Cities In Transition
Though many Americans are experiencing greater diversity in their neighborhoods, there is lingering polarization.
The rate of integration has slowed in recent decades, according to demographers. Here, white and black mothers chat as they enjoy the sun at the Alfred E. Smith housing development in New York, May 1956.
Segregation In America: 'Dragging On And On'
Racial segregation in the U.S. housing market has ebbed since it peaked around 1960. But even in 2011, few American neighborhoods are truly integrated, according to demographer John Logan. "Black-white segregation is a phenomenon that is dragging on and on," he says.
Job seekers read their resumes as they stand near a bulletin board with job posting fliers on it at the Arizona Workforce Connection West Valley Career Center in Phoenix. Foreign-born workers have had better employment prospects than U.S. natives.
In Phoenix, Foreign-Born Workers Find Jobs Faster
In 2010, U.S.-born workers lost more than 1 million jobs while foreign-born workers gained more than a half-million nationwide. Experts in Phoenix say foreign-born people are more likely to get employed faster because they are more willing to take any job, at any pay. Researchers say the trend could change the national workforce long-term.
Economists say unemployment is high in Portland and wages are low. But the city is still attracting young, white professionals from the Northeast and Midwest.
History Hinders Diversification Of Portland, Ore.
Although the city is slowly growing more diverse, it still remains one of the most homogeneous big cities in the U.S. Many of the residents are young, white professionals, most of whom are not from there. What has helped keep Portland majority white? Its whiteness.
D.C., Long 'Chocolate City,' Becoming More Diverse()
February 15, 2011 The nation's capital earned the nickname because of its longtime majority black status. But now Washington is defying trends seen in many other large U.S. cities and becoming whiter. Some people point to housing costs and cost of living as the reasons for the shift.
Cities In Transition: Some Shifts, Continued Flight()
February 15, 2011 Minority populations are growing and moving around the country, but despite greater diversity in neighborhoods, racial segregation has scarcely improved. Patterns of segregation in the past decade show that Hispanics and African-Americans continue to live in non-integrated communities.
America's Shifting Populations()
February 14, 2011 Here, you can explore nearly 100 years of racial patterns for each state. Roll over with your mouse to see changes over time.
