View Full Version : Seattle is the fifth Whitest Big City



HOT ROD
10-27-2014, 08:55 PM
I couldn't help but note in today's Seattle times print edition where they had an article about Seattle being a very white city. I find this interesting because Seattle has a stereotype/image of being multicultural but the stats are farthest from this. I tried to find the digital version of the story to no success but Tacoma radio station KPLU had a similar article with the same stats, so I'll post that instead.

Why is Seattle such a white city? | I Wonder Why ... ? from KPLU (http://www.kpluwonders.org/content/why-seattle-such-white-city)

Highlights
1) Portland 72.2% (holy cow)
2) Colorado Springs 70.7%
3) Louisville 68.3%
4) Omaha 68%
5) Seattle 66.3%

....

Tulsa 57.9%
13) Oklahoma City 56.7%
Nashville 56.3%
Jacksonville 55.1%
KCMO 54.9%
...
Denver 52.2%
Austin 48.7%

Interesting to note is that not only is Seattle 66.3% white but the percent white is increasing YoY. King County, not including Seattle, is not that much different, also significantly above 60% (but a little more diverse that the city). This is interesting because it reverses the trend nationwide AND significantly discounts a commonly help misperception that coastal cities are quite diverse.

Now, I must confirm that Seattle is very integrated with segmentation based on economics and NOT race. But this was an interesting finding to me and there does seem to be a lack of visible diversity here in the US Pac NW (Vancouver, that's a totally different story). Also interesting is Portland OR is the MOST white city in the US.

Anybody else surprised by this study? Thoughts?

CuatrodeMayo
10-27-2014, 09:17 PM
I imagine the majority of the remaining 33.7% are Asian.

Jake
10-27-2014, 11:54 PM
Lol at Portland.

Isn't its whole angle being different and diverse?

Not saying Portland is wrong for being white or anything but...wow.

Urbanized
10-28-2014, 06:36 AM
This came up during the court case surrounding the Sonics-to-OKC move. Opponents of the move tried to play the diversity card with the NBA, suggesting it shouldn't move from a cosmopolitan, diverse city like Seattle to a cowtown where everyone was surely white (and probably racist). They got their comeuppance when it was proven that not only would OKC not be the least diverse in the league (in fact I think that there were 4 or 5 less diverse cities according to the testimony), but that Seattle was among the 1 or 2 least diverse. It was just one more example of the cultural arrogance that played a role in the unsuccessful attempts to force the Sonics to stay.

Urbanized
10-28-2014, 06:46 AM
Phew. The comments in that article are actually WORSE than what you'd see in The Oklahoman.

And by the way...where is SLC in that list?

bchris02
10-28-2014, 07:39 AM
Lol at Portland.

Isn't its whole angle being different and diverse?

Not saying Portland is wrong for being white or anything but...wow.

It comes down to politics. In the Pacific NW, their white population is very liberal and racial tension is very low. As Hot Rod pointed out, segregation is primarily economic but racially the city is very integrated. Southern cities tend to be racially segregated and also politically segregated according to racial affiliations i.e. whites vote Republican, minorities vote Democrat. Also, sometimes "diversity" doesn't mean racial diversity but acceptance of non-traditional lifestyles.

FighttheGoodFight
10-28-2014, 08:27 AM
It comes down to politics. In the Pacific NW, their white population is very liberal and racial tension is very low. As Hot Rod pointed out, segregation is primarily economic but racially the city is very integrated. Southern cities tend to be racially segregated and also politically segregated according to racial affiliations i.e. whites vote Republican, minorities vote Democrat. Also, sometimes "diversity" doesn't mean racial diversity but acceptance of non-traditional lifestyles.

