Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No, you're absolutely right, and you make some great points. I would not consider any country in Latin America advanced, but I do believe some are industrialized while others are making some progress. I would like to think that Argentina (specifically Buenos Aires) is leading the pack.
However, I would still consider Latin America to be a part of the 'Western World' because despite their 3rd world status, culturally they do share similar characteristics with North America and Western Europe.
But back on topic, I think it's easier to identify the least and most segregated cities than states. 'The most segregated state' could mean a number of things - it could mean that all of the cities and towns of a state are segregated, it could also mean one particular ethnic group can only be found in one region of a state while another resides in a completely different region, or it could mean a specific ethnic group can only be found in the city limits of a state while other ethnic groups may live outside it.
I would say the most segregated states these days are going to be in the Midwest followed by the Northeast. The South has obviously made the most effort in integration over recent years, and there is just as much integration as there is segregation out in the West. While there are many segregated neighborhoods and communities in the Northeast, it appears that there is at least some interaction going on amongst other ethnicities. Whereas in the Midwest, there are parts where depending on where you're living, you may never have the opportunity to encounter people of an ethnicity outside of your own. This may not be true for all Midwestern states, but it seems to be the trend.
Along with Michigan as the OP suggested, I would also add in Illinois as one of the Most segregated states. It seems like the majority of ethnic minorities live in Chicago, an already segregated city, which is the northern half of the state, while the other half of the state is demographically the opposite.
Least segregated state I've visited was Colorado. It seems like every group blends into each other there, racially and economically. The state I consider to be 50/50 on segregation is California. Again, there seems to be equally as much integration as there is segregation there.
Illinois is a one major city state, so of course most of the ethnic minorities are in the Northeastern tip. There is some diversity outside of Chicagoland. Rockford is 62% white, 19% black, and 15% Hispanic. Peoria is 25% black, and Champaign-Urbana is 10-15% Asian and 15% black. Also in Southern Illinois by St. Louis, there is a large black population there too. I do agree for Chicago to be the largest city in the Midwest and Illinois, it's highly segregated. The smaller cities in Illinois like Rockford, Champaign-Urbana, and Peoria are more integrated regarding black/white.
Central MD between Baltimore and DC is very integrated - on my street alone there are several white and black families, two mixed white and black, a few asian households and some middle eastern people. There are no sorts of race issues, and I really mean that.
I don't know what the guy above is getting at because for some reason Montgomery and Howard County in central MD are both very affluent and constantly mentioned in "best places to live" polls and the like. So yes, integration works.
I would imagine it would be states in the west that have only recently had black arrivals like Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, or Arizona versus most states that have had a history of enforced segregation like Michigan or anywhere in the South or northeast. Mostly because there aren't any historically black neighborhoods in their major cities. These all have smaller but growing black populations that were not there 40 years ago. Although I think Denver is an exception but don't quote me. Although I have argued in other forums before that I think the north and midwest as a whole are more segregated NOW than the South.
I remember seeing a couple of years ago a list of cities classified by how racially divided (I think it was black/white only) their neighborhoods were. I can't remember where it came from. But it was overwhelmingly northern cities that were most racially divided when it came to black/white. I'm thinking Milwaukee was the most divided.
I would imagine it would be states in the west that have only recently had black arrivals like Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, or Arizona versus most states that have had a history of enforced segregation like Michigan or anywhere in the South or northeast. Mostly because there aren't any historically black neighborhoods in their major cities. These all have smaller but growing black populations that were not there 40 years ago. Although I think Denver is an exception but don't quote me. Although I have argued in other forums before that I think the north and midwest as a whole are more segregated NOW than the South.
I remember seeing a couple of years ago a list of cities classified by how racially divided (I think it was black/white only) their neighborhoods were. I can't remember where it came from. But it was overwhelmingly northern cities that were most racially divided when it came to black/white. I'm thinking Milwaukee was the most divided.
You'll see it to an extent everywhere, though, simply because a lot of people want to live next door to people like them. More and more, I think that's an issue of social class, not race or ethnicity, and neighborhoods everywhere are probably becoming more integrated. When I bought my house, I really viewed it as 'buying my neighbors,' so to speak. My neighborhood has a lot of different ethnicities, but they're all 30-40s and kinda boring like me.
Central MD between Baltimore and DC is very integrated - on my street alone there are several white and black families, two mixed white and black, a few asian households and some middle eastern people. There are no sorts of race issues, and I really mean that.
I don't know what the guy above is getting at because for some reason Montgomery and Howard County in central MD are both very affluent and constantly mentioned in "best places to live" polls and the like. So yes, integration works.
I agree that the Route 29 corridor between Columbia and Sliver Spring is diverse and integrated by East Coast standards. However, not all of Columbia is integrated. It is mostly integrated in the older villages with higher black populations like Harper's Choice, Wilde Lake, Long Reach and Owen Brown. The rest of the villages (i.e. Kings Contrivance, River Hill, Atholton) are thoroughly white areas. But if you veer too much east or west off of the 29 corridor, it is no longer integrated. The further you go west in Montgomery County, the whiter and more affluent it gets. The further east you go of 29 in the DC Area, the blacker it gets in PG County. There are almost zero whites in many towns in PG County. There are almost zero blacks in the more affluent areas of Montgomery County like Potomac, Bethesda and Chevy Chase.
In terms of urban areas, Northern California is exceptionally integrated. Many Bay Area towns like Oakland and Vallejo have an almost completely equal distribution of whites, blacks, Latinos and Asians making up the demographics of the cities. People of different races can be seen hanging out together and it is no big deal. Although Oakland gains reputation from its rough streets, it is home to some of the most integrated neighborhoods in America:
Last edited by LunaticVillage; 04-21-2013 at 09:51 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
