chicago.''

On the list

The top 10 cities for African-Americans to live, according to Black Enterprise magazine:

1. Atlanta

2. Washington, D.C.

3. Dallas

4. Nashville

5. Houston

6. Charlotte, N.C.

7. Birmingham, Ala.

8. Memphis

9. Columbus, Ohio

10. Baltimore

I was mistaken.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

where's Los Angeles? The LAPD is scaring away black people.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

where's Los Angeles? The LAPD is scaring away black people.

Cost of living is off the charts that why LA would never make it. Another thing they considered was the "sprituality" of a city which LA has a hole you drive to china in.

 

[DarienA]

I live 30 min from DC... I win!!!!

The community I live in, in Montgomery County is one of the nicest places I've ever lived in Baltimore it's a mixed community with mostly caucasians and latinos and a few black families. But I mean it's the type of neighborhood where you can still leave things unlocked. The little girls next door leave their bikes out on their front lawn for weeks at a time... a few weeks ago when my fog lamps decided they would come on by themselves in the middle of the night, one of our neighbors took the time to call us late that night and let us know that the lights on the car were on.... just a great, great place.

 

[Pimpwerx]

1. Atlanta

2. Washington, D.C.

3. Dallas

4. Nashville

5. Houston

6. Charlotte, N.C.

7. Birmingham, Ala.

8. Memphis

9. Columbus, Ohio

10. Baltimore

1, 2 and 10 make sense. But the rest of them are in the South...except Ohio. But I really don't know why blacks would want to live in the South. Outside of Hotlanta, GA is a fucking redneck paradise. Alabama, NC, Tenn, etc are all the same. I venture further north than West Palm Beach, and it's redneck territory. I don't find the South very welcoming at all. I wouldn't want to live in any of those cities, and damn sure don't want to live anywhere near Texass. I might be alone in this opinion, but black people should avoid the South like the plague. Low wages and racism a go-go. PEACE.

 

[Nerevar]

Cost of living is off the charts that why LA would never make it. Another thing they considered was the "sprituality" of a city which LA has a hole you drive to china in.

Why the hell is "spirituality" so intertwined with black culture here in America? It absolutely boggles my mind, especially that it's such an important factor for blacks in terms of deciding a city in which to live. I guess that's why no northern cities made that list.

 

[Justin Bailey]

1, 2 and 10 make sense. But the rest of them are in the South...except Ohio. But I really don't know why blacks would want to live in the South. Outside of Hotlanta, GA is a fucking redneck paradise. Alabama, NC, Tenn, etc are all the same. I venture further north than West Palm Beach, and it's redneck territory. I don't find the South very welcoming at all. I wouldn't want to live in any of those cities, and damn sure don't want to live anywhere near Texass. I might be alone in this opinion, but black people should avoid the South like the plague. Low wages and racism a go-go. PEACE.

NC a redneck paradise? Bullshit. Sure, if you go to some places that are in bumfuck nowhere, but when you're talking about Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston, Greensboro, etc then the racism is no different then you'll find in any other big city. And the low wages don't matter much since the cost of living is lower as well.

 

[Doth Togo]

1, 2 and 10 make sense. But the rest of them are in the South...except Ohio. But I really don't know why blacks would want to live in the South. Outside of Hotlanta, GA is a fucking redneck paradise. Alabama, NC, Tenn, etc are all the same. I venture further north than West Palm Beach, and it's redneck territory. I don't find the South very welcoming at all. I wouldn't want to live in any of those cities, and damn sure don't want to live anywhere near Texass. I might be alone in this opinion, but black people should avoid the South like the plague. Low wages and racism a go-go. PEACE.

NC, Alabana, Tenn, etc? Talk about stereotypes. Who's the racist? Sounds like you sure are.

Bigot.

 

[DarienA]

Why the hell is "spirituality" so intertwined with black culture here in America? It absolutely boggles my mind, especially that it's such an important factor for blacks in terms of deciding a city in which to live. I guess that's why no northern cities made that list.

General religious related statement coming up
Because when you've lived all your live in poor depressed areas in your lifetime, or felt that you've been unfairly treated, held down etc...one of the few "hopes" that people strongly cling to is religion. That's proven time and time again, not just in relationship to Blacks and the US.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

1, 2 and 10 make sense. But the rest of them are in the South...except Ohio. But I really don't know why blacks would want to live in the South. Outside of Hotlanta, GA is a fucking redneck paradise. Alabama, NC, Tenn, etc are all the same. I venture further north than West Palm Beach, and it's redneck territory. I don't find the South very welcoming at all. I wouldn't want to live in any of those cities, and damn sure don't want to live anywhere near Texass. I might be alone in this opinion, but black people should avoid the South like the plague. Low wages and racism a go-go. PEACE.

