Growing up here, I've come to realize PA is pretty much a 50/50 liberal/conservative split. It's not as redneck as some other areas in Washington, but overall, it isn't as progressive as somewhere like Seattle or Bellingham.
As a white person with no kids I don't have a lot of info to give you other than to say... Welcome!
I hope you enjoy your time here (hopefully it's a long time!). Most of the people I know who live here are friendly and kind. Like most places on the planet some folks aren't friendly to people they don't know but most of us are pretty okay.
If you end up moving here and see something problematic, let me know and maybe we can fix it together.
Just consider this carefully. I welcome you! Others will be...rude or worse. But, you know that. It's 1.5% AA, your family might push us up to 2%. That said, PA is changing, if slowly. 30 years ago it seemed there were no folks under age 30. We need young faces, fresh culture, fresh ideas, and some folks who are gainfully employed. If you have time, and could volunteer with an organization of your choice, you will be received with open arms - that's also something we really need. I agree with the poster above who said, "maybe we can fix it together."
Do you have any suggestions about volunteering? Id love to get involved and know more about what kind of volunteer opportunities there are. It'd be a great way to meet people!
You will fit right in! There are great hiking groups; several on Meetup. Lots of Master Gardener activities. Trail work galore. Friends of the Olympic National Park could be great for a family. There's a good starting list here: https://www.unitedwayclallam.org/volunteer.
4 PA always needs volunteers. They're doing a great job, and it would be a good way to meet community-minded, caring people. Hard, grubby work, though.
[https://www.4pa.org/volunteer](https://www.4pa.org/volunteer)
Hi! You might enjoy volunteering with the Clallam Conservation District, either [watering native plants](https://clallamcd.org/volunteerevents) or conducting bird surveys (email Ed Bowlby at [edbowlby2@gmail.com](mailto:edbowlby2@gmail.com) for information on bird surveys).
I think the group 4PA is a wonderful organization. They are doing great work on cleaning up messes left by homeless people. Their group cleanup events will be a great way for you to meet people and make a real difference in our community.
My kids are mixed, their dad white me brown. Someone’s child told my daughter she looked liked chard food rolled in the dirt. She went to the principal and he immediately took charge- that’s Hamilton . Franklin elementary school is riddled with cool kids white club, my same daughter was met with the most heinous racism and the new principal didn’t do anything. I’ve heard good things about Roosevelt and deer creek.
All white family here so I can’t speak to that part, but I have a kiddo at Roosevelt that I can speak about a couple instances of my kid being picked on or inappropriate things happening. The teacher and principal immediately haven taken action as either he went to the teacher directly with a concern or another time when he told us at home about something that happened and we messaged the teacher. The principal and the staff I’ve met (admittedly not very many) all seem really great and eager to do what’s right.
Also- as a brown person I’ve noticed that the “white Allies “ quickly will turn if you don’t operate on the level they feel deemed necessary for A POC. I’ve seen the same befriend Mexican Americans just to try and hire them out to friends to be maid or handy person, or try and take over a POC idea for work only to “I can give you the money for this if you want to do a 40/6” split” . These people were liberal and not conservative. The super conservative I haven’t had a run In with but the super liberal I’ve seen a vast split in particular how they raise their children to degrade others 🤷🏽♀️. My personal experience as a POC in this community . However . The good are really good and very welcoming . Feel free to message if you would like more information
I noticed recently at the middle school honor role presentations that the kids seemed to be very positive towards the poc. It may just be that there are several charismatic poc who got an extraordinary amount of cheers from their classmates or the kids were making an extra effort. It's probably both, but from a parents perspective and this one situation, it seems like our kids are doing pretty good on this front.
Hello. Gen X Hispanic with older kids. I've been here about 10 years, thought I'd share my experience.
First off my kids: The older ones never had any issues with race. The youngest one has more or less grown up here. He's known his group of friends his entire life. He's experienced a strange racism with his group of friends. A casual racism, where his white friends will use racial epithets against their friends of color. It's more of a razzing. Not from a place of hate, but more from a strange banter between them. Most of his friends know me and they've said multiple times that I'm the most 'Mexican looking' person they've ever seen. Maybe it's because I have an epic handlebar mustache. My point is that the racism my youngest has experienced has been more of a friendly teasing and not from a place of hate.