I mean couldn't racial tension be less because there are less minorities? It is easy for people to not be overtly racist if a city has 72% white people.

bchris02
10-28-2014, 08:46 AM
Meh, sure. Seattle has a lot of white people, but a whole heap of them are European too and migrated. A lot of English and Dutch and as already mentioned, Asians. I'd rather have Seattle diversity over OKC diversity because in my opinion, it represents a much wider diversity of thought, background, and origin than OKC. There's a ton of white Okies in OKC. It's a running joke that no-one is actually "from" Seattle. This is one of those situations where the racial profile only tells you the color of skin, not the diversity of thought and nationality.

This.

Diversity isn't just race but also thought and lifestyle. There is less pressure to conform to a societal norm in a place like Seattle or Portland.

okclee
10-28-2014, 09:09 AM
There has been discussions for a few years now about a new type of "white flight" that has been going on, with Seattle, Portland, Denver, & Minneapolis leading the way.

bchris02
10-28-2014, 09:12 AM
There has been discussions for a few years now about a new type of "white flight" that has been going on, with Seattle, Portland, Denver, & Minneapolis leading the way.

Those cities with the addition of Austin and San Francisco are easily the most politically correct and admired cities of our era.

dcsooner
10-28-2014, 09:29 AM
The really positive aspect of the article for is the fact the Seattle would even ask the question of themselves. The fact that Seattle desires diversity and demoans the fact that the city may not be as diverse as advertised is really admirable. I do not think OKC or Oklahomans as a whole hold that perspective.

Jersey Boss
10-28-2014, 09:40 AM
I couldn't help but note in today's Seattle times print edition where they had an article about Seattle being a very white city. I find this interesting because Seattle has a stereotype/image of being multicultural but the stats are farthest from this. I tried to find the digital version of the story to no success but Tacoma radio station KPLU had a similar article with the same stats, so I'll post that instead.

Why is Seattle such a white city? | I Wonder Why ... ? from KPLU (http://www.kpluwonders.org/content/why-seattle-such-white-city)

Highlights
1) Portland 72.2% (holy cow)
2) Colorado Springs 70.7%
3) Louisville 68.3%
4) Omaha 68%
5) Seattle 66.3%

....

Tulsa 57.9%
13) Oklahoma City 56.7%
Nashville 56.3%
Jacksonville 55.1%
KCMO 54.9%
...
Denver 52.2%
Austin 48.7%

Interesting to note is that not only is Seattle 66.3% white but the percent white is increasing YoY. King County, not including Seattle, is not that much different, also significantly above 60% (but a little more diverse that the city). This is interesting because it reverses the trend nationwide AND significantly discounts a commonly help misperception that coastal cities are quite diverse.

Now, I must confirm that Seattle is very integrated with segmentation based on economics and NOT race. But this was an interesting finding to me and there does seem to be a lack of visible diversity here in the US Pac NW (Vancouver, that's a totally different story). Also interesting is Portland OR is the MOST white city in the US.

Anybody else surprised by this study? Thoughts?

http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-05.pdf
The 2010 census lists these cities of over 100,000 as having the highest % of white people.
Hialeah, FL
Arvada, CO
Billings, MT
Fargo, ND
Fort Collins, CO
Boise City, ID
Springfield, MO
Scottsdale, AZ
Spokane, WA
Cedar Rapids, IA


I wonder about the discrepancy between the list of the op and that from the gov. website. Also wondering as to why it is assumed that the reference is to Portland Oregon and not Portland Maine.

bchris02
10-28-2014, 09:46 AM
^^^ The list in the OP likely only includes cities over a certain population either in city proper or metro area. A full list includes a lot of small towns and suburbs.

Jersey Boss
10-28-2014, 09:48 AM
^^^ The list in the OP likely only includes cities over a certain population either in city proper or metro area. A full list includes a lot of small towns and suburbs.

"The 2010 census lists these cities of over 100,000 as having the highest % of white people."

adaniel
10-28-2014, 09:49 AM
Phew. The comments in that article are actually WORSE than what you'd see in The Oklahoman.

And by the way...where is SLC in that list?

Dear God, I wish I had seen this warning before I clicked on it. WOW

I'm thinking they excluded SLC because the city proper is quite small (less than 200K), this looks to be a list of only the top 50 cities.

