Demographic trends of Atlanta MSA since 1980-2010

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Cameron H

Looks like America.

Now, I'll preface by saying that I look at people as people and was brought up in a very diverse city. Having said that, America is not half black, so how does Atlanta "look like America?"

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Having said that, America is not half black, so how does Atlanta "look like America?"

Metro Atlanta isn't half black either -- only about 30%.

The percentage of blacks in the city of Atlanta proper grew rapidly from the 1960s to the mid-80s, though it has been steadily dropping for the last 30 years.

[sean1the1]

Originally Posted by aries4118

For comparison--

Dallas:
US2010


Houston:
US2010

Based on these charts it just looks like Hispanics are the reason for so much growth more so in Houston than Dallas. While Atlanta has a growing black population.

[Cameron H]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Now, I'll preface by saying that I look at people as people and was brought up in a very diverse city. Having said that, America is not half black, so how does Atlanta "look like America?"

Originally Posted by Cameron H

OP was asking about the trend. America, like Atlanta, is becoming less white and more ethnically diverse.

I think I inadvertently pushed a button. Sorry about that.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

It just so happens that the metropolitan areas that grew steadily during both periods of time, like New York, Chicago, Boston, and to a lesser extent Philadelphia, have the widest variety of ethnic European, Asian and Latin American influence. The metropolitan areas that were comparatively inconsequential until the 1970's, like Atlanta, Dallas and Houston, have plenty of Asian and Latin American influence, but little or no ethnic European influence. Conversely, the "Rust Belt" metropolitan areas that grew rapidly early in the 20th Century but stalled late in the 20th Century, like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Buffalo, have an abundance of ethnic European influence, but comparatively little Asian or Latin American influence.

Nonsense. We have plenty of "ethnic" European influence here. They are just second or third generation, with the exception of our small yet burgeoning Eastern european community.

It's a common misnomer I've seen about the big four Southerner metros having diverse Asian and Latino populations, but a one dimensional White and Black population. By one dimensional I mean that those cities are mostly comprised of Southern whites and blacks. While all four cities certain have a large population of both, all four have large populations of transplants from the Midwest and Northeast who are the children of those early 20th century European immigrants. All four also have diverse black populations as well. I know for Atlanta that close a half million black residents are either native African (third largest native african population after New York and DC) or from the Caribbean as well as central and south America.

[waronxmas]

Here is some additional bits of interesting information from 2011 Census Bureau ACS about Atlanta's demographics:


Place of Birth

Total population 5,365,726

Born in United States 4,573,056 85.2%
Born in Georgia 2,577,507 48.0%
Born in a Different state 1,995,549 37.2%
Born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s) 81,485 1.5%
Foreign born 711,185 13.3%

Foreign Born Citizenship Status

Naturalized U.S. citizen 298,327
Not a U.S. citizen 412,858

WORLD REGION OF BIRTH OF FOREIGN BORN

Europe 64,311
Asia 203,446
Africa 69,767
Oceania 2,037
Latin America 361,886
Northern America 9,738 (I guess that means Canada)

Language Spoken at Home

Population 5 years and over 4,991,136
English only 4,112,886
Language other than English 878,250
Speak English less than "very well" 371,768
Spanish 465,651
Speak English less than "very well" 222,251
Other Indo-European languages 178,689
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 167,692
Speak English less than "very well" 84,494
Other languages 66,218
Speak English less than "very well" 15,079