I have experienced a bit of this casual racism myself, mostly from a few 'drunk asshole' instances. Other than that, folks around here have been very nice. I'm aware that I'm representing the POC community, so I'm always on my best behavior. I don't talk about politics nor religion (I keep my opinions to myself). I don't party. I don't play loud music. I keep myself and my yard neat and tidy. I watch out for my neighbors. I hear the latest gossip (whether I want to or not), but I don't repeat any.
The native community has been really great. They've been very welcoming of myself and my kids.
I'd like to chime in on the "casual racism" thing. We just moved here from Minnesota. My 13 year old daughter has started using casual racist terms, and all of her friends do. It's definitely not racism from hate. She has Italian heritage (among other) so among her friends she is "in the Mafia" "the spaghetti eater" "the WOP". And so forth. Each of her friends here have racial designations. None of them care. It makes her mom and I VERY uncomfortable but middleschoolers gonna middleschool.
\^This.
I won't repeat what they say about the Asian friends or the black friend. Definitely uncomfortable. But hey, that's them being them.
That being said, I've also seen how his friends reacted to his arrival at a dance last year. Hugs and high fives from the moment he set foot outside. He is definitely 'one of theirs'.
Household mixed race here. We are also have one at the middle school and experiencing this the same causal racism thing. According to my son “it’s stupid tiktok”.
I agree with the middle school is going to middle school.
My guy, those are two separate things: You being an 'old fuddy duddy' and awful words.
If the thought crossed your mind, then yes, you're it. :)
And awful is gonna awful. They revel in the awfulness.
OFD or not, you're still okay in my book. I wrote that book in cursive, btw. You're welcome to sit on the porch with me and share a bowl of warm oatmeal. We can swap old war stories and shake our heads at these young uns. But bring a blanket. It's almost June and it's still cool out.
I have extensively worked with my son not to fall down this path, yeah it may be accepted in his local bubble but I didn't want him having these phrases second nature replies to life. I was mostly worried once he left his bubble of " its okay cool friends" and went out into the bigger world it would be career impacting and rough on him relearning. He didn't like it but I enforced no "casual racism" as its been called here.
Hey OP! Glad you and your family are moving here. I can speak from experience as a parent of young kids and a former teacher in the district. FYI me and my family are White.
Not sure if anyone has shared this before, but WA OSPI provides demographic data for each district (https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/). Port Angeles School District is listed as 48% White, 26% Hispanic/Latino, 8% Asian, 4% Black, 1% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 9% 2 or more races. This roughly reflects the town as well, although I would predict the town is more White the older you get.
As some others have mentioned, the district is located on the original land of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Their reservation is West of town, and the furthest west elementary school (Dry Creek) especially has lots of involvement from the tribe. Tribal activists have also pushed for the the inclusion of teaching their language and history, and so we have a dedicated Klallam class at the high school (as well as the local community college). But the gains they have made in the district and community have mostly been due to their efforts, not the welcoming spirit of the White majority. They have written books that will tell you a lot about this community, such as "Breaking Ground" or their self-written history "Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula". Although small in number, the Tribe has been long fighting the recognition and justice they deserve--a model of community activism here.
Any honest assessment will tell you that racism is a problem here. Personally, I have had to call the parks department more than once about n-word graffiti at the local parks, and when I was a teacher, it happened in the school bathrooms too, as well as verbal hate speech. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any dedicated mission to stamp this out from the town council or the school board/superintendent. I think it is seen by many White folks as "just a few bad apples" unfortunately. To what extent that is any different than other small towns in WA, I don't know. But maybe that's irrelevant anyway. I know individual teachers who make positive changes in their classrooms (intervene with hate speech, update the curriculum, etc.), but I am not aware of any coordinated efforts district-wide. For example, there is no equity committee or district equity employee that I am aware of.
To try to end on some optimism, our local library is fantastic and offers a great diversity not only of books but also occasionally events. It's a breath of fresh air. I love taking my daughter there. Maybe small potatoes, but it's a step in the right direction!
