Denver and the surrounding area would probably be a good choice as others have mentioned. I've got family and friends there in interracial marriages with bi-racial kids and no one has any trouble. Colorado Springs is more conservative christian than the other areas around there, so sometimes religion can be an issue, but race doesn't seem to be.

As for the weather, this wimpy Californian has managed to survive some time there in the winter in relative comfort, so I have no doubt that you would be fine. The only thing that really struck me about the weather is the lack of humidity. It is really dry there. The worst weather I experienced in Denver was in June - thunderstorm with hail like I couldn't believe.

girlonthego, you say, "I would not look at the southeast. It still has the segregated mentality."

THAT IS A LOAD OF CRAP! You have racism everywhere. If you did your research, you would find there has been a huge number of African-Americans and mixed families moving back to the Southeast over the last couple of decades, more than to any other part of the country. Gee, I wonder why!

I would agree with Colorado Springs and maybe Denver.

Unless things have changed drastically in the past few years, I would stay clear out of any other little town in Colorado.

I have lived in the midwest my entire life. For the past 35 years, in Iowa City, a town dominated by the University of Iowa. I think an interracial couple should either look at a large city or a university setting. I'd certainly second Madison, Wisconsin.

One of my kids lived in Atlanta for a couple years. I enjoyed visiting. But, outside of the city, I'm not sure. I met a woman a few years ago (a professional woman, married to another professional) who lived about an hour south of Atlanta. She told me in all seriousness "that until I got on the internet and met ya'all, I didn't know it was ok to be friends with a Yankee". True story. I was astonished.

I haven't had time to read through all the posts but I'll just add that if you can stand the heat I think Las Vegas would be fine. The housing market is getting a little crazy here though. Expect to pay about 250k+ for a starter home, or a home in an older neighborhood.

Good luck to you:)

JeanH, one ignorant friend of yours does not speak for a whole section of this country! There are bigots everywhere and good people everywhere.

We just moved from suburban Maryland (I worked in the previously mentioned Columbia, in fact, and we lived in Montgomery County, MD -- both very diverse and accepting). It DOESN'T fit your requirements for affordable housing however, as $500K is considered a bargain.

You probably will be most comfortable in big cities or in "university" towns, and based on my travels I think more west than east. Austin TX is a fantastic town and would be my first pick of the list you first provided. It is beautiful, has a decent year-round climate, and a lot to do, both work-wise and entertainment-wise.

leelane: I don't want to get into a war with you, BUT racism is everywhere. In small towns in the south, people are not tolerant of lots of things outside their cookie-cutter lifestyles. That is why I still recommend being near a large city with more liberal views. The south east is not a liberal part of the country. There is not a lot of tolerance for differences whether they are race, religion (the north/south thing, etc).
Just my 2 cents from someone who lives here.....

girlonthego, I also live in the Southeast, and you are wrong. I have lived in several areas of the U.S., and Southern small towns have no more racism than New England small towns or Maryland small towns. Comments like yours do so much damage, and you are simply wrong.

You are missing the point, racism is everywhere especially in small towns. Whether it be in the south east or the north east. I agree with you.
That is why I am saying live near a large city with liberal views. The small town I live in is fairly modern, but I live ten minutes from total hicksville with total hicksville views......
I have lived in the northeast and the southeast and I guess we don't live in the same towns.
I am not here to argue all night with you. You have your opinion and I have mine.
KBenbow, I wish you good luck in finding your new home.

girlonthego, you SAID above, "I would not look at the southeast. It still has the segregated mentality." How much more insulting can you be to a whole region of the country? That is a ludicrous and unfair statement in this day and age.

Well if you are not excluding cold areas then come to the Chicago area. No sweat. No pun intended. :-) As for the discussion above I think generalizing can in some cases get one in trouble. Racism involves stereotyping and generalizing at it core. Be more specific about the area. Finally a young African-American male who we basically helped rear told us once about his trip to visit friends in NC. I do not remember the specific town name there. I do remember his opinion of the area inre to racial issue and sadly it was segregational.

girlonthego, I'm sure you speak with great authority about your suburb of Richmond Va. But to take that experience and elevate it to a sweeping (and wrong headed) generalization about an entire region of the country is silly.

I agree that cities have more diverse populations and tend to be more politically liberal. But in the grand scheme of things, Richmond is not and will likely never be a bastion of liberalism.

jacketwatch, You know someone who went somewhere in NC and reported it was segregational. While you clearly hold this young man's opinions in high regard, I'm not sure what your point is in relating the story.

And you probably never will. :S-

i'm half of an interracial couple, my husband is hispanic and i think that you find racism anywhere. last week in san francisco someone said something to me and you would think that would be such a liberal city it wouldn't happen there. so i don't know if you can make generalizations about city vs small town and we've had a few incidents over the years and we live in sacramento so california isn't always so open minded either

I see that there were a lot of responses. I am white and my wife is black. I have an opportunity to get a great job located in Smyrna, GA. We are interested in a house close to Marietta Georgia in the 30066 zip code area. We currently live in Los Angeles and have never had a problem. I remember having some stares in Tennessee a few years back but didn't get much stares when we were in Atlanta. Does anyone know specifically how open East Cobb County is concerning interracial marriage. We also have two kids. I want to be sure we don't make a bad decision by moving out to a place that may be intolerant.

Hey Cramj,

I am the one that posted this thread. Glad to hear Atlanta was ok. Did you just visit Atlanta or did you actually live there? Give me details about area. Likes/Dislikes. Thanks.

This is a sensative issue, but we all must realize that there are various types of interracial couples. To those who are Latino-White or Asian-White, it's hard not to realize that there will be far less "staring" or "bigotry" than to those Black-White couples. Just the way it is. Many whites don't even consider Latinos a different race -- but perceive them primarily as people who speak a different language. Here in Florida where there are many, many Latinos, there is rarely a notice of mixed couples, but I have to say that I sure see heads turn when a Black-White couple walks by, particularly with a baby. Sad, but true.

Its funny everybody thinks all Americans have a problem with interracial marriages. I have no problem whatsoever and don't stare at people who are in that situation. However, I am more liberal in my thinking. Another point, about the D.C. instance, I don't believe a heterosexual interracial couple would have the same problem as a homosexual couple. Heterosexual relationships are way accepted, no matter what the races are, than a homosexual couple. Again, I'm more liberal and don't care about other people's choices but society in general likes everyone to reproduce from marriage.

cramj- The term "East Cobb" is usually used to refer to the zip codes of 30067 and 30068. Many families relocate to those zip codes because they have very good public schools. However, those neighborhoods tend to be white, middle to upper middle class and quite homogeneous. You will find more diversity in the rest of Marietta including 30066.

If you are going to work in Smyrna, you want to live west of 75 to minimize your commute time. There aren't many routes from the east side of 75 to Smyrna so those roads that take you from one side of the county to the other are traffic clogged.

You should look for housing in the Smyrna/Mableton area. The area used to be a sleepy community of old 1950s ranches. In the last 5 years, the area has seen tremendous redevelopment as developers have bought up the older neighborhoods and razed them for new construction. The community is more diverse with blacks, whites, hispanics, and Indian families. New restaurants and shopping have opened, and there's a great bike/walking/jogging trail that runs from that area to Alabama. The schools may have lower test scores than "East Cobb" but you will find the student bodies to be much more diverse.

Hope this helps.