Best Cities For Black People In...Part II: VIRGINIA

murksiderock

murksiderock

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I'm starting an original series I'm calling, "Best Cities For Black People In...", beginning with my state of current residence and profiling all seven states I've lived in (Arkansas, California, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia), finishing with my state of birth...

There is no real methodology other than what I find important in my own black experience. I'll start by listing the black population percentage of the 20 largest cities in each state, and chronicle what I know about the black experience in said cities and state and what makes one place better or worse for us as a people...

I'm only one black man though, and I understand my desires and tastes differ from others, so I fully encourage every other person on this site to engage in this series with what you know about these states, cities, or any inquiries you have!

Part I featured North Carolina, linked below:

www.thecoli.com

Best Cities for Black People In...Part I: NORTH CAROLINA

I'm starting an original series I'm calling, "Best Cities For Black People In...", beginning with my state of current residence and profiling all seven states I've lived in (Arkansas, California, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia), finishing with my state of birth... There...
www.thecoli.com www.thecoli.com

Part II, 20 largest cities in Virginia and their black residency percentage:

Petersburg 74.6%

Portsmouth 52.7%
Danville 50.3%

Hampton 49.2%
Richmond 42%
Suffolk 41.5%
Newport News 41.2%

Norfolk 39.9%

Chesapeake 28.8%
Roanoke 27.7%
Lynchburg 27.7%
Fredericksburg 20.5%
Alexandria 20.3%

Virginia Beach 18.3%
Charlottesville 16.3%

Manassas 12%
Winchester 10.1%

Fairfax 9.5%
Arlington 8.7%
Harrisonburg 7.5%
 
murksiderock

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Among the 20 largest cities in Virginia, I lived in Virginia Beach, Richmond, and Petersburg; I also lived in Woodbridge within Prince William County and Woodbridge...

I've never been to Winchester, Danville, Roanoke, Lynchburg, or Harrisonburg, but I've been to all the other Top 20 cities...

I'm really interested in hearing what the experience of living in the cities I've never visited is like. I've met people from them all, and the only one I've ever gotten a really negative impression of, is Danville...

I can say firsthand Petersburg is not a place for black people, despite its black history. It's one of the most dangerous cities in the entire United States and has been crumbling for the better part of 30 years, since a tornado hit it in the 90s. Terrible infrastructure, widespread corruption in local government and the police, its just a really undesirable place to live and I don't think anyone should volunteer to live there if you aren't family tied...

Richmond is easily the alpha city if Virginia, with a true city vibe compared to the suburban orient of Arlington and Fairfax, with tremendous black civic pride to boot. The drawback to Rich are the schools and the violent crime, but Rich has nearly everything else you'd need, including an envious location. I loved the history abd culture of living in Rich...

Northern Virginia/703 was dope to live in for its proximity to DC and its hyperdiversity, but it's a congested area that is nearly entirely suburban. There are a bunch of black people in NoVa, and black people with money, but we are spread out within the region, there isn't really a black area in NoVa if that is what one is looking for. Still, Alexandria is super urban and is basically South DC for all intents and purposes, and if you can afford to live there its a great bet...

The cost of living in NoVa is among the biggest deterrents overall if you're transplanting to the area...

The Seven Cities/757 is an area I find to be overhyped overall, but is the home base for American Blacks, period. It is the origination point of entry for the majority of historic black culture, even extending inland into Richmond and Southside VA areas; I've never lived anywhere where black folk could trace their ancestry to the boats besides here, and I encountered it more than once...

The more I learned about black history I'm Virginia the more inspired and appreciative of who we've become on this soil I became. There is nothing like it anywhere else...

For me, Suffolk is too southern and too suburban and country but is hella black and safe with mobile blacks. I just wouldn't live there. Portsmouth is a bigger version of Petersburg, even their downtown areas are similar, and is wildly dangerous, corrupt, and impoverished. The kids museum is dope and so is the ferry and a few restaurants but otherwise I can't dig it...

Chesapeake is too suburban. Newport News and Hampton are essentially the same city---->I favor Hampton if the two bit NN is bigger and a bit more diverse. Neither have top tier entertainment abd as is the case with other places, has a real violent crime issue...

Norfolk and The Beach are essentially the same city, with the distinctions of Nfk being the historic city if the region and The Beach being the more modern major city. I'm not the biggest fan of Nfk, flooded with poverty and there is a sneaky underlayer of white racism there, the behind your back rather than in your face kind. Black Norfolkians are also kind of stuck in a "Nfk is the center if the universe" thing that is annoying. But it is a beautiful city with a beautiful downtown...