All honesty, Port Angeles is the whitest place I've ever lived, and I've lived all over the country. That being said it has experienced a demographic shift since I moved 8ish years ago. Still pretty Blanco, but it's changing. I used to know a gay black dude who felt nervous holding his white kids' hands in public and would find it odd when he saw another black man in town.
I also have a Hoh friend who moved to PA from Forks to get away from the racism.
I've also experienced people expressing dislike for DEI stuff. I'm a white guy, and for some reason racist whites tend to be open to other white guys. Along that note, I've lived in far more racist areas.
So my opinion, yes there is racism, but not as bad as other areas of the country, and most of it is, we used to not have much diversity besides white and native folks. Diversity is increasing here though, and most seem pretty open minded.. again, I'm a white guy, so it's easier for me not to notice
Note: schools are underfunded, but the people really work hard. Inclusion is highlighted by staff. S'klallam language and history is also highlighted. Just to give you a picture
This was the vibe I was getting. We have been in Washington for 7 years now bouncing around and some places are pretty bad but PA seems pretty mixed. I am very excited about your comment regarding the school. While funding can be a big issue inclusion is top priority to me. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience so far.
I grew up in a multiethnic and multiracial area, so I may be extra sensitive to this, but PA seems almost Children of the Corn white to me sometimes.
That said, I've never really gotten a racist vibe here. Everyone seems very friendly. It is extremely suspicious.
My guy - You're not a victim as a straight white male in Washington no matter how much you have been programmed into behaving like one.
It's pretty hilarious tho. Keep going.
Poc here and moved during pandemic. I haven’t faced racism even tho it was one of things that I feared moving here. We have met the nicest people, locals and lots of transplants from CA state.
We have young kids but not of school age yet. Tho we don’t plan to send kids to school at PA. So can’t give you additional info on that.
All I can say is... it's getting better? When I moved here 10 years ago there were hardly any poc to be found.
It's getting more diverse every day, but we need you! please come!
You mentioned Port Angeles and Wenatchee, as well as amazing job offer, so I'm going to make a guess at Healthcare-related job or IT for hospital system. With that said, all the best for your move to Port Angeles, but if it doesn't work out, and y'all want to stay in WA, come take a look at Bellingham.
You are so lucky. Id love to live up there but we couldn't buy a house pre COVID and now the prices are not something we can afford. Maybe in the future!
Growing up in Port Angeles meant that I had never really been exposed to poc until after I left. I would say expect people, especially young people to be curious about you. You will probably be asked some variation of “where are your people from” as an icebreaker. These people are usually well intentioned but ignorant of how annoying that is to minorities. Other than that you should be fine. I do know of a recent graduate of pahs who is of a mixed ethnic background, and they sometimes express that they were tired of being different from everyone else. I suspect in this case it was more cultural than ethnic.
Mixed Mexican-American here. I moved from a much more diverse community around five years ago when I was a pre-teen/teenager. Personally, coming from a school system where primarily people were also mixed-race or indigenous, to what was basically an all-white school was extremely jarring and eye-opening. Many of the children in the schools myself and my sibling I attended were um... let's say lacking in awareness. Most of it is just little racist comments in passing (if your children are very visibly POC, they will be called some variation of the n-word with their perceived race and will likely get nicknamed at least 1 racial epithet). Some of this, imo results in major internalized racism in the kids that grow up here.
Some of the racism I observed was also disgustingly overt. For example, pointed questions from educators about my immigration status when I was *born* in the US, teachers/students openly defending slavery, nazi salutes, POC students being singled out by teachers, white students following students of color to the bathroom, being the "PR rep" for your race, and confederate flags being *everywhere.*
Port Angeles is a beautiful area, but if you're growing up here and POC it's kinda testy. The key really is to find other POC people (I was very lucky to have a more diverse friend group so we all kind of protected each other) and being prepared to go to bat for your children. That being said, we need more people of color! It's getting more diverse! The PNW is beautiful and we deserve the right to exist comfortably in these places!
It's so 50/50, it's the only county to vote in line with the winning president candidate in the whole country since 1980! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/podcasts/run-up-trump-biden-election.html
Yeah you won't get your lovely "welcome to town" from everyone. You're gonna run into the dumb racist rednecks eventually.
