3 ms·

To everyone proposing places like Nashville and Dallas - do you have any idea what it's like being a not-white person outside of the major coastal cities? It's

To everyone proposing places like Nashville and Dallas - do you have any idea what it's like being a not-white person outside of the major coastal cities? It's a miserable experience. You go from seeing a lot of people who look like you in the industry of your choice, to being one of a token few. Food and grocery options go from omnipresent to something you have to hunt down. The way you lead your life goes from something you take for granted to a difference that you must confront at every turn. Good luck building the next Silicon Valley in a place that is not welcoming to multiculturalism.

forrestthewoods 11y ago
Nashville is less white than Seattle. And Seattle seems to be doing pretty well.
- reneherse 11y ago
  However, from the perspective of having lived here for two years, Nashville neighborhoods (and social activities/nightlife) are highly segregated. The normal everyday full-spectrum multicultural mix that you tend to find in other cities simply doesn't exist here, IME.
Apocryphon 11y ago
That's definitely an important consideration. From what I've heard, Raleigh-Durham RTP actually has had a huge influx of immigrant engineers, and so is more diverse than one would expect from the South. Shame about their recent legislative decisions, though.
- CuriouslyC 11y ago
  Raleigh/Durham is great in terms of cultural and employment diversity, and you can't beat it in terms of salary/cost of living. Most of the people outside the major cities and the elected officials are a ridiculous joke though.
- mindcrime 11y ago
  The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is extremely diverse and multi-cultural. Between the major universities here (UNC, Duke, NCSU) and all the big companies in RTP (IBM, Glaxo, EMC, Cisco, etc.) people come from all over to work here or go to school here. And this area (colloquially, "the Triangle") is much different than most of the rest of NC in terms of being socially tolerant and inclusive. Yeah, the whole HB2 thing was something of a stain on our state (OK, we're the laughing stock of the whole damn country, fine...) but that really does not accurately reflect what life is like in the Triangle area.
natrius 11y ago
Dallas and Houston are very multicultural. Texas is a state of immigrants.

forrestthewoods 11y ago

Nashville is less white than Seattle. And Seattle seems to be doing pretty well.

reneherse 11y ago
However, from the perspective of having lived here for two years, Nashville neighborhoods (and social activities/nightlife) are highly segregated. The normal everyday full-spectrum multicultural mix that you tend to find in other cities simply doesn't exist here, IME.

Apocryphon 11y ago

That's definitely an important consideration. From what I've heard, Raleigh-Durham RTP actually has had a huge influx of immigrant engineers, and so is more diverse than one would expect from the South. Shame about their recent legislative decisions, though.

CuriouslyC 11y ago
Raleigh/Durham is great in terms of cultural and employment diversity, and you can't beat it in terms of salary/cost of living. Most of the people outside the major cities and the elected officials are a ridiculous joke though.
mindcrime 11y ago
The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is extremely diverse and multi-cultural. Between the major universities here (UNC, Duke, NCSU) and all the big companies in RTP (IBM, Glaxo, EMC, Cisco, etc.) people come from all over to work here or go to school here. And this area (colloquially, "the Triangle") is much different than most of the rest of NC in terms of being socially tolerant and inclusive. Yeah, the whole HB2 thing was something of a stain on our state (OK, we're the laughing stock of the whole damn country, fine...) but that really does not accurately reflect what life is like in the Triangle area.

natrius 11y ago

Dallas and Houston are very multicultural. Texas is a state of immigrants.