Virginia Beach is my favorite place that I've ever lived as an adult, and while going back is a long shot, it's still my long term goal once my kids are older. There is just so much I can say about the city as a place to live, it's an underrated experience for black people because people don't think of it as a city for us. But my experience was amazing, and I miss it everyday...

I can go back and get more detailed the more I hear from other people. Virginia has a lot of black folk living out in the country too, from the Eastern Shore to outlying areas of Southside and Central Virginia...
 
todd1

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Breh...Petersburg was dying Looooooooooong before the tornado. A closer approximation would be 1985...The largest employer in the city, Brown and Williamson closed it's plant. That loss, coupled with the start of the crack era spelled doom for the city. But the city has survived. I haven't been home since 2017, but last I was there there were new homes being built, old towne was revitalized. It was decent.
 
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todd1 said:
Breh...Petersburg was dying Looooooooooong before the tornado. A closer approximation would be 1985...The largest employer in the city, Brown and Williamson closed it's plant. That loss, coupled with the start of the crack era spelled doom for the city. But the city has survived. I haven't been home since 2017, but last I was there there were new homes being built, old towne was revitalized. It was decent.
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Petersburg has survived and they've revitalized Old Towne but the rest of the city is crumbling. The Heights, East 36, Walnut Hill etc all in decay. They have a nice lil shopping center on the site of the old Walnut Mall but the rest of Walnut Hill is declining. Pocahontas Island is a fukking shell of itself, it's like 10 people living there now and all the homes are falling apart or been razed, Lotta empty spots where houses once stood...

I remember playing at the basketball court there as a teen and it's done now, grass through the court, one goal leaning halfway down. They really letting Pocahontas Island of all places, be returned to nature...

They've built up the deep deep end of South Crater, moved Southside Regional there, so it's decent over there. Alot of these white people who invested in Old Towne and the near Southside are from Richmond, few moved into them refurbished mansions but mostly they are big monied white investors from Rich who saw money in Downtown Petersburg...

I got love for The Burg, I basically went to high school there (I went to Prince George in the mid-00s). Then I came back for a stretch as an adult and lived in what was lofts above the old Butterworth's store downtown in 2015-16. Never no real trouble during my year there but other buildings in the vicinity of Old Towne were made into lofts and there were robberies and shootings...

The Ward Center for Contemporary Art | Art Galleries & Studios | Petersburg, VA

Visit our Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery, Studios, and Event Space for Rent in Petersburg, VA
thewardcenter.com

If you remember the old Butterworth's furniture store, it's now an art museum and you can get to it from inside the building. They had bathrooms downstairs and you could slide into it, it was pretty dope; all the upper levels are lofts...

Like I said I do have love for Petersburg but it's so impoverished and violent I can't call it a good place for black people...

Bruh tell me what it was like growing up here! You're older than me, I wasn't alive in '85 and didn't know anything about Petersburg dying before the 90s, because everyone I met always said the city's fortunes went downhill when the tornado hit. So I assumed that to be true. How long have you been away, and what made you leave?

There is soooo much history in Petersburg, especially black history, but you have to want to seek out the charm. There is so much history in Virginia, bro I tell everyone I know there isn't a more historic land for black people in the US than Virginia, and I believe that with all my heart. We have it in fukking spades. It's the birthplace of Black Culture on this stolen land, so so much shyt to learn and explore. Did you know this growing up, or am I just a transplant who was enthralled with seeing stuff I didn't see where I came from (California initially, and as my travels expanded I STILL have never seen anywhere alike Virginia in terms of its historic meaning to black people)?

chiefdogg said:
I was at CP Shuckers.
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Okay you were on the white side 🤣...

Growing up in The P what was your impression of The Beach? I learned that most locals didn't have good impressions of the city but my experience starkly contrasted that. Most of us are on the western half of the city in Northwest/Southwest VB. I absolutely love it there, need to make a return trip soon!
 
murksiderock

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surf said:
ptown was the most depressing city I lived in…granted there is a very affluent black neighborhood where a friend of mine lived…but overall it just felt like a permanent cloud hovered over the city at all times smh
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You can tell even just riding thru the city bruh. Have you been to Petersburg in the 804? Portsmouth is literally a larger version of Petersburg...

I know you're originally from NY, what brought you to the 7-5? What part of Norfolk do you live and have you enjoyed your VA experience overall?
 
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