But there is also a community there that doesn't exist in the same way as other cites. Obviously you've never been to Nashville where they are two black schools that are close to each other. Many people who go to school there don't leave and then start a chain of education. Nashville is a Black acedemic bastion. These cites also have a lot of industry (Memphis for example is the headquarters of FedEx) and the wages/cost of living make it easier to afford property and invest. In the South Blacks and Whites socilize differently but, they work together well enough and that's all that matters. I bet if you look at the incomes and business opportunites in those areas Blacks are making money hand over fist there.

Why the hell is "spirituality" so intertwined with black culture here in America? It absolutely boggles my mind, especially that it's such an important factor for blacks in terms of deciding a city in which to live. I guess that's why no northern cities made that list.

I simple terms if society has you beaten down you have nowhere else to go but, to God. If it were not for religon Blacks would still be slaves in this country. Religion tought Blacks how to read, write, form communities, and work together. The Church is not a cornerstone in the Black community for some arbitrary reason.

 

[effzee]

NYC not on it? oh hellll nooo!

 

[Pimpwerx]

NC, Alabana, Tenn, etc? Talk about stereotypes. Who's the racist? Sounds like you sure are.

Bigot.

Quite possibly. I don't exempt myself from prejudice and bias. I an very prejudiced against the South. It might be the fact that in my 12 years or so down here, I've seen more racism than I can shake a stick at. Oh, and those lurvly confederate flags. How pleasant. It might be that I come from the islands where there isn't very much racism, just class warfare. Whatver it is, I have no intention of living anywhere else in the South. That's not b/c I've never been to any of these places, it's b/c I HAVE. And I don't like it. And I make no apoligies about it.

If I were to choose places to live that were black-friendly, Hotlanta would still be the top of the list. Best city in the South for blacks, period. Then everything else would be above that old Mason-Dixon line...well above it. The NE, some parts of the midwest, and then Cali. Better yet, Canada, if it wasn't so damn cold. Miami's probably the most culturally diverse overall, but this place slants towards hispanics. Nothing wrong with that, but it might not rank so high on places for blacks. PEACE.

 

[Pimpwerx]

But there is also a community there that doesn't exist in the same way as other cites. Obviously you've never been to Nashville where they are two black schools that are close to each other. Many people who go to school there don't leave and then start a chain of education. Nashville is a Black acedemic bastion. These cites also have a lot of industry (Memphis for example is the headquarters of FedEx) and the wages/cost of living make it easier to afford property and invest. In the South Blacks and Whites socilize differently but, they work together well enough and that's all that matters. I bet if you look at the incomes and business opportunites in those areas Blacks are making money hand over fist there.

I know what you're saying, but it's like islands or pockets of ethnicity nestled in amongst a lot of...let's say unsavory places. Miami is wedged in down here below a lot of places I would not venture to at night. My uncle lives in Central Florida, near Sanford, and those are the places you still read about hate crimes taking place. My fam's philosophy is that we didn't leave the islands to pigeonhole ourselves in a secluded community. We want to have the freedom to roam without the racism. I can't think of anywhere in the South other than Atlanta that I'd even dream of moving to. But once you hit like Penn and Maryland and parts of VA, you start getting into black populations that aren't so isolated and are within easy commutes of other large metropolitan areas that have equally diverse communities. PEACE.

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

Chicago is so mixed racially that I figured it'd make that list. Hrm.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

Chicago is so mixed racially that I figured it'd make that list. Hrm.

Intergrated cities don't make great cities for blacks to live in. This is about best overall cities all of those cities have close access to Black Colleges and Universities that has a bit to do with it. The pool of college educated blacks is going to be a bit larger (per population) that Chi/NY/LA. Besides those aren't great places for anyone to live in really. Good for business not for people.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Is there racism in the South? Yep.

Is there racism in the North? Yep. They just don't flaunt it.

If I was black, I think I'd rather know where I stand rather than having no idea who to avoid.

Charlotte and Atlanta are both great places to live, and North Carolina might be one of the best states to live in, black or white.

 

[dskillzhtown]

Obviously alot of people in this thread have never been to a large city in the South.

 

[Saint Cornelius]

Everybody goes to Atlanta to get crunk

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

Obviously alot of people in this thread have never been to a large city in the South.

Pretty much.

 

[GDGF]

I'm moving to Atlanta in a few months, so this is happy news

 

[Incognito]

I have relatives that live in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. The ONLY reason I visit the city itself is because of the damn airport that's 10 or so miles from downtown. I'm not lying when I say that I felt a bit out of 'my neck of the woods' when I took the CNN tour in downtown Atlanta. Once I reach Alpharetta, though, BuckHead is as close as I get to the actual city.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

I have relatives that live in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. The ONLY reason I visit the city itself is because of the damn airport that's 10 or so miles from downtown. I'm not lying when I say that I felt a bit out of 'my neck of the woods' when I took the CNN tour in downtown Atlanta. Once I reach Alpharetta, though, BuckHead is as close as I get to the actual city.