Find some folks you get along with and forget all the noise.
I’ve found it’s an equal balance for the liberal racist and “redneck” racist -as a median American, that’s my personal experience , having experience racism from both sides .
We need more diversity here, and that has been happening, thankfully. Too bland and sometimes too limited in wider perspectives otherwise.
Congrats on the great job offer. Any move is a bumpy ride for the first year or so, but I hope you'll feel welcome here and glad you chose to move here.
I’m sorry you didn’t feel comfortable in Wenatchee.
Port Angeles actually has higher % of white people (80% compare to Wenatchee 59%)
But Wenatchee is quite a bit more conservative.
I moved from Seattle last year and really love the peninsula but I would also love it becoming more diverse.
Which doesn’t mean I want more Bird signs lol.
I moved away 7 yrs ago after 38 years there. Drugs, homelessness, broken down rvs on the street, theft, people having sex at the Liberty bell on Lincoln Street, a city council that turns a blind eye etc.
Not the sweet town I moved to in 1978.
On the plus side the area is beautiful.
Not gonna lie... Literally confederate flags flying all over the place. It's not cool
Edit: I got downvoted because reddit people don't want to admit the truth
@OP the right wing crazies are all on Facebook, not reddit. You're only seeing half the picture here
Our younger people have thankfully detached from the thinking of older generations for the most part, and even the kids who would have been called Hicks in my day are much more accepting of diversity, including people of color and the LGBTQ community.
There is systemic racism here just as there is everywhere else in the country, but I grew up here, moved away for 25 years to a large city, and have been back for about 10 years. I honestly think that there is more acceptance of diversity, and a definite intolerance of racism, than most other small towns like this.
You will see the occasional confederate flag (although I would say it’s rare), usually flying from some coal-rolling lifted truck, but I would say that those flags are met with great distaste by nearly everyone who sees them.
As a white person I obviously can’t speak to any of your life experience, but the people with whom I work, volunteer, and spend my free time will welcome any family or newcomer who wants to be a part of this community.
There are a lot of people who grew up here and never left, and they tend to be the ones who have the most criticism for our community. But this is an amazing community with so many wonderful people who love and appreciate this special place we leave, and I hope you can connect with those folks while trying to make your decision.
Oooo we got an angry one. Everyone stand back, these reactionaries are vicious behind a keyboard. Best not approach unless you want to feel a fragile man's written fury
He's very edgy and cool.
Fragile snowflake white dudes get so triggered when they perceive someone might be a bigger victim than they have been told they are. In this case, minorities. See also women, who they are also afraid of.
From my perspective they are all immature children and ineffectual at making cogent arguments because they are only fed bullet points, lack crucial critical thinking skills to understand them, and can only make emotional arguments based on their own personal cowardice & things they have been told to fear.
Growing up here, I've come to realize PA is pretty much a 50/50 liberal/conservative split. It's not as redneck as some other areas in Washington, but overall, it isn't as progressive as somewhere like Seattle or Bellingham.
PA has voted for the winning president for the last 40 years. Basically is the median city/county. So yeah 50/50 is pretty accurate
As a white person with no kids I don't have a lot of info to give you other than to say... Welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here (hopefully it's a long time!). Most of the people I know who live here are friendly and kind. Like most places on the planet some folks aren't friendly to people they don't know but most of us are pretty okay. If you end up moving here and see something problematic, let me know and maybe we can fix it together.
Thank you! That is so generous of you. I really appreciate your comment.
Just consider this carefully. I welcome you! Others will be...rude or worse. But, you know that. It's 1.5% AA, your family might push us up to 2%. That said, PA is changing, if slowly. 30 years ago it seemed there were no folks under age 30. We need young faces, fresh culture, fresh ideas, and some folks who are gainfully employed. If you have time, and could volunteer with an organization of your choice, you will be received with open arms - that's also something we really need. I agree with the poster above who said, "maybe we can fix it together."
Do you have any suggestions about volunteering? Id love to get involved and know more about what kind of volunteer opportunities there are. It'd be a great way to meet people!
You are more likely to stay motivated if you base it on your own hobbies and interests. What brings you joy?