People reporting a single Ancestry (This doesn't give an exhaustive/exact detailing, but I think it gives a good idea of what Atlanta's ethnic background is comprised of.)
Total: 3,765,404
Afghan 385
Albanian 3,949
Alsatian 231
American 511,704
Arab: 15,673
Egyptian 533
Iraqi 665
Jordanian 0
Lebanese 5,590
Moroccan 343
Palestinian 3,217
Syrian 1,215
Arab 2,270
Other Arab 1,840
Armenian 839
Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac 69
Australian 894
Austrian 2,573
Basque 140
Belgian 370
Brazilian 5,191
British 16,597
Bulgarian 2,044
Cajun 1,011
Canadian 3,465
Carpatho Rusyn 0
Celtic 543
Croatian 196
Cypriot 0
Czech 4,108
Czechoslovakian 771
Danish 3,829
Dutch 7,439
Eastern European 4,643
English 179,167
Estonian 88
European 50,437
Finnish 272
French (except Basque) 14,729
French Canadian 8,180
German 131,112
German Russian 137
Greek 7,597
Guyanese 6,486
Hungarian 5,058
Icelander 0
Iranian 6,549
Irish 129,478
Israeli 391
Italian 47,585
Latvian 625
Lithuanian 2,376
Luxemburger 765
Macedonian 727
Maltese 0
New Zealander 0
Northern European 2,737
Norwegian 6,167
Pennsylvania German 261
Polish 19,577
Portuguese 2,043
Romanian 3,811
Russian 14,888
Scandinavian 2,679
Scotch-Irish 36,826
Scottish 28,833
Serbian 350
Slavic 41
Slovak 1,264
Slovene 892
Soviet Union 0
Subsaharan African: 117,561
Cape Verdean 467
Ethiopian 9,810
Ghanaian 2,885
Kenyan 3,593
Liberian 1,774
Nigerian 14,430
Senegalese 706
Sierra Leonean 204
Somalian 7,021
South African 1,376
Sudanese 567
Ugandan 0
Zimbabwean 78
African 67,026
Other Subsaharan African 7,624
Swedish 8,208
Swiss 1,068
Turkish 3,231
Ukrainian 4,764
Welsh 5,808
West Indian (except Hispanic groups): 92,578
Bahamian 517
Barbadian 1,455
Belizean 262
Bermudan 678
British West Indian 1,911
Dutch West Indian 339
Haitian 18,045
Jamaican 56,754
Trinidadian and Tobagonian 3,500
U.S. Virgin Islander 374
West Indian 8,743
Other West Indian 0
Yugoslavian 4,096
Other groups 2,229,298

[waronxmas]

I just realized in my last post it only detailed African, Caribbean, and European ethicities with a few Latin and Asian ethnicities thrown in. Not sure why the Census Bureau did that, but here's everyone else:

People reporting a single Asian ancestry

Total: 256,844
Asian Indian 74,345
Bangladeshi 4,744
Cambodian 4,564
Chinese , except Taiwanese 38,482
Filipino 11,390
Hmong 3,249
Indonesian 1,310
Japanese 5,546
Korean 45,267
Laotian 3,290
Malaysian 598
Pakistani 7,094
Sri Lankan 1,002
Taiwanese 2,280
Thai 3,270
Vietnamese 41,233
Other Asian 6,498
Other Asian, not specified 2,682

People reporting a single Latin ancestry

Hispanic or Latino: 569,551
Mexican 324,166
Puerto Rican 47,320
Cuban 21,866
Dominican (Dominican Republic) 10,006
Central American: 100,911
Costa Rican 2,989
Guatemalan 36,411
Honduran 15,540
Nicaraguan 3,788
Panamanian 4,703
Salvadoran 36,974
Other Central American 506
South American: 53,679
Argentinean 3,110
Bolivian 154
Chilean 3,261
Colombian 27,677
Ecuadorian 5,339
Paraguayan 266
Peruvian 7,032
Uruguayan 1,501
Venezuelan 5,131
Other South American 208
Other Hispanic or Latino: 11,603
Spaniard 2,896
Spanish 1,675
Spanish American 0
All other Hispanic or Latino

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Nonsense. We have plenty of "ethnic" European influence here. They are just second or third generation, with the exception of our small yet burgeoning Eastern european community.

Very true, waronmxmas. I think folks sometimes forget how much of our local history and how profoundly many of our major local institutions were founded or influenced by "ethnic" Europeans.

[Nanosolar]

Why Gentrification? | Newgeography.com

Untold billions pumped into various Great Society type programs accomplished little that was sustainable. Indeed, many programs like urban renewal, yesterday’s urban planning conventional wisdom, turned out to be disasters for cities. Community organizing may have launched the career of President Obama, but it’s not clear how it has helped Chicago’s marginalized communities. Given the paucity of models other than gentrification, it’s easy to see the attraction.

But the gentrification model in most places is simply too narrow to move the needle or produce any benefits down the economic ladder. It is imperative that urban thinkers and leaders try harder to find models that provide more inclusive and broadly-based and socially sustainable benefits.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Acknowledging that it is the whitest of the three does not negate the fact that Atlanta is the blackest of the three.


This is not an "either-or" situation.

Great point.

As one growing up in the southeast, the only ethnic discussion for years was the black/white discussion. Having other groups in the mix is still a new phenomenon to many of us. As for Texas, the hispanic population has been a part of the mix for much longer than GA or other southeastern states. Some might think that Dallas and Houston are whiter when in actuality it has many hispanics that have been in the area for generations and may be perceived as being white. Where a hispanic person in GA is most likely an immigrant with little or no skill of the English language, you have a great hispanic population in Texas that is very 'Texan."