Pretty much everything around and in 285 is black everything else is Georgia and there is a big social difference between Atlanta proper and Gerorgia (rest of the state).

 

[DonasaurusRex]

that list is ...interesting. Wheres Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Houston???? They have less job opportunities than nashville?

Nashville? NASHVILLE? HA

 

[NLB2]

Chicago is so mixed racially that I figured it'd make that list. Hrm.

Sure Chicago has a diverse population. All of the blacks live in Englewood, all of the Latinos live in Pilsen, etc.

When you start to look at neighborhoods individually you'll find that Chicago is a very segregated city.

 

[Ripclawe]

It might be that I come from the islands where there isn't very much racism, just class warfare.

You cannot possible be talking about the Caribbean.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Obviously alot of people in this thread have never been to a large city in the South.

just curious, but you aren't talking about me I hope...

 

[isamu]

I have relatives that live in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. The ONLY reason I visit the city itself is because of the damn airport that's 10 or so miles from downtown. I'm not lying when I say that I felt a bit out of 'my neck of the woods' when I took the CNN tour in downtown Atlanta. Once I reach Alpharetta, though, BuckHead is as close as I get to the actual city.

Did you happen to run into to Catzgirl?

 

[DarienA]

that list is ...interesting. Wheres Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Houston???? They have less job opportunities than nashville?

Nashville? NASHVILLE? HA

You do realize that the cost of living in many parts of NYC is absolutely f'n ridiculous right? Couple that with insane stunts to even ATTEMPT to park your car in some neighborhoods, air bag theft(big thing there), and the conclusion is NYC is a great.... to visit. NYC is no better or worse for black people than any other average city.

 

[Seth C]

1, 2 and 10 make sense. But the rest of them are in the South...except Ohio. But I really don't know why blacks would want to live in the South. Outside of Hotlanta, GA is a fucking redneck paradise. Alabama, NC, Tenn, etc are all the same. I venture further north than West Palm Beach, and it's redneck territory. I don't find the South very welcoming at all. I wouldn't want to live in any of those cities, and damn sure don't want to live anywhere near Texass. I might be alone in this opinion, but black people should avoid the South like the plague. Low wages and racism a go-go. PEACE.

Fuck you, then. I'm sure none of us want you around either, and it has NOTHING to do with the color of your skin. Ass.

 

[Kon Tiki]

Fuck you, then. I'm sure none of us want you around either, and it has NOTHING to do with the color of your skin. Ass.

Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you

 

[Seth C]

Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you

Good tune, though I have no particular affection for Alabama.

 

[sprsk]

Memphis is quickly becoming atlanta part 2. Its a mostly black city thats rapidly becoming very urban(which is cool by me).

 

[SKluck]

"Black schools"

Well that's just swell....

I thought segregation was dead for the most part. But then I live in Detroit....

 

[Lyte Edge]

THAT'S RIGHT SHAWTY WE IN ATLANTA ARE NUMBER ONE GET CRUNK

I'm not black, so obviously it's going to be different for me, but in all time I've lived in Atlanta (well over 15 years total), I've seen one incident of racism, and that was in a barber shop, where one of the old guys working there starting going off on black people, calling them that particular word that he shouldn't have been using. I felt extremely uncomfortable, and if I wasn't in the middle of getting a hair cut, I would have left right then and there.

Usher went to my school, but not when I was there.

 

[kevm3]

I live in Texas and I can't agree with the assessment that this is some racist paradise... Well maybe if you venture to the small towns you'll see many instances of racism, but the bigger towns and cities are rather normal imo.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you

Proof that battle rapping was invented by white people.

also, Lynyrd Skynyrd were not racist (if that was the insinuation, im honestly not sure), and weren't even from Alabama oddly enough.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Just left hot azz Dallas for Miami (kinda liked Dallas)
maybe I will try Atlanta if this does not work out

 

[The Faceless Master]

You cannot possible be talking about the Caribbean.

yeah, sounds like it to me, i grew up going to school with kids of all races where i'm from and we all got along just fine... we all went to each other's birthday parties and our parents got along fine with each other...

 

[djtiesto]

Yeah, I want to move down to Atlanta, it looks like it's a *GORGEOUS* city... Not surprised it's #1 on the list though... I'm from the north (NYC), and I went to DC a few weeks ago... black people in the south (my g/f and I were debating whether or not DC/Northern VA was considered "south"), are some of the friendliest people ever.

 

[Meier]

Pimpwerx is an idiot. Hate crimes in Sanford? I'm not saying they dont happen there, they happen everywhere. But I've never once heard of one in the news that I can recall and I live in Orlando so anything of that sort would make major waves here. The south and black culture are synonymous -- why would they want to live anywhere else would be a better question.

Florida is funny though, we're like a pocket of the north in the south. Not much of an accent (except in portions of North Florida) and lacking the stereotypical "southern hospitality," etc.