White Flight - Myth or Reality? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: houses, college, wage)

[Baldy]

White Flight? What are the whites running from? Are they afraid of something?

Wouldn't a better name be "Pilgrims" looking for the Promised Land? Or are these Pilgrims racists that don't want non-white neighbors? If that's the case, why don't they want non-white neighbors? Are they so racist they are willing to drive hours a day to work just to avoid non-white neighbors?

I don't understand this at all. Just because blacks and browns (now I read that blacks are running from browns! Are blacks racist?) move into a block, does the block turn into a ghetto?

The biggest joke is that Africa and Mexico (S.A., too) are still primitive and dying for good workers. Problem is, whites tend to die real quick outisde their neighborhoods, but what's stopping blacks and browns from helping their mother countries.

I'm so confusing.

[CESpeed]

Originally Posted by Spincycle

Myth or Reality with respect to LA? SoCAL? All of CAL?

The steadily dwindling populations of white people in Los Angeles should answer this question sufficiently.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Why does Inglewood have a bad rep? It seems like most of it is a nice suburban community. Again, does it depend on what part of Inglewood you live in?

inglewood runs the gamut, from really ghetto to decent to quite nice. typically, the older the neighbors, the nicer the neighborhood. also, the worst parts of inglewood tend to be those with lots of apartment buildings, such as the one immediately to your right as you exit the 405N at la cienega, and the neighborhood surrounding inglewood high school.

at the opposite end of the spectrum are the few blocks of lower ladera near la cienega and fairview that are actually part of the city of inglewood. this area is just as nice and just as expensive as the rest of ladera heights, and the homes are of more modern construction. across la cienega along fairview, east to la brea, inglewood is perfectly livable, as is the area between crenshaw and van ness in the 70s. the city also has quite a few gated condominium and townhouse communities tucked away amidst the more squalid neighborhoods.

unfortunately, no matter where in inglewood one lives, the children are zoned to inglewood schools, which are universally lousy. families in the better neighborhoods there opt for private/parochial schools. st. bernard and st. mary's academy are (or were) among the popular choices nearby.

[Macross21]

Didn't see anyone bring up asians. Whites don't seem to mind asians? Areas like Arcadia, San Marino, South Pasadena, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Cerritos, Irvine, Walnut all have high white and asian populations. Is it because most asians have higher education and in turn higher paying jobs than most blacks and Hispanics? Or is it belief in the cultural sense that most asians keep quiet to themselves?

I am asian myself and have white neighbors that seem to prefer talking to me over my hispanic neighbors. And at times I get the sense they think I am white or I am acceptable(for what ever that means) by the way they talk to me. For instance my hispanic neighbor was playing mexican songs and one of my white neighbors actually came out his house to complain about it, but when I was playing my old Chinese songs he came over asked me to make a copy because he thought it was "mellow"? A few of the white guys in the neighborhood get together to watch baseball and have invited me over a few times but I didn't see any of the hispanic men in our neighborhood there. And a couple of the white wifes in the neighborhood ask my wife who is chinese if she could show them how to cook a few of the chinese dishes.

Also I rarely hear about racism against Asians, it's seems to be always about blacks or hispanics. I never heard anyone ever say "those asians are taking our jobs" or "those asians are bringing down our house prices". But Asians make up more than 12% of the LA population which is larger than the black community. Because of this I feel that whites don't mind living next to Asians?

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by Charles

Is Fairfax still pretty Jewish? Last time I was there maybe last spring or winter on my way to the Farmers Market and the Grove it was Little Ethiopia.

I notice more Jews in areas around La Brea these days then I do around Fairfax. However, the highest population of Jews from my experiences still reside in and around Pico/Robertson over near the Museum of Tolerance.

[CamaroGuy]

White flight is a real. It pretty much started with the Riots in 1992, then the quake in 1994.

[BRinSM]

White flight started way before 1992. My dad was born in LA in the 50s and lived near MacArthur Park and USC for his first few years, then moved to Fullerton. White flight has been going on since the 50s!

[Charles]

A lot of white flight occurred (at least in the San Fernando Valley) when busing got going in the 1970s. Many people jumped over the county line into Simi Valley. Moving to Simi enabled the dads to keep their valley jobs while allowing their kids to attend local schools. That, and the post Rodney King trial, contributed to the reputation that Simi is a pretty white place.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Charles

Actually, I did know that. Also, Pico and Riveria used to be seperate towns.

Community History in Words and Pictures: Pico Rivera

Is Fairfax still pretty Jewish? Last time I was there maybe last spring or winter on my way to the Farmers Market and the Grove it was Little Ethiopia.

I lived in Pico Rivera from 1985-89 till my (now) ex wife and I moved here to Arizona.........and, despite the enclave being mostly 'Hispanic' (Passons Blvd N of Whittier Blvd), I had no real problems there aside from punks with their loud car stereos cruising all hours of the night.

If anything; when we left, the area was improving.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Macross21

Didn't see anyone bring up asians. Whites don't seem to mind asians? Areas like Arcadia, San Marino, South Pasadena, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Cerritos, Irvine, Walnut all have high white and asian populations. Is it because most asians have higher education and in turn higher paying jobs than most blacks and Hispanics? Or is it belief in the cultural sense that most asians keep quiet to themselves?

I am asian myself and have white neighbors that seem to prefer talking to me over my hispanic neighbors. And at times I get the sense they think I am white or I am acceptable(for what ever that means) by the way they talk to me. For instance my hispanic neighbor was playing mexican songs and one of my white neighbors actually came out his house to complain about it, but when I was playing my old Chinese songs he came over asked me to make a copy because he thought it was "mellow"? A few of the white guys in the neighborhood get together to watch baseball and have invited me over a few times but I didn't see any of the hispanic men in our neighborhood there. And a couple of the white wifes in the neighborhood ask my wife who is chinese if she could show them how to cook a few of the chinese dishes.

Also I rarely hear about racism against Asians, it's seems to be always about blacks or hispanics. I never heard anyone ever say "those asians are taking our jobs" or "those asians are bringing down our house prices". But Asians make up more than 12% of the LA population which is larger than the black community. Because of this I feel that whites don't mind living next to Asians?

Even in the old Jim Crow South: the few Asians and 'Hispanics' (most of the latter were still racially White admittedly) were counted as 'White'.

In fact: Cheng and Eng Bunker; the original Siamese Twins (from Thailand) were ethnic 'Chinese', each married a White woman and had something like 18 children total.

The US Census back then counted their 'Eurasian' children as White---------and, some of 'me were slaveowners to boot!

All of this took place in Mt Airy, N Carolina ca. 1840.

Back to your observations: I have noticed that Asian immigrants to the USA as a group tend to assimilate-------and, fast. I know a woman from Cambodia who came here @ about age 10 without her parents, she was a refugee. Suffice to say; 30 years later, Sandy speaks English about as well as a native born American-------with a slight Southern twang.