Which metro area is most different from its principal city or cities?
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.
Black % of Atlanta went down even though they added more residents than any other racial group in terms of raw numbers from 2000-2010. Just how the math worked out. Like I said, I'm not sure if this means anything for 2010-2020 which could be totally different. I can't find finalized census numbers from 2020.
I was talking about the black % of metro Atlanta it's gone up, and it's a huge number compared to most other metropolitan areas with the exception of NYC which has a much larger population. The statement everyone is responding to is the one where he said that Atlanta is no longer a black mecca. It's just preposterous to even say that based on the current state of things going on throughout metro Atlanta. The only area where this has changed is the city population and that's due to large numbers of whites that have been moving into the city and massive renovation/gentrification taking place in many impoverished areas of the city.
If Atlanta isnt a Black Mecca, then certainly there is no such thing as a black Mecca. Over 50% of Metro Atlanta's growth in the last decade was black. By the same token, Id call Houston a Hispanic Mecca since it had the largest Hispanic growth in the last decade, but Miami also has that distinction. I dont know that there is such a close 2nd for Atlanta. DFW on the other hand is an "everything" Mecca.
Here is the growth profiles from 2010-2019 of many cities here:
New York City
Hispanic: 458,548
Asian: 317,182
Black: -40,610
White: -551,545
Los Angeles
Asian: 244,579
Hispanic: 212,996
Black: -23,463
White: -188,714
Chicago
Hispanic: 164,860
Asian: 117,620
Black: -97,778
White: -260,436
That is significant, but at this point, I would imagine the surburbs - at least some, have to be somewhat diverse..?
I can understand why you might assume that, but it isn't correct. Even a lot of the African Americans that live outside of the city of Detroit tend to be in just a few suburbs, some of which are diverse (Pontiac, Harper Woods, Romulus), but some of which are becoming more segregated, like Southfield (Now over 70% black, up from 29% black 20 years earlier) Even For the MSA:
If you look at the whole MSA, the area OUTSIDE of the city of Detroit is 82% white, 11% black.
Of the 1.1 million people that live in Wayne County OUTSIDE of the city of Detroit, 79% are white (although this does include MENA), and 13% are black.
For the 1.2 million in Oakland County, it's 77% white and 14% black.
For the 850K in Macomb County, it's 85% white, 9% black
For the 160K in St. Clair County, it's 94% white, 2% black
For the 180K in Livingston County it's 97% white, 0.4% black
For the 90K in Lapeer County, it's 96% white, 1% black.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kingsdl76
Now this is what I call "talking out of your a$$." I lived in Detroit area until very recently, and the downtown/midtown/corktown areas have made tremendous strides forward over the past few years. Detroit has become very lively in the central core, of course there's been a dip in activity due to Covid, but Detroit is doing great. The city hasn't undone or fixed all of its turbulent history, but it's in a place that few would've imagined it only 5 - 6 years ago.
So your comment that Detroit has no nice areas within its city limits is dead wrong. Once again there's downtown, midtown, Corktown, the Eastern Market area, Palmer Park...etc..etc..
When you get out of the central city, there are a ton of great areas to explore, including but not limited to: Ferndale, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Rochester, Plymouth, Northville, Ann Arbor. Then you have Canada right across the border..etc..etc..
Detroit is massively underrated.
While it is a little bit of hyperbole to say that Detroit doesn't have any ok areas within city limits, he is almost correct. There are a few small areas that are not bad neighborhoods. Probably less than 10% of both land area and population are ok areas, 90%+ are bad areas. I can't think of another major city where the area inside city limits is in as bad of shape as Detroit. (I think both St. Louis and Baltimore, which could be contenders from a crime standpoint, have more decent areas within city limits, though those are two big cities that I've spent the least amount of time in). There are some smaller cities like Gary and Flint that are worse off, but no big ones.
That being said, I know people from Detroit feel that Detroit is on the upswing, because it has been for most of the last decade. They look back and say, "It's better than it was in the early 2000's." And they are right. But Detroit city became such a massive, segregated slum, that even it's comeback still puts it behind all other major cities in the US. As others have pointed out, there are many nice suburban cities, but Detroit itself is unique in the difference from one side of the city limit to the other.
Last edited by Texamichiforniasota; 03-15-2021 at 01:10 PM..
...That being said, I know people from Detroit feel that Detroit is on the upswing, because it has been for most of the last decade. They look back and say, "It's better than it was in the early 2000's." And they are right...
Detroit native here who was born and raised in the city proper.
I'm not sure who these "people" are that you spoke with, but the answer is a lot more complex.
The lifting of the residency requirement in 1998 and subsequently the real estate collapse in 2008 completely wiped out many of the healthy middle class neighborhoods in NE and NW Detroit since the early 2000s. There were still catholic schools and chain grocers serving these neighborhoods (both are long gone). Nearby Eastland and Northland Centers, which served the aforementioned neighborhoods, were still vibrant shopping destinations back then. Now, one is being demolished and the other has no anchors and is destined to close any day now.