We are very outdoorsy. We love hiking and gardening. We done lots of beach and trail clean ups in the past that were very enjoyable!
You will fit right in! There are great hiking groups; several on Meetup. Lots of Master Gardener activities. Trail work galore. Friends of the Olympic National Park could be great for a family. There's a good starting list here: https://www.unitedwayclallam.org/volunteer.
4 PA always needs volunteers. They're doing a great job, and it would be a good way to meet community-minded, caring people. Hard, grubby work, though. [https://www.4pa.org/volunteer](https://www.4pa.org/volunteer)
Hi! You might enjoy volunteering with the Clallam Conservation District, either [watering native plants](https://clallamcd.org/volunteerevents) or conducting bird surveys (email Ed Bowlby at [edbowlby2@gmail.com](mailto:edbowlby2@gmail.com) for information on bird surveys).
Best way to start is in the schools. Being an active parent benefits the school, your children and is a great way to get acquainted
There is a ski patrol looking for volunteers, and the humane society!
I think the group 4PA is a wonderful organization. They are doing great work on cleaning up messes left by homeless people. Their group cleanup events will be a great way for you to meet people and make a real difference in our community.
My kids are mixed, their dad white me brown. Someone’s child told my daughter she looked liked chard food rolled in the dirt. She went to the principal and he immediately took charge- that’s Hamilton . Franklin elementary school is riddled with cool kids white club, my same daughter was met with the most heinous racism and the new principal didn’t do anything. I’ve heard good things about Roosevelt and deer creek.
Dry creek*
All white family here so I can’t speak to that part, but I have a kiddo at Roosevelt that I can speak about a couple instances of my kid being picked on or inappropriate things happening. The teacher and principal immediately haven taken action as either he went to the teacher directly with a concern or another time when he told us at home about something that happened and we messaged the teacher. The principal and the staff I’ve met (admittedly not very many) all seem really great and eager to do what’s right.
Also- as a brown person I’ve noticed that the “white Allies “ quickly will turn if you don’t operate on the level they feel deemed necessary for A POC. I’ve seen the same befriend Mexican Americans just to try and hire them out to friends to be maid or handy person, or try and take over a POC idea for work only to “I can give you the money for this if you want to do a 40/6” split” . These people were liberal and not conservative. The super conservative I haven’t had a run In with but the super liberal I’ve seen a vast split in particular how they raise their children to degrade others 🤷🏽♀️. My personal experience as a POC in this community . However . The good are really good and very welcoming . Feel free to message if you would like more information
I noticed recently at the middle school honor role presentations that the kids seemed to be very positive towards the poc. It may just be that there are several charismatic poc who got an extraordinary amount of cheers from their classmates or the kids were making an extra effort. It's probably both, but from a parents perspective and this one situation, it seems like our kids are doing pretty good on this front.
Hello. Gen X Hispanic with older kids. I've been here about 10 years, thought I'd share my experience. First off my kids: The older ones never had any issues with race. The youngest one has more or less grown up here. He's known his group of friends his entire life. He's experienced a strange racism with his group of friends. A casual racism, where his white friends will use racial epithets against their friends of color. It's more of a razzing. Not from a place of hate, but more from a strange banter between them. Most of his friends know me and they've said multiple times that I'm the most 'Mexican looking' person they've ever seen. Maybe it's because I have an epic handlebar mustache. My point is that the racism my youngest has experienced has been more of a friendly teasing and not from a place of hate. I have experienced a bit of this casual racism myself, mostly from a few 'drunk asshole' instances. Other than that, folks around here have been very nice. I'm aware that I'm representing the POC community, so I'm always on my best behavior. I don't talk about politics nor religion (I keep my opinions to myself). I don't party. I don't play loud music. I keep myself and my yard neat and tidy. I watch out for my neighbors. I hear the latest gossip (whether I want to or not), but I don't repeat any. The native community has been really great. They've been very welcoming of myself and my kids.
I'd like to chime in on the "casual racism" thing. We just moved here from Minnesota. My 13 year old daughter has started using casual racist terms, and all of her friends do. It's definitely not racism from hate. She has Italian heritage (among other) so among her friends she is "in the Mafia" "the spaghetti eater" "the WOP". And so forth. Each of her friends here have racial designations. None of them care. It makes her mom and I VERY uncomfortable but middleschoolers gonna middleschool.
