Relocation: Diversity is important
 

My husband and I are thinking about moving out of California next year. The price of housing is insane in the Bay Area.

We are both Asian and want to live in a diverse area. Do any of you have any suggestions as to where we could live?

We're hoping to start a family in the next two years, and though we'd prefer an area where there are new communities that are being developed(KBHomes, Centex, etc.), it isn't necessary.

If any of you could point us in the right direction, that would be helpful. Also, if you know communities that are being developed, it would be helpful to know who the developers are.

Thanks!

Austin, Texas.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

Philadelphia is much more diverse than it used to be. The suburbs aren't quite as diverse, but some of them are still pretty wonderful places to live.
(I'm assuming you have jobs or job skills that are highly portable.)

In the Philly burbs, you might want to look at the Hankin Group developments.

http://www.hankingroup.com/index.html
http://www.10000friends.org/Web_Page...ds/files/3.htm

Full disclosure: I admit to being biased as Bob Hankin was my best friend's college boyfriend :-)

MDHuang, I'm meeting, and hearing more and more about, folks who are leaving the Bay Area and moving to.... Texas! as in Mikemo's recommendation.
My daughter will be moving in the Spring from the East Bay to NE Texas. She got a gorgeous 3 br 1800sf home in a lovely family-oriented (young kids to retirees) "diverse" neighborhood in a city of 60,000, with a great school district, for a "whopping" $142,000.
I plan to retire there eventually.

Other friends have also given up on purchasing or renting housing in the Bay Area, or have sold what they had to head SE to TX. Some have bought in Houston, some nr Dallas. As for the diversity factor, these folks are Asian, African American, Caucasian, and a variety of religions. My own family is "mixed" ethnically and religiously, so I wouldn't ever consider living some place where we all would not feel welcome and comfortable, from the old 'uns like me, to the grandchildren.
I'm sorry I don't know of any big subdivsion builders specifically to tell you about. As you start to investigate, you'll be happily surprised by how (compared to Bay Area) reasonable it is to find the home of your dreams, either already built, or to the specs of however you want it.
Good luck with your search for the right place for you two, and for your future family.

What kind of climate are you looking for?

Which part of the country?

Are you looking for a large city or a smaller one?

What are your professions?

Is religion important? (I ask because some areas may be diverse, but not in a religious way.)

We're use to California weather where it's pretty sunny and there are only "two" seasons. However, we're open to anywhere.

We're hoping to stay in the West Coast, but we're totally open to ANYWHERE!

A small or large city if fine with us. We both grew up in the suburbs, but like living in the Oakland Area where there is a lot of mom and pop shops, diversity, and some parking (not like San Francisco). However, with starting a family, we're thinking about going back to the suburbs.

I'm a teacher, and my husband will be a dentist. I can find a job anywhere and we'd prefer to find an area where it's growing so he can build his own practice, but that's not necessary.

Religion is important to us. We are both Christian. Living near San Francisco where there is a lot of diversity, but not 'religious,' hasn't been a problem. We were able to find a great Asian American church to go to, but would prefer a strong growing church that is multicultural.

Seattle.

CaliNurse... where in NE Texas?
Don't worry, there is no danger in disclosing the city.
My neighbors just picked up and moved from Northern CA to Texas just because of the housing costs.
They decided to move here then found excellent jobs in like a week! Their only regret is that they did not do it years ago!

My vote is Seattle. We have a very diverse population in all income groups.

Another vote for Seattle!

We have a large, lively and thriving Asian population that is an important part of our community here.

New communities (with nice new homes for young families) are being developed about 15-20 miles to the east----Snoqualmie Ridge, for example.

The Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon is filled with
your former neighbors from the Bay Area.
http://www.ashlandchamber.com
http://www.southernoregon.org
There's a fairly visble Asian Presence in Southern Oregon.
You would enjoy it. Much less Rain than further North in the PNW, and little to no snow.

"We're use to California weather where it's pretty sunny"....how willing are you to give that up?

Another vote for Seattle, it sounds like just what you are looking for.

I actually think Austin does NOT meet the description you state: diversity.

Compared to many other areas of the country Austin is in fact much more homogeneous population, especially compared to California. On the broader scale yes, there is a diverse population, but on closer inspection there really is a lot of latent segragation in Austin. SW, W, and NW are very white. Yes there are many Asian professional families in those families, and they are fully integrated and a valuable part of the community. No signs of discrimination at all. But definitely a very small minority.

Many people in Austin refer to one mall as the 'black mall' (Highland) in N Austin, and the other 'white mall' (Barton Creek) in SW. Most of the large hispanic population lives East of I35.

I'm not talking about the mindset or the intent of those that live in KB, Toll Bro, or Centex type communities, but rather an observers look in. Austinites

Diversity in the SW, W, and NW areas often means preferring County Line BBQ vs Salt Lick, or UT fans vs Aggie fans, or Dell vs Motorola employees, etc.

The benefits of Austin for young families may in fact outweigh any lack of diversity - only you can decide that. I would encourage you to look further at Austin as an option.

TxTravelPro--in Texarkana. So many people here (Bay Area , Calif) have no idea where it is, so I've started writing, "NE Texas"
I love it there--way more than i thought i would. Go figure. i keep joking that there must be something inthe water: people are so warm, welcoming, pleasant, civil, nice, and down to earth. I'd heard Texans have that reputation, but the reality was even better.

Mdhuang, you wrote of a "growing" area--this is one. Within the next 10 yrs Texarkana is expecting lots of growth/development, as it will have new Interstate Highway added to the one already there (I-30 which runs through LIttle Rock, Dallas, etc) and will be one of the few places in the US where two interstate highways intersect.
For selfish reasons, I hope it doesn't grow too too much. My first trip there, i planned to get on the highway early to beat weekday morning rush hour traffic. There was none. Since you live in the Bay Area, you will understand what a treat an unclogged freeway was!

Milwuakee.

I live in Seattle and love it. There is a large Asian population - and a lot of new development. However, I do not consider it "diverse" as far as racially. Having lived in San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta and Cleveland - I consider it to be the least diverse city in the group - racially and financially. That is just my opinion - and I do belive that the Asian community is very active - and very welcoming - but if you are looking for representation from many ethnic groups, Seattle does not immediately come to mind.

Thank you everyone for the responses!!! They are really helpful in pointing us in the right direction, and all of your comments are giving us things to think about.

If possible, can you write specific cities you are talking about? For example, some of you wrote about Seattle, but there are so many cities in the area (Kirkland, Snoqualmie Ridge, etc.).

Also, my husband and I are willing to live in an area where it isn't as sunny.

Thanks everyone!

Hey Cali... 'my people' are from Tyler, Paris and Gladewater. Texarkana is in a really good spot. I would even go so far as to say the outdoor sporting opportunities rival California. Weather is mild and land is just dirt cheap and the people are just awesome.
The only downside is business opportunities. I have a virtual position at a high tech company. I -could- move back to NE Texas. But I fear I will get all settled in and get laid off. It would be really hard to get a similar job in Texarkana. I'd have to come back to Dallas. One day I'll get back...

Generally speaking the outlying areas are all less "diverse" than in the city itself (Seattle).