Now, do I find this list to be surprising? Not at all. It really comes down to history and opportunity.

I look at my own familiy, particulary my dad's family, who are originally from a roughly 60 mile radius from Memphis. During and shortly after WWII, a lot of them picked up and moved to places they knew they could get jobs. My grandfather moved to OKC to work in what is now Tinker, and quite a few of his brothers moved to Los Angeles because they knew they could get jobs in the war plants. A lot of their friends they grew up with moved to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Gary and got jobs in the steel mills. Even today, it is not uncommon in Memphis and Northern Mississippi during the summer months to see scores of cars with IL/IN tags. Its people coming down to see family.

I know Washington State had a few war plants, but outside of that, why would anyone from the South have moved to the Pacific Northwest? It was too isolated and simply did not have the level of opportunity. This was true of black migration back then and somewhat true of Hispanic migration today. This is not to say that Chicago and LA were/are pits of racial harmony (far from it) but they do now at a minimum have established black communites, among others, that the NW do not have. A person of color would be fine today in a place like Seattle or Portland but there is simply not that familiarity or "comfort level" there compared to other places.

It is important to note that largely white =/= racist, nor does socially liberal=/=racially tolerant. FWIW Portland's small minority population should surprise no one who is even remotely familiar with the history of Oregon.

Jake
10-28-2014, 10:12 AM
It is important to note that largely white =/= racist, nor does socially liberal=/=racially tolerant.

^^ Bingo.

Didn't mean to seem like I was ragging on Portland or Seattle. I wrote that comment when I was tired, so it maybe came off kind of jerkish.

hoya
10-28-2014, 10:12 AM
Meh, sure. Seattle has a lot of white people, but a whole heap of them are European too and migrated. A lot of English and Dutch and as already mentioned, Asians. I'd rather have Seattle diversity over OKC diversity because in my opinion, it represents a much wider diversity of thought, background, and origin than OKC. There's a ton of white Okies in OKC. It's a running joke that no-one is actually "from" Seattle. This is one of those situations where the racial profile only tells you the color of skin, not the diversity of thought and nationality.

I'm calling BS on that. A friend of mine moved to Seattle, and the first thing someone there told him is "hey this place is great, there are hardly any black people." It's easy to be racially tolerant when everyone looks like you. I've visited Seattle, it's a beautiful city. I'm sure it's very welcoming if you're gay, or you're a Wiccan, or you're a vegan, or fall into any kind of non-traditional social group. Diversity? Sure, Seattle is welcoming to rich white people of all backgrounds.

White Peacock
10-28-2014, 12:51 PM
It's a non-issue in my book. If a black family moved to Seattle or Portland, they wouldn't likely be treated any differently than a white family moving into the same neighborhood. I've only spent a bit of time in Seattle (f*ck driving there!), but lived in Portland. The people there are laid back as it gets. It just happens to be mostly white, but it's not really by design nowadays. That said, the NW does attract a slew of white supremacists, and even laid back, liberal Portland has played host to a great deal of hate crimes. It's not behavior that's accepted by the general populace, but the NW White Flight brought in some undesirable ideologies that are scattered throughout Oregon, Idaho, and Washington.

That was more true in the 90s than it is now, although there's still a white supremacist current that rears its head just a bit more up there than it does in most other areas of the country. However, there's nothing within the cities proper that should be a deterrent for people of color who would otherwise choose to move there. It just is what it is. Calling out a city for being majority white is some sickening SJW bullsh*t.

hoya
10-28-2014, 04:39 PM
It's a non-issue in my book. If a black family moved to Seattle or Portland, they wouldn't likely be treated any differently than a white family moving into the same neighborhood.

So? If a black family moved into a neighborhood in OKC, I don't think they'd be treated any differently than a white family.

hoya
10-28-2014, 05:16 PM
Calling BS on what specifically?

