Hi, what a great thread!
I'd like to add info here, in the hopes that it could be helpful to others. I'm white (from Canada), and my "DH" is from Peru (Andean background, so a visible minority). I grew up in neighborhoods in two big cities, where mixed couples were the NORM. Really. We moved here 3 years ago, and it was quite shocking to learn about the racism and ignorance that goes on, especially in rural areas. (Not to deny the racism in Canada, but here it seems more common).
Having said that, my husband absolutely LOVES our little town, NUNEATON. We ended up here by chance, as we were having trouble renting in Birmingham as newcomers. London was not affordable. So we ended up here, with the idea of starting out. But it's 3 plus years later, and my husband refuses to move from his beloved Nuneaton. People are down to earth and friendly. It's multicultural enough. He loves grocery shopping on Queens Road, where there is a large immigrant population. We go to Lidl, the Indain shop, and the Nepalese shop, for our basics. We go to Coventry to stock up on Japanese and E. Asian food ingredients (we lived in Japan). And we order or go to London for Peruvian ingredients. We live very near Weddington, which is part of the good areas of Nuneaton. Our son got into the best high school in the area (Higham Lane), which is actually among the top state schools in all of the West Midlands. Our daughter has started reception. Although her school is quite white (English and Polish mostly), there are enough visible minorities and mixed families for my husband to feel comfortable. He even feels comfortable with Polish families as well. And to tell you the truth, he loves English people too. His experience, as a self employed painter, has been overwhelmingly positive. He did have a bad experience in a tiny town (Measham), and was so happy to come back home to Nuneaton that day, where he feels safe.
We know other mixed families, some who moved up here from London, and they all feel comfortable.
It can get really boring, as there is nothing happening here. And a stroll through the town centre can feel annoying when disadvantaged folks are out and about swearing loudly. But we can easily take a weekend day trip to Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, etc.
By the way, more info!
A black friend from Canada has married an English man and lives in Warwick. She LOVES it there. All her white friends are highly educated and cultured, and liberal. She and her DH have had no problems there.
And one more tip. Leicester I hear is great too. Very multicultural, and it works. People say that the different ethnic groups are more united and friendly with each other, and it's more peaceful, compared to Birmingham. Indeed, we feel a good vibe there. Leicester is my husband's second fave town, after Nuneaton.
Don't listen to the people who say Nuneaton, Leicester etc are crap towns. Nonsense, if you live in a good area and are surrounded by like minded friends! And it's all relative. We moved here from Lima, Peru. And trust me, coming here straight from there, Nuneaton was like heaven when we first arrived. Safe, clean streets, orderly, friendly, laid back, etc. It's well connected by train and bus to other towns and cities, which helped us loads as we didn't have a car for 2 years. And it's great for the kids. My daughter runs off outside, so I'm glad it's not a busy city. Enough parks, and we even have Hartshill forest park. The only thing missing, for me, is the sea, sigh. But you can't have it all. AND with the money we save from having cheap rent, we can take holidays to the seaside in Spain. So I have no chance in convincing my DH to move elsewhere, lol!
Good luck everyone! I hope this info was helpful!