Granted, I would definitely say rock bottom for the neighborhoods was in 2012 right before the bankruptcy. Half the streetlights weren't working, park maintenance wasn't a thing, garbage pickup was inconsistent and police stations were forced to close at night.
It's true that downtown definitely looks better today than it did in the early 2000s. But it's such a small part of the city.
Last edited by citidata18; 03-15-2021 at 01:21 PM..
Detroit native here who was born and raised in the city proper.
I'm not sure who these "people" are that you spoke with, but the answer is a lot more complex.
The lifting of the residency requirement in 1998 and subsequently the real estate collapse in 2008 completely wiped out many of the healthy middle class neighborhoods in NE and NW Detroit since the early 2000s. There were still catholic schools and chain grocers serving these neighborhoods (both are long gone). Nearby Eastland and Northland Centers, which served the aforementioned neighborhoods, were still vibrant shopping destinations back then. Now, one is being demolished and the other has no anchors and is destined to close any day now.
Granted, I would definitely say rock bottom for the neighborhoods was in 2012 right before the bankruptcy. Half the streetlights weren't working, park maintenance wasn't a thing, garbage pickup was inconsistent and police stations were forced to close at night.
It's true that downtown definitely looks better today than it did in the early 2000s. But it's such a small part of the city.
I don't doubt some neighborhoods have gone downhill more, but those neighborhoods you remember as healthy, middle class neighborhoods already had problems to the point where they didn't look middle class to outsiders. I remember when I was in NW Detroit in the early 2000's just north of McNichols, thinking, these houses used to be nice, if more were upkept a little better it could be an ok area. There wasn't the wholesale abandonment you saw in some closer in neighborhoods, but there were still scuzzy retail with lots of vacancies on the main streets, boarded up/vacant houses, overgrown lots, etc, even if the majority of homes on any given block still showed pride of ownership.
While the downtown to Midtown coridor is a small part of the city, as a result of the newer amenities there that cater to the whole metro, city is a bigger draw for metro at large than it was 20 years ago.
I don't doubt some neighborhoods have gone downhill more, but those neighborhoods you remember as healthy, middle class neighborhoods already had problems to the point where they didn't look middle class to outsiders. I remember when I was in NW Detroit in the early 2000's just north of McNichols, thinking, these houses used to be nice, if more were upkept a little better it could be an ok area. There wasn't the wholesale abandonment you saw in some closer in neighborhoods, but there were still scuzzy retail with lots of vacancies on the main streets, boarded up/vacant houses, overgrown lots, etc, even if the majority of homes on any given block still showed pride of ownership.
Hindsight is always 20-20.
It's easy to look back now and say the tea leaves projected the present state of these neighborhoods. But that's a different discussion from whether the city objectively looks better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texamichiforniasota
While the downtown to Midtown coridor is a small part of the city, as a result of the newer amenities there that cater to the whole metro, city is a bigger draw for metro at large than it was 20 years ago.
Sure.
But the reality is the city has at least 300,000 fewer people than it did (just like in 2010, I suspect the official 2020 census will come in much lower than what the estimates have shown), fewer basic everyday amenities for residents (not just downtown tourists), a lot more empty residential blocks and a significantly smaller middle class (the city's median income dropped 25% from 1999 to 2008).
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,140 posts, read 7,608,312 times
Reputation: 5796
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
DC, definitely: the overwhelming majority of Black DC suburbanites live in one county, Prince George's (MD), the most affluent majority-Black jurisdiction in the United States.
The other three Maryland counties and the four Virginia counties and four cities that make up the rest of the metro DC suburbs are definitely overwhelmingly white.
No they're not. This is false, at least depending on which major county's you're talking about. On the MD side Montgomery County, MD is a majority-minority county and one of the largest such suburban counties in the entire US. Prince George's county has a Black majority. Those are 2 of the 3 largest jurisdictions in Washington's MSA. In Virginia the largest county in NOVA is about 50% white max, and Prince William is tapping on the door step of majority-minority suburbia like MoCo is. DC may have the most diverse suburbs in the nation actually.
No they're not. This is false, at least depending on which major county's you're talking about. On the MD side Montgomery County, MD is a majority-minority county and one of the largest such suburban counties in the entire US. Prince George's county has a Black majority. Those are 2 of the 3 largest jurisdictions in Washington's MSA. In Virginia the largest county in NOVA is about 50% white max, and Prince William is tapping on the door step of majority-minority suburbia like MoCo is. DC may have the most diverse suburbs in the nation actually.
While it's accurate to say that DC's Black metropolitan population is largely concentrated in the eastern half of the metro (SE and NE DC, PG and Charles counties, Silver Spring and Alexandria which are adjacent to PG), it's definitely not the case that the rest of the metro is overwhelmingly White. However, it's pretty accurate to say that it is noticeably less Black in comparison (but not totally devoid of Blacks).
Detroit obviously due to the wealth and ethnic gap. (Detroit is poorer and has POC than the suburbs)
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.
