I live in Atlanta and have lived in the American south all of my life. I don't really appreciate the stereotype that people here are more racist and backwards

I live in Atlanta and have lived in the American south all of my life. I don't really appreciate the stereotype that people here are more racist and backwards than in other parts of the country. It actually seems to me that in many ways we have superior race relations down here. The amount of blacks living here is much higher than it is in other parts of the country. Most days when I walk to work I don't see any white people at all. You notice that when there are race riots and events of racial tension they never occur in the south? I think the fear that a black person would have some sort of wild racist encounter down here is misplaced.