10 Best Cities In America For Black Families To Live 2026
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8. Columbus, Ohio – Cold Winters But Otherwise A Good City For Young Black Families
With a population of nearly 2 million, Columbus is a pretty large city. On our list because of the overall quality of life it offers, Columbus is ideal for big and small families alike.
Enjoy the multitude of parks around the city or cheer on the the Ohio State University Buckeyes with your family at a football game in the fall.
Columbus is great for those living on a budget because the cost of living and housing costs are both lower than many other cities of its size. Be prepared for the winters though as temperatures can easily drop down to the negatives.
9. Dallas, Texas
If you’re looking for a city that offers the best of both worlds, Dallas is it. This city is a great mix of the hustle and bustle of city life and the charming quiet and calm of the suburbs. Although Dallas is another huge city, the cost of living is incomparable to other cities. In fact, the cost of living is even lower than the national average.
Whether you’re a family looking to rent or own a home in the area, this is the place to start looking. The summer temperatures are reflective of the heat of Texas but the appreciation of diversity will make you want to stay forever.
10. African American and Caribbean Families, How About Seattle, Washington?
We promise, it doesn’t always rain in Seattle. Just pretty often. On the up side though, Seattle is another U.S. city where Black families are doing well economically and socially.
Aside from all of the popular and touristy things like Pike’s Place Market, Seattle’s unemployment rate and job market are booming. Additionally, Seattle has many beautiful places like Mount Rainier for family-fun weekend trips and entertainment.
The location of Seattle near the Pacific Coast also makes it perfect for the freshest seafood around!
10 Best Cities In America For Black Families To Live 2020
We’ve gathered these cities based on economic equality, livability and family-friendly activities. Whether you’ve just accepted a new job in one of these places or you just want to move your family to a better place, these 10 cities are great for Black families to live in America.
Since this was first written, we’ve also by popular demand looked at the best Atlanta neighborhoods for black people, so check that out too.
Do you live in any of these cities? If so, we’d like to know about your experiences in the comments section below.
Columbus Ohio has been great to us for over twenty years. We moved here straight out of college before we were married. We’ve now been married 20 years with 2 children. Job opportunities have been amazing,cost of living is low and there are great schools in the suburbs of Columbus. There are always plenty of festivals,concerts and activities. As well as a great Art museum, Science museum and zoo!
Clarissa? I lost contact with a friend who settled in Ohio. Your story sound similar to hers.
I would really like more information about Columbus as far the school system and entrepreneurship for African Americans. Also what are the safest area to live? Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Hi! Columbus is a very segregated city with not the best school system. My daughter was in Columbus City Schools for 6 years and it isn’t great. Black folks aren’t treated with the most respect here therefore there aren’t a lot of respected black owned businesses. However we recently moved to an area of Charlotte NC and LOVE it here. I think it’ll be the new Atlanta. Great for raising a family with Raleigh coming in second in my opinion. Hope this helps.
Thank you. This list provided only tells of places that are saturated with African Americans. Charlotte has more successful African Americans.
You are right. I moved to Columbus, Ohio from Florida because I had just graduated from FIU and working as a Fire Dispatcher. That job wrecked my nerves. It was my 7 year old daughter and myself. My cousin lives here and I thought I needed to be closer to family. I never experienced racism like I did here in Ohio. I worked for the police as a dispatcher because moving to another state, you get jobs your have experience in. I was the only black woman working in dispatch and I felt it. It was the first job I quit during my training and I was a very good dispatcher. Here in Ohio they make sure you know you are black and if I sound hurt, it is because I am and very much ready to move. My daughter came home one day from school and told me *****’s parents told her not to play with me because I am black. Where do these people come from? I did not know I would have to talk about skin color with my daughter at that age. Never experienced this in Florida. Cost of living is low and I see beauty around me but I want to live somewhere where my skin color does not determine how I would be treated. I do not like it here and ready to leave.
The cities of Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach, VA. are hiring and seeking more AAs in a highly AA populated metro. Hampton Roads, VA.
I’m so sorry to hear that you are going through this. I’m a black woman and I was thinking about moving there.
Yes, I agree with DW. I went to school in Hampton Roads and definitely did not feel a bit of racism or hear about any for that matter, probably because it’s home to a couple of HBCUs. The cost of living is also pretty cheap so that’s helpful to say the least.
To be perfectly honest, most African Americans will find virtually all locations in the US somewhat challenging for carrying out the basic functions of life. We all know this and I perfectly understand why many of us loathe to accept it. It shouldn’t be this way. This race stuff is like a compressed gas – once the genie was let out of the bottle, it was never going to stop spreading. And if you think it’s just in the US, that would only suggest you haven’t traveled abroad lately. The only saving grace I can see is that our genotype makes us uniquely capable to not only withstand this type of degradation, but to actually thrive within it! I’m an African American male who was born, raised, and educated in the south. Amazingly I was able to escape alive and without a prison record. I now live in Michigan as a retired mechanical engineer and former business owner. My wife, also African American and from the south, is a former officer in the USAF and currently a state auditor. We both can tell stories of amazing racially charged events in our lives that would have, but for the Grace of God, destroyed us and our futures. But we persevered and overcame them, just as you must! I know it’s hard, but you are uniquely qualified to win this thing. Just look at you – young and beautiful! They’re no match for you, no matter how hard they try. Take our advice, hold that head high and do your thing. They only demean you because they’re jealous!