Quote:
Originally posted by Munchkin03
Things are segregated in New England to be sure, but the diversity here in Providence trumps that in my hometown, which has been listed as one of the most integrated cities in the US (in part due to the military bases). I love the fact that I can get Portuguese sweet bread, buy the same Italian groceries I was able to get in Rome, and get my hair cut at a shop run by Nigerians--all in the same relatively small town. If that is not diversity, I'm not sure what is.
On the other hand, segregation exists here, and much of it is on socioeconomic lines. On my side of town (the East Side), there is little integration because it caters to the student bodies of two universities, their faculty, and the professionals who want to live in the most elite section of town. This population is almost overwhelmingly white. The poorest sections of town, separated from the downtown and East Side due to 1960s urban renewal in the form of the construction of I-95 (which I blame entirely for the segregation in Providence), are overwhelmingly African-American and Latino. However, if one was to go to some of the other neighborhoods (Mount Pleasant and Silver Lake come to mind), they are extremely diverse, yet working class.
As another Southerner in New England, I love it here (although this past winter was trying). I've had opportunities here that I did not have in my smaller town, and since I'm becoming quite the pedestrian, the fact that an amazing rail network exists between the major cities of the Eastern Seaboard makes this the perfect place for me for this stage in life.
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Umm...I live on the East Side...and I work in Pawtucket...
I guess when you move somewhere, you compare it to wherever you are from. In Houston, my family was upper-middle class, living across the street from an African American family, next door to a Hispanic family and two doors down from a Vietnamese Family. That has not been my experience here. It is unusual for me to be living in a segregated area. I look at diversity through different eyes, more as an intermingling and constant interaction, not merely as tallying up who is represented within the metro area...Does that mean that I am right and others are wrong? No. I am sure that some people would find Houston different if they moved there from Providence.
Side note: Why the heck can I not find Malt-O Meal anywhere? I have tried Shaw's, Sto and Shop, Eastside Mktpl., Target, Wal-Mart...no Malt-O Meal!!!
Side, Side note: This past winter was my first winter...I had never seen snow other than on mountaintops...so please, tell me that was a fluke winter or something
Side, Side, Side note: We have nothing like Waterfire in the South and I like Waterfire. I went for the first time last weekend and it was really neat.