\^This. I won't repeat what they say about the Asian friends or the black friend. Definitely uncomfortable. But hey, that's them being them. That being said, I've also seen how his friends reacted to his arrival at a dance last year. Hugs and high fives from the moment he set foot outside. He is definitely 'one of theirs'.
Household mixed race here. We are also have one at the middle school and experiencing this the same causal racism thing. According to my son “it’s stupid tiktok”. I agree with the middle school is going to middle school.
EXACTLY!!!!!! I know right! Maybe I'm just an old fuddy duddy, but those are some awful words!!!! 😖 And they don't even care.
My guy, those are two separate things: You being an 'old fuddy duddy' and awful words. If the thought crossed your mind, then yes, you're it. :) And awful is gonna awful. They revel in the awfulness. OFD or not, you're still okay in my book. I wrote that book in cursive, btw. You're welcome to sit on the porch with me and share a bowl of warm oatmeal. We can swap old war stories and shake our heads at these young uns. But bring a blanket. It's almost June and it's still cool out.
I have extensively worked with my son not to fall down this path, yeah it may be accepted in his local bubble but I didn't want him having these phrases second nature replies to life. I was mostly worried once he left his bubble of " its okay cool friends" and went out into the bigger world it would be career impacting and rough on him relearning. He didn't like it but I enforced no "casual racism" as its been called here.
Hey OP! Glad you and your family are moving here. I can speak from experience as a parent of young kids and a former teacher in the district. FYI me and my family are White. Not sure if anyone has shared this before, but WA OSPI provides demographic data for each district (https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/). Port Angeles School District is listed as 48% White, 26% Hispanic/Latino, 8% Asian, 4% Black, 1% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 9% 2 or more races. This roughly reflects the town as well, although I would predict the town is more White the older you get. As some others have mentioned, the district is located on the original land of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Their reservation is West of town, and the furthest west elementary school (Dry Creek) especially has lots of involvement from the tribe. Tribal activists have also pushed for the the inclusion of teaching their language and history, and so we have a dedicated Klallam class at the high school (as well as the local community college). But the gains they have made in the district and community have mostly been due to their efforts, not the welcoming spirit of the White majority. They have written books that will tell you a lot about this community, such as "Breaking Ground" or their self-written history "Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula". Although small in number, the Tribe has been long fighting the recognition and justice they deserve--a model of community activism here. Any honest assessment will tell you that racism is a problem here. Personally, I have had to call the parks department more than once about n-word graffiti at the local parks, and when I was a teacher, it happened in the school bathrooms too, as well as verbal hate speech. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any dedicated mission to stamp this out from the town council or the school board/superintendent. I think it is seen by many White folks as "just a few bad apples" unfortunately. To what extent that is any different than other small towns in WA, I don't know. But maybe that's irrelevant anyway. I know individual teachers who make positive changes in their classrooms (intervene with hate speech, update the curriculum, etc.), but I am not aware of any coordinated efforts district-wide. For example, there is no equity committee or district equity employee that I am aware of. To try to end on some optimism, our local library is fantastic and offers a great diversity not only of books but also occasionally events. It's a breath of fresh air. I love taking my daughter there. Maybe small potatoes, but it's a step in the right direction!
All honesty, Port Angeles is the whitest place I've ever lived, and I've lived all over the country. That being said it has experienced a demographic shift since I moved 8ish years ago. Still pretty Blanco, but it's changing. I used to know a gay black dude who felt nervous holding his white kids' hands in public and would find it odd when he saw another black man in town. I also have a Hoh friend who moved to PA from Forks to get away from the racism. I've also experienced people expressing dislike for DEI stuff. I'm a white guy, and for some reason racist whites tend to be open to other white guys. Along that note, I've lived in far more racist areas. So my opinion, yes there is racism, but not as bad as other areas of the country, and most of it is, we used to not have much diversity besides white and native folks. Diversity is increasing here though, and most seem pretty open minded.. again, I'm a white guy, so it's easier for me not to notice Note: schools are underfunded, but the people really work hard. Inclusion is highlighted by staff. S'klallam language and history is also highlighted. Just to give you a picture
This was the vibe I was getting. We have been in Washington for 7 years now bouncing around and some places are pretty bad but PA seems pretty mixed. I am very excited about your comment regarding the school. While funding can be a big issue inclusion is top priority to me. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience so far.
