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Good questions. From that graph, it looks like what is going on in Chicago is very pronounced. The suburbs do not seem to be benefiting from the exodus from the city like it appears is the case of Detroit.
I have always been a demographic nerd, so to speak. I am in my 50's and I have been following population data and black population data a long time. I can remember when Chicago, Cleveland and other cities black population was stagnant or declining, while Detroit's was still rising. Detroit city black population was rising until the early 2000's. Hence, while I see Chicago continuing to bleed blacks from it's metro.....I see Detroit numbers turning around within 10 years, as well as the fortunes of the metro area as a whole. Lots of major development going on in the D right now.
Just like you I found it of note that new majority black cities are being created. They mentioned about how there are over 1000 majority black places now, as compared to about 400 some places in 1970? Of course, instead of having half a million blacks all in the city proper mostly, creating a 1 majority black city proper, ringed by nearly all white suburbs (the northern Midwest model), now there might be 5 or more inner-ring suburbs that are majority black while the city proper becomes more white.
Detroit isn't coming back to ANYwhere near what it was pre-1970. Its cold, its old, there's remote locale hiring, there's too much single industry concentration. Despite is cheap land costs, none of the big tech firms or big service/back office opportunities have moved there the last ten years. They've preferred Philly, Pittsburg, Indy, M/SP and Columbus in terms of Midwest locales. In particular, Midwest/Rust Belt contemporaries Pittsburgh, Philly, and M/SP have cleaned up better/faster than Detroit. Detroit is the New Orleans of the north, its made babystep strides but there is just too much competition given its location to ever return to its glorious past.
The thing about Texas large cities is that while they do have a significant and growing black populations, the cities don't have a "black city" feel. Texas cities have a "minority feel", with the Latino population likely being larger than the black population. The same is true for California large cities. These cities/metros feel "Hispanic", while cities/Metros like Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit.....feel much blacker, even if they have less blacks than Dallas or LA.
In Texas (and the southwest in general) Hispanics are the dominant minority group. In the Southeast, African Americans are the dominant minority group. This is why, to me, Texas does not feel as culturally black as Georgia or Mississippi, regardless of the growth of its black population because blacks in Texas play third string behind whites and Hispanics, overall.
I've lived in Atlanta, Houston and DFW. Its goes without saying that Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit and Charlotte feel "blacker" when they historically, have had larger AA populations. But what has it done for some AA residents in Memphis and Detroit, or Baltimore? Atlanta is a big outlier because of its concentration of HBCUs, i.e. providing a higher % of educated AAs than many other cities with above average black populations.
Interesting you say that but the two largest metros in the south DFW and Houston have had black mayors and Dallas next mayor, to be elected this year, is AA and just received endorsements from two prior mayors and much of the business community. When's the last time Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville, Miami elected, if EVER an AA mayor? The mayor of Plano, a large Dallas suburb is a three time winner and Haitian immigrant who has more Fortune 500 companies based there than much larger sunbelt cities. Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth have or had black police and fire department chiefs. The chairman of the Dallas County commissioner's board, has been a black man, John Wiley, for over 12 years now. The Dallas County DA two of the last three elections is an African American. That says something for a city and county that is NOT majority black.
If blacks are "playing third string" in Texas than what are blacks in all of the U.S. doing? Considering we're only like 13% of the population of the entire country (behind Hispanics)
In terms of total numbers, the State of Texas has more AAs than all but THREE other states - NY, Georgia and Florida. DFW and Houston as noted earlier has above average AA populations, just not way above average as some southeastern metro areas. Part of that is attributable to proximity to the heavily dense eastern seaboard and vestiges of Civil War bondage where many were most rooted. Texas for a western state (west of the Mississippi) has the largest AA population and on a % basis only Louisiana has a larger residency. Go west of I-35, black folks REALLY get scarce. Go north of DFW and you see numbers dwindle quickly.
I've lived in Atlanta, Houston and DFW. Its goes without saying that Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit and Charlotte feel "blacker" when they historically, have had larger AA populations. But what has it done for some AA residents in Memphis and Detroit, or Baltimore? Atlanta is a big outlier because of its concentration of HBCUs, i.e. providing a higher % of educated AAs than many other cities with above average black populations.
Interesting you say that but the two largest metros in the south DFW and Houston have had black mayors and Dallas next mayor, to be elected this year, is AA and just received endorsements from two prior mayors and much of the business community. When's the last time Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville, Miami elected, if EVER an AA mayor? The mayor of Plano, a large Dallas suburb is a three time winner and Haitian immigrant who has more Fortune 500 companies based there than much larger sunbelt cities. Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth have or had black police and fire department chiefs. The chairman of the Dallas County commissioner's board, has been a black man, John Wiley, for over 12 years now. The Dallas County DA two of the last three elections is an African American. That says something for a city and county that is NOT majority black.
