provided a rich environment for growing their careers. Greg, 45, is an accounting manager with Duke Energy Corp., where he’s worked for more than 20 years. Robyn, 44, is a 20-year veteran and project executive at IBM.
A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Greg attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, earning a B.S. in accounting. Robyn, who grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, also attended UNC Charlotte, earning a B.A. in mathematics. Recognizing the impending economic boom, Greg stayed in Charlotte after graduation. Robyn moved to Atlanta but returned to marry Greg in 1987. Since then, the couple has lived in the University Area, metropolitan Charlotte’s most diverse neighborhood.
People from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds have migrated to Charlotte from all over the North and South. The city attracts folks “looking for a big-city atmosphere but not a lot of the big-city problems,” says Robyn. Charlotte embraces diversity in business, culture, and politics, notes Greg. They have no children, but the Masseys believe that Charlotte’s good schools and low crime rate are positives for raising a family.
The couple, whose total household income exceeds $150,000, is looking to take advantage of the city’s entrepreneurial prospects. This past spring, they researched the pros and cons of opening a designer shoe store in a mall versus in a shopping strip.
The Masseys have found local business owners open to sharing information. “The supportive nature of the African American community here has made it very easy for us to network,” says Robyn, who has an M.B.A. from Wake Forest, “and get input on what we should be looking for as aspiring entrepreneurs.” —Cliff Hocker
5
HOUSTON
“Rocket City’s” fall from grace as be’s best city for African Americans in 2001 can be tied to a soaring black unemployment rate, high violent crime rate, above average medical cost index, and moderate future job growth, compared to other top 10 finalists. Five other top cities fared better than Houston in terms of its median black household income ($35,562), percentage of black households earning more than $50,000 annually (29.1%), and number of black homeowners (51.8%).
Houston received high satisfaction ratings from respondents for quality of life. Indeed, the city’s cost of living index is well below the national average and second only to Memphis. The average price for a new home, at just under $180,000, is the best among the top 10 cities. Next to Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, black businesses abound in Houston, which has 30 African American residents for every black business. Moreover, African Americans constitute 25% of 2 million residents and own nearly 24,286 businesses, more than one-fifth of the city’s total.
The city’s industry has diversified from petrochemicals to include space technology (NASA’s Johnson Space Center is nearby) and medical technology (Houston’s Texas Medical Center is one of the country’s premier health research and care campuses). Although Enron remains a sore spot with regard to the city’s business community, Houston is corporate headquarters for 18 Fortune 500 companies.
A recent study on racial profiling in the