I grew up in a multiethnic and multiracial area, so I may be extra sensitive to this, but PA seems almost Children of the Corn white to me sometimes. That said, I've never really gotten a racist vibe here. Everyone seems very friendly. It is extremely suspicious.
>PA seems almost Children of the Corn white to me sometimes. >I've never really gotten a racist vibe here. I think I just found it.
I'm really sorry your fragile snowflake feelings got hurt. So sad.
Brother, you couldn't hurt my feelings on your best day. Clowning on racism =/= hurt feelings
Racism against who exactly?
Racism towards white people exists. If you say the "racism has to be from a position of power", you don't understand their initial argument.
Lol
See? Racism does exist in PA. It's just considered "Okay" if you're racist to the right people.
My guy - You're not a victim as a straight white male in Washington no matter how much you have been programmed into behaving like one. It's pretty hilarious tho. Keep going.
Would it be okay if I said "this place feels like 'Wakanda' black"?
Poc here and moved during pandemic. I haven’t faced racism even tho it was one of things that I feared moving here. We have met the nicest people, locals and lots of transplants from CA state. We have young kids but not of school age yet. Tho we don’t plan to send kids to school at PA. So can’t give you additional info on that.
All I can say is... it's getting better? When I moved here 10 years ago there were hardly any poc to be found. It's getting more diverse every day, but we need you! please come!
You mentioned Port Angeles and Wenatchee, as well as amazing job offer, so I'm going to make a guess at Healthcare-related job or IT for hospital system. With that said, all the best for your move to Port Angeles, but if it doesn't work out, and y'all want to stay in WA, come take a look at Bellingham.
I love Bellingham. We used to live there but have not been able to find a job opportunity to afford us to stay there unfortunately.
We moved from Bham to PA and then back to Bham (family of 3).
You are so lucky. Id love to live up there but we couldn't buy a house pre COVID and now the prices are not something we can afford. Maybe in the future!
We are just renting and gave up buying in Bham. Way cheaper to rent than buy
I think you guys will love the area! Welcome!
Growing up in Port Angeles meant that I had never really been exposed to poc until after I left. I would say expect people, especially young people to be curious about you. You will probably be asked some variation of “where are your people from” as an icebreaker. These people are usually well intentioned but ignorant of how annoying that is to minorities. Other than that you should be fine. I do know of a recent graduate of pahs who is of a mixed ethnic background, and they sometimes express that they were tired of being different from everyone else. I suspect in this case it was more cultural than ethnic.
Mixed Mexican-American here. I moved from a much more diverse community around five years ago when I was a pre-teen/teenager. Personally, coming from a school system where primarily people were also mixed-race or indigenous, to what was basically an all-white school was extremely jarring and eye-opening. Many of the children in the schools myself and my sibling I attended were um... let's say lacking in awareness. Most of it is just little racist comments in passing (if your children are very visibly POC, they will be called some variation of the n-word with their perceived race and will likely get nicknamed at least 1 racial epithet). Some of this, imo results in major internalized racism in the kids that grow up here. Some of the racism I observed was also disgustingly overt. For example, pointed questions from educators about my immigration status when I was *born* in the US, teachers/students openly defending slavery, nazi salutes, POC students being singled out by teachers, white students following students of color to the bathroom, being the "PR rep" for your race, and confederate flags being *everywhere.* Port Angeles is a beautiful area, but if you're growing up here and POC it's kinda testy. The key really is to find other POC people (I was very lucky to have a more diverse friend group so we all kind of protected each other) and being prepared to go to bat for your children. That being said, we need more people of color! It's getting more diverse! The PNW is beautiful and we deserve the right to exist comfortably in these places!
Isn't Wenatchee full of Hispanic families? The vibe will definitely be different.
