Aug 3 2004
This month, in its July 2004 issue, Black Enterprise magazine released the 10 Best Cities for African Americans to live, work, and play. There is a striking resemblance between the 2004 listing and the 2001 ranking. Readers once again selected Washington, DC, as the second best city for African Americans.
As in the 2001 survey, 4,000 participants were asked to evaluate their level of satisfaction with 21 "quality-of-life" factors. While all factors were weighted equally, four were of high priority: income earnings potential, cost of living, housing prices, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Based on the survey results, the following cities were selected as the 10 best for African Americans:
- Atlanta, GA
- Washington, DC
- Dallas, TX
- Nashville, TN
- Houston, TX
- Charlotte, NC
- Birmingham, AL
- Memphis, TN
- Columbus, OH
- Baltimore, MD
"We are excited about the ranking," said Mayor Anthony A. Williams, "The District of Columbia has always been a place where African Americans have prospered. Opportunities in government service and national and international non-profit organizations continue to attract African Americans to our city. My administration is working to expand entertainment, retail, hospitality, and high tech jobs in the DC region. It is our overall vision to make the District a better place to live...for all of us."
Best Cities respondents expressed general discontent with the quality of their public schools, the availability of day care facilities, and the relationship between local police and African American communities.
To read the article on Best Cities, visit http://www.blackenterprise.com/ExclusivesEKOpen.asp?id=793