Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
Nashville listed as fourth-best city for blacks
Nashville is becoming an increasingly attractive place for African-Americans to call home.
Making its debut on the magazine's list, Nashville ranked fourth in the nation for best cities for African-Americans to live, according to July's issue of Black Enterprise.
The rankings are based on an online survey, as well as on measuring job opportunities, the business environment, length of commutes, quality of life and cost of living indicators, said Alfred Edmond, editor-in-chief of Black Enterprise.
<
r>''I think Nashville has its arms wide open to African-American businesses to come on board,'' said Edward Stevenson, owner of Kijiji Coffee House & Deli on Jefferson Street. '&#
39;The biggest challenge is finance, getting the capital that can sustain a b
usiness, but Nashville is a prime location for African-Americans to do business.''
The low cost of living in Nashville compared with other cities is the city's biggest draw, according to the magazine's report.
''Even if you have a medium-level income job, you don't need a lot of money to get a lot of home,'' Edmond said.
Memphis ranked eighth, while Atlanta topped the magazine's list.
''Combine greater perception of job opportunity with lower cost of living and you are going to attract some people,'' Edmond said.
Nashville's black unemployment rate is 7.5%, while the national black unemployment rate was 10.2% in March, which also help
ed move Nashville up the list, he said. The overall unemployment rate for the Nashville metro area in March was 3.9%, according to the Web site of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
And with
seven of the top 10 cities located below the Mason-Dixon line, this year's report corresponds with Census numbers indicating that black Amer
icans are moving in record numbers to the South. More than 680,000 blacks ages 5 and older moved to the South from another region between 1995 and 2000, outnumbering the 333,000 who moved away by a better than 2-1 margin, according to a Census Bureau report released last year.
Besides its business opportunities, some locals said, Nashville has other advantages compared with larger cities, including an emphasis on religion and family values.
''Dollar for dollar, your money goes a long way, but it's also a great city to raise a family,'' Stevenson said.
''People seem to be making a good living, and things will get better a
nd better for African-Americans,'' said Cathy Hunt, owner of Razzmatazz, a new and consigned clothing shop on Brick Church Pike. ''One of the most important things is, there are a lo
t of good churches. There's a big spiritual movement in Nashville.''
The number of higher education institutions also makes Nashville attractive, locals said.
''We've known t
hat Nashville was a special and dynamic city for quite some time, and it is always nice to be recognized by someone outside our city,'' said Dewayne Wright, Tennessee State University spokesman. ''One thing we hear a lot at TSU (about Nashville) is the access to college graduates. This certainly plays a big part in making any community attractive.''
Debbi Howard, a 1994 graduate of TSU and local Realtor, said she stayed in Nashville after graduation because of the city's growing black influence.
''The African-American presence is getting stronger every da
y,'' she said.
But many visitors and locals alike said the main attraction of Nashville and other Southern cities has to do with the hospitality.
''People ar
e very friendly here,'' said Michael Murry, a chemical engineer from Chicago who is visiting Nashville.
''I had an experience yesterday with someone letting me use their cell phone. That would never happen in Chicago.''
On the list
The top 10 c
ities for African-Americans to live, according to Black Enterprise magazine:
1. Atlanta
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Dallas
4. Nashville
5. Houston
6. Charlotte, N.C.
7. Birmingham, Ala.
8. Memphis
9. Columbus, Ohio
10. Baltimore
******************
GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!! Any city that sucks up to negroes will become negrophuckated beyond livability to non-negroes.
T.N.B.
Nashville is becoming an increasingly attractive place for African-Americans to call home.
Making its debut on the magazine's list, Nashville ranked fourth in the nation for best cities for African-Americans to live, according to July's issue of Black Enterprise.
The rankings are based on an online survey, as well as on measuring job opportunities, the business environment, length of commutes, quality of life and cost of living indicators, said Alfred Edmond, editor-in-chief of Black Enterprise.
<
r>''I think Nashville has its arms wide open to African-American businesses to come on board,'' said Edward Stevenson, owner of Kijiji Coffee House & Deli on Jefferson Street. '&#
39;The biggest challenge is finance, getting the capital that can sustain a b
usiness, but Nashville is a prime location for African-Americans to do business.''
The low cost of living in Nashville compared with other cities is the city's biggest draw, according to the magazine's report.
''Even if you have a medium-level income job, you don't need a lot of money to get a lot of home,'' Edmond said.
Memphis ranked eighth, while Atlanta topped the magazine's list.
''Combine greater perception of job opportunity with lower cost of living and you are going to attract some people,'' Edmond said.
Nashville's black unemployment rate is 7.5%, while the national black unemployment rate was 10.2% in March, which also help
ed move Nashville up the list, he said. The overall unemployment rate for the Nashville metro area in March was 3.9%, according to the Web site of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
And with
seven of the top 10 cities located below the Mason-Dixon line, this year's report corresponds with Census numbers indicating that black Amer
icans are moving in record numbers to the South. More than 680,000 blacks ages 5 and older moved to the South from another region between 1995 and 2000, outnumbering the 333,000 who moved away by a better than 2-1 margin, according to a Census Bureau report released last year.
Besides its business opportunities, some locals said, Nashville has other advantages compared with larger cities, including an emphasis on religion and family values.
''Dollar for dollar, your money goes a long way, but it's also a great city to raise a family,'' Stevenson said.
''People seem to be making a good living, and things will get better a
nd better for African-Americans,'' said Cathy Hunt, owner of Razzmatazz, a new and consigned clothing shop on Brick Church Pike. ''One of the most important things is, there are a lo
t of good churches. There's a big spiritual movement in Nashville.''
The number of higher education institutions also makes Nashville attractive, locals said.
''We've known t
hat Nashville was a special and dynamic city for quite some time, and it is always nice to be recognized by someone outside our city,'' said Dewayne Wright, Tennessee State University spokesman. ''One thing we hear a lot at TSU (about Nashville) is the access to college graduates. This certainly plays a big part in making any community attractive.''
Debbi Howard, a 1994 graduate of TSU and local Realtor, said she stayed in Nashville after graduation because of the city's growing black influence.
''The African-American presence is getting stronger every da
y,'' she said.
But many visitors and locals alike said the main attraction of Nashville and other Southern cities has to do with the hospitality.
''People ar
e very friendly here,'' said Michael Murry, a chemical engineer from Chicago who is visiting Nashville.
''I had an experience yesterday with someone letting me use their cell phone. That would never happen in Chicago.''
On the list
The top 10 c
ities for African-Americans to live, according to Black Enterprise magazine:
1. Atlanta
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Dallas
4. Nashville
5. Houston
6. Charlotte, N.C.
7. Birmingham, Ala.
8. Memphis
9. Columbus, Ohio
10. Baltimore
******************
GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!! Any city that sucks up to negroes will become negrophuckated beyond livability to non-negroes.
T.N.B.