That Seattle is somehow more diverse by having very few blacks and Hispanics. That the two largest minority groups in the country are severely underrepresented in the city of Seattle, but that because you have some English and Dutch families, you're more diverse.


2010 census clearly shows that Seattle isn't crazy white and in fact may actually be less white than OKC?

http://www.seattle.gov/DPD/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd016816.pdf

Oklahoma QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40000.html)

You're slipping, Sid. You've linked to Census Bureau information about the state of Oklahoma, not OKC.

Oklahoma City (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40/4055000.html)

White alone, not hispanic or latino: 56.7%

Seattle is pretty damn white.


In 2010, Seattle had 200K+ "persons of color" or 33% of the population. Different parts of the world have different populations migrate in. That makes a city more or less multicultural. Seattle has had orders of magnitude more of that, than OKC. Are we making the claim that we should count the total number of black people in the world, determine their proportion of the total global population, and make sure that each city has that number? Cause that's a really funny position. Funny in that it'd be fun to laugh at then frightening if people actually believed it. If approximately 12% of the worlds population is "black" then I'm really not worried too much about Seattle missing the multiracial or multicultural boat.

OKC had 250,000+ non-whites, or 43% of the population. Even if you include Hispanics as "white", we're still 37.3% non-white. It's still 216,000 non-whites. No one has ever claimed that each city must be a microcosm of global population. But Seattle is white.


If you don't think Seattle is multiracial due to a visit you had or you've got a friend with racist friends, I'm not sure what to tell you. There's the data and I live in Seattle. Again, my point was that looking strictly at color of skin is not a good measurement wholly for understanding the diversity of the city. Which I know wasn't the point of the article which I why I led with "meh". I'm not really buying the premise. Seattle and OKC have similar populations. Let's just count the number of language immersions schools or programs. It's really not even a contest. Seattle's 600K people vs OKC's 600K people if we are talking about diversity. If you really think that it is though, That was my point so maybe you just misunderstood that or I didn't articulate it very well. Or maybe your friend is a rich white person who never rides the bus, visits public parks, or has their kids in any urban schools?

The numbers don't lie, Seattle is not very racially diverse. Oklahoma City has a very large number of immigrants, many from Central and South America. We have a lot of Guatemalans and Colombians who have recently moved here. How many Indian tribes are represented in Seattle?

The guy who told my friend "it's great here, there are no black people" wasn't his friend. It was a guy at his job.

White Peacock
10-28-2014, 06:35 PM
So? If a black family moved into a neighborhood in OKC, I don't think they'd be treated any differently than a white family.

Did you read the rest of my post, or did you just stop there? My point is that these places happen to be majority white, and that means nothing whatsoever aside from the fact that they happen to be majority white. It's not an environment any more hostile to minorities than any other place in the States, and the percentage of whites to non-whites is a meaningless thing to point out.

bluedogok
10-28-2014, 07:58 PM
I love it when people try to be over the top politically correct to the point where they show themselves to believe in racial stereotypes more than most people. This opinion piece in The Denver Post last week about the Union Station renovation played into all the stereotypes. It was a complete load of crap. In fact my Hispanic wife thought it was ridiculous that this person just so overtly played into stereotypes (Hispanics = bright colors) and they actually printed the article.

Denver Post - Did diversity miss the train in Union Station's architecture? (http://www.denverpost.com/Entertainment/ci_26742711/Did-diversity-miss-the-train-in-Union-Stations-architecture)

Celebrator
10-28-2014, 09:21 PM
And I just don't like the elitist feeI I get in these cities (like "we have paradise here and if you don't live here, you're a fool"--I've gotten that vibe when I tell people where I am from...like a scrunched up puzzled look that says [LONG PAUSE] "Why would you CHOOSE to live there?") (haven't spend much time in MSP, though, I have to admit, but it seems like a Seattle wannabe from all I have heard from people who have lived in both cities). I find OKC to be much more friendly and laid back, actually. Those towns are just not my cup of tea...BEAUTIFUL, yes, but beauty is as beauty does.

