One of the benefits of living in Vallejo, and the one aspect that keeps me here is the racial diversity of the city. According to Wikipedia, Vallejo is made up of (as of the 2000 census) 116,760 people, 39,601 households, and 28,245 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 36.0% White, 23.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 24.2% Asian, 1.1% Pacific Islander, 7.9% from other races, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.9% of the population.

I’ve lived in places like Atlanta in the 1990’s where I could go days, sometimes weeks, without seeing an Asian or Latino person. Some might say, so what, what‘s the big deal about race? But for someone who grew up in Berkeley, California, it is important because diversity is what I’m accustomed to, and I think being able to co-exist with a variety of people from various backgrounds helps you become a more compassionate human being.

Vallejo is much like a city close by, Oakland. Here are a few statistics about Oakland--

According to the 2000 U.S. census, (from Wikipedia) Oakland and Long Beach, California are the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States; more than 150 languages are spoken in Oakland.

In the census of 2000, there were 399,484 people, 150,790 households, and 86,402 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 35.66% African American, 23.52% White, 0.66% Native American, 15.23% Asian American, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 11.66% from other races, and 4.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.19 percent of the population.

More recent census data is readily available for Oakland, but since this blog isn’t about Oakland…

Vallejo is barely a third the size of Oakland but the level of diversity is very similar. The block I live on is incredible in itself - if you went door to door you would encounter people of German, Mexican, Italian, English, African, Philipino and Norwegian descent. We co-exist quite nicely (with the exception of one or two nutcases sprinkled in, but hey, nothing is perfect) on our street and are even beginning to find ways to be more cooperative and cohesive in this new economy.

Out of all of the Solano County cities, Vallejo is the most well-rounded. Take Vacaville for instance -- (from Wikipedia) As of the 2000 census, there are 88,625 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city is 72.11% White, 10.02% African American, 0.97% Native American, 4.18% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 6.74% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races. 17.88% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

I point to Vacaville as an illustration of just how unique Vallejo is in this region. Vacaville is a perfectly fine city, don’t get me wrong…especially if you like Las Vegas type weather. I won’t even talk about neighboring Napa County, where you can still get the derogatory N-word shouted at you if you’re driving too slow, and I’m not referring to the hip-hop version.

In a nutshell, Vallejo’s diversity is one of its many strengths, but how do we begin to truly make it work for us? That remains to be seen.