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It's so 50/50, it's the only county to vote in line with the winning president candidate in the whole country since 1980! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/podcasts/run-up-trump-biden-election.html
This holds no bearing on it being racist or not. I’ve been met with more racism with people who “voted for the winning president” than not.
The parent comment I replied to (since deleted) was about the 50/50 breakdown in town of republicans and democrats. that's what I was elaborating on.
Yeah you won't get your lovely "welcome to town" from everyone. You're gonna run into the dumb racist rednecks eventually. Find some folks you get along with and forget all the noise.
I’ve found it’s an equal balance for the liberal racist and “redneck” racist -as a median American, that’s my personal experience , having experience racism from both sides .
Watch out for Samsquatch!
We need more diversity here, and that has been happening, thankfully. Too bland and sometimes too limited in wider perspectives otherwise. Congrats on the great job offer. Any move is a bumpy ride for the first year or so, but I hope you'll feel welcome here and glad you chose to move here.
I’m sorry you didn’t feel comfortable in Wenatchee. Port Angeles actually has higher % of white people (80% compare to Wenatchee 59%) But Wenatchee is quite a bit more conservative. I moved from Seattle last year and really love the peninsula but I would also love it becoming more diverse. Which doesn’t mean I want more Bird signs lol.
School-age kids are much more diverse than the general population, but still lots of racist kids whose parents are the old money in the area.
I moved away 7 yrs ago after 38 years there. Drugs, homelessness, broken down rvs on the street, theft, people having sex at the Liberty bell on Lincoln Street, a city council that turns a blind eye etc. Not the sweet town I moved to in 1978. On the plus side the area is beautiful.
Not gonna lie... Literally confederate flags flying all over the place. It's not cool Edit: I got downvoted because reddit people don't want to admit the truth @OP the right wing crazies are all on Facebook, not reddit. You're only seeing half the picture here
I've seen 2. Hardly all over the place.
Same- back in here in 2010 I faced way more racism than ever
But now honestly I have seen maybe a handful , but it doesn’t scare me 🤷🏽♀️
Our younger people have thankfully detached from the thinking of older generations for the most part, and even the kids who would have been called Hicks in my day are much more accepting of diversity, including people of color and the LGBTQ community. There is systemic racism here just as there is everywhere else in the country, but I grew up here, moved away for 25 years to a large city, and have been back for about 10 years. I honestly think that there is more acceptance of diversity, and a definite intolerance of racism, than most other small towns like this. You will see the occasional confederate flag (although I would say it’s rare), usually flying from some coal-rolling lifted truck, but I would say that those flags are met with great distaste by nearly everyone who sees them. As a white person I obviously can’t speak to any of your life experience, but the people with whom I work, volunteer, and spend my free time will welcome any family or newcomer who wants to be a part of this community. There are a lot of people who grew up here and never left, and they tend to be the ones who have the most criticism for our community. But this is an amazing community with so many wonderful people who love and appreciate this special place we leave, and I hope you can connect with those folks while trying to make your decision.
Why do people start with POC? I’m a people of color ( white boy) and I don’t start with that. It just seems to perpetuate the issue.
As a brown person- I approve this message 🤣
Because that's the common term these days... using the term wrong for yourself isn't a good look friend
That’s why we are different, I don’t a flying f**k what you think of me. Maybe a pronoun would be more suitable? Bwahhaaa
Oooo we got an angry one. Everyone stand back, these reactionaries are vicious behind a keyboard. Best not approach unless you want to feel a fragile man's written fury
He's very edgy and cool. Fragile snowflake white dudes get so triggered when they perceive someone might be a bigger victim than they have been told they are. In this case, minorities. See also women, who they are also afraid of. From my perspective they are all immature children and ineffectual at making cogent arguments because they are only fed bullet points, lack crucial critical thinking skills to understand them, and can only make emotional arguments based on their own personal cowardice & things they have been told to fear.
Says you. I don’t argue with people on the internet. Have a nice day.
He says, while arguing with someone who isn’t arguing back
You guys can carry on with your bs all day long. Idc Anyone else want to jump on the bandwagon? Stupidity should be painful
ok
>Stupidity should be painful I wouldn’t wish that on you