HOT ROD
10-28-2014, 10:13 PM
the list I posted was for the top 50 largest cities, hence the appearance of Tulsa on the list.

I had the same reaction as urbanized, I recall all of the postering around here about OKC but the one I couldn't get over was the claim that OKC wasn't diverse. I even tried to point out to folks that OKC has well established minority communities and even ghettos; something Seattle does NOT have.

However, living in Seattle is nice in that people don't really care too much about skin colour. As Sid noted, there are European immigrants here and Asian is the largest ethnic (but not 37%). There are hoods in Seattle, like Ballard, where you'd feel more like you're in Scandinavia than the US. It is somewhat of a money city, you have money then no matter who you are you can enjoy this or that. If you got the money, you can buy a house anywhere and live in peace. Although I do have to admit that there is a slant in Seattle against African Americans (see case studies on the Seattle Police Department, for example). It's sickening and likely due to the fact that the few minorities that are here are also economically challenged.

The largest ethnic, Asian (which I believe is around 24%), prospers quite well here. Interesting, Vietnamese is the largest Asian group here just like it is in OKC. I thought it was Chinese or Taiwanese; we have a significant section of the city (called Beacon Hill) which is probably the closest to a Chinese ghetto/neighborhood as it gets. I even added to the Seattle Chinese numbers with my wife and infant son btw. But nope, Vietnamese. They own a large number of the Asian businesses too.

Mel
10-28-2014, 11:30 PM
So New Orleans is a chocolate city and Seattle is a white chocolate city. Or it could be called almond bark city.

RadicalModerate
10-29-2014, 07:55 AM
So New Orleans is a chocolate city and Seattle is a white chocolate city. Or it could be called almond bark city.

. . . or perhaps a "Quadruple Stuff Oreo City"?

traxx
10-29-2014, 12:10 PM
The first comment after the article:


What is it about white liberals who seem to need to go through this hand-wringing about race? It's hard to imagine 2 black people who are residents of Detroit sitting around obsessing about "Why is Detroit so black?" As for the term, "multicultural", we need rather to think of the goal is to be a multiracial nation with one culture. Victor David Hanson says it best: "The very affluent, mostly white, liberal people who use it (the word 'multicultural') don't actually want the police in their neighborhood to have the culture of Mexican officers. They don't want to be treated with the same medical protocols that prevail in China. They don't want their daughters to have clitorectomies as in Sudan.........what they really mean is they want a core culture that is Western, enhanced by exotica on the periphery, such as fashion, food, literature, and movies."

RadicalModerate
10-29-2014, 12:26 PM
The first comment after the article:

I recon all I can say is . . . what the f-*** does one mean by "race" . . . is it something akin t' human?
(that isn't a snarky/troll/remark . . . just in case it wasn't clear =)

RadicalModerate
10-29-2014, 12:43 PM
I think that a factor in this discussion, leading to statistical analyses of subjects, such as this, is the fact that many of the kids and uberkids making these sorts of metaphorical statistical determinations weren't even alive when there were serious, everyday issues in play. I will admit that where I grew up the minority group was mostly Hispanic and the only five "black people" in my schools (including the U of C) were athletes or cheerleaders.

Since those primitive times . . . c. '65 to '72 . . . I have, here in Oklahoma, learned to appreciate the common qualities of good people.

Regardless of color.

One thing that I've noticed is: The Common Denominator of Folks Who Share My Perspective Here is Gray. =)
Regardless of "race".

And that is just a little bit sad, it you think about it . . . =)

I have to admit, that, while doing a couple of walking laps around the Myriad Gardens, this morning, and smoking a cigar, in order to capture the beauty of Autumn, I tried to steer clear of those Mormon Guys sharing "My Space" . . . and simply replied, "Really Well" . . . in response to the "How you doin' today . . ?"

RadicalModerate
10-29-2014, 12:54 PM
DP due to Matrix BS (and that is just a little bit sad, it you think about it . . . =)