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Black exec got good home value, but trade-off is sense of isolation
02:53 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2005
In 1990, the city of Coppell had fewer than 30 black households earning
six-figure incomes.
During the 10 years that followed, that number more than quadrupled to
139 households, though blacks still represent only a fraction of the
city's population.
Using several affluence measures, Coppell ranks among the area's top
communities for black residents. It has the highest proportion of
college-educated black people. It also has the fourth-highest median
income for black households.
Kevin and Terri Davis are examples of the black professionals who have
moved to Coppell in recent years.
The couple bought their four-bedroom house shortly before getting
married in 2002. They looked for homes in other nearby cities, but
Coppell had better schools, said Mr. Davis, a vice president for
marketing at Sabre Holdings.
The Davises have no children, but good schools mean good house resale
value, he said.
The Dallas Morning News spent several months examining the
dynamics of affluent black households in the Dallas-Fort Worth
metropolitan region. The News analyzed U.S. census data from 1990
to 2000, comparing the growth in upper-income black households locally
and nationally. Reporters interviewed families, demographers, economists
and educators, as well as civic, business and religious leaders about
the status of black residents in the region.
Ms. Davis works for the Crystal Charity Ball, a nonprofit group that
raises money for children's charities in Dallas County in part by
throwing one of Dallas' most lavish society parties of the year.
Mr. Davis, who often works long hours, said they also wanted a new home
that he didn't have to worry about.
"You don't want to have your house breaking down," he said. "You don't
have time for repairs. Many people don't even have time to call a repair
person."
When it comes to cleanliness, safety and services, he said, Coppell is
great.
But Coppell also seems less personal to Mr. Davis than the Chicago
neighborhood where he grew up. He moved to Valley Ranch in 1996 from
Indiana, where he went to graduate school.
"Where I grew up, everyone knew everyone else," he said. "Here, people
move in and out. There's more of a natural inclination to keep to
yourself."
Mr. Davis said he doesn't know whether there are other black families in
his neighborhood.
"I'm used to being around a low African-American population," he said.
"But I'm hoping our community will become more diverse."
For now, his social circle is his church and the organizations with
which he is involved. He is the president of the Dallas-area chapter of
the National Black MBA Association and is active with the alumni group
for Indiana University, where he earned his graduate business degree.
He and his wife attend church at The Potter's House, a largely black
nondenominational church in Oak Cliff with more than 28,000 members.
Driving to church is different for Mr. Davis, who used to walk to a
nearby Catholic church in his old Chicago neighborhood.
But his wife attended The Potter's House before they married, so he
joined her.
E-mail jlafleur@dallasnews.com