Raleigh was actually the first sizable Southern city to elect a Black mayor in the 70's, shortly before Atlanta did. Charlotte currently has a Black female mayor, its first, and has had three Black mayors before her. And let's not talk about other elected offices because Charlotte in particular has had plenty Black folks to occupy them, including the current police and fire chiefs, sheriff, and chairman of the county commissioners.
We are kind of seeing an end of an era......akin to the end of areas like Harlem and Watts and what they represented for black people culturally. It was the intense segregation and racism of the era that gave birth to places like Harlem and Watts. Those places are no longer as black as they once were and are likely getting increasingly less black as time goes on.
The era of black dominated major cities is going the same route of the Harlem's and Watt's. The era peaked with major black cities like Washington, DC, Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore, Memphis, etc. These places represented the apex of black politics as the local level, to run the principle cities in a major metropolitan area. In about 20 years, only one or two of these cities will still be majority black, if gentrification trends continue.
Those cities came about as the corollary of racism and white flight. New cities that are booming in the era of improved racial relationships are not creating those culturally strong black areas like they used to....as there really is no pressure to create such places anymore. There will never be a new Harlem, Watts, DC, Atlanta, Detroit, etc and what they represented for black people and culture. Those realities were born from intense racial oppression.
The new places sprouting up now, like Dallas, for example, just don't have a city with that type of historical legacy or cultural feel. The thing about places like Atlanta and DC, however, is that they have transitioned into being culturally strong metropolitan areas for blacks, if not black dominated major cities any longer. I don't that such can happen in Dallas or Houston because the Hispanic influence and growth is too strong.
People also need to remember D.C. and Atlanta (excluding suburbs) are SMALL relative to Houston or Dallas city populations. So AA presence is more concentrated. Prince George County is majority AA but having lived in the Capital area, many groused about its lack of employment centers and upscale shopping which was prevalent on the Virginia side or in Montgomery county.
Oh and let's remember where the unofficial but now culturally celebrated in many black communities called JUNETEENTH originated, TEXAS! Its almost become the black Cinco de Mayo but really is more significant because it is AMERICAN history and in Texas, officially designated state celebration.
I don't agree, overall as a whole the Hispanic culture still feels more dominant and I don't know why you think percentages don't matter. If Dallas and Houston both have 1 million black people but also have 2 million Hispanics a piece, how is the Hispanic culture there not more dominant? Sure you can also pick a few enclaves here and there where a certain culture doesn't feel as dominant but as I'm saying as a whole in general, the Hispanic culture in Texas feels more dominant than the black culture compared to other areas of the country where blacks are concentrated. Doesn't mean there's not also a prominent black culture there, but that's how it feels there to me.
Because Latinos may not have sufficient economic clout and history in those markets to be dominant. In San Antonio it goes without saying given that for decades Latinos have had a more significant presence. That's not been the case in DFW or greater Houston. Again, there hasn't been a Latino mayor ever in Houston but there have been two AA mayors. There have been no Latino mayor in DFW cities that I know of over 250K in population. Latinos influence and political management is much more noticeable in south and southwest Texas, i.e. border areas.
You mention things about "firsts" as if NY state had some unique qualities. Its a yes and no situation. No because those first arise partly because NY was one of the FIRST states in the union! For what, a 125 years we had how many states and how many were so young that few people of color lived there or had full citizenship to be politically active?
I just mention those, because a lot of people may not know about them.
Also, NY is interesting in that while people think of it in one respect, many don’t know that it had slavery until 1827. On the other hand, there are people that think that Harlem was the first neighborhood in NYC with a black concentration, but places like Weeksville in Brooklyn, Seneca Village in Manhattan(now Central Park) and the Sandy Ground community in the Rossville neighborhood in Staten Island are a few that go back even further. So, my point is to bring out aspects about the state that many people don’t know about or to give another side. That’s all.
People also need to remember D.C. and Atlanta (excluding suburbs) are SMALL relative to Houston or Dallas city populations. So AA presence is more concentrated. Prince George County is majority AA but having lived in the Capital area, many groused about its lack of employment centers and upscale shopping which was prevalent on the Virginia side or in Montgomery county.
How is that different from most any other predominantly Black area, middle class or not?
Detroit isn't coming back to ANYwhere near what it was pre-1970. Its cold, its old, there's remote locale hiring, there's too much single industry concentration. Despite is cheap land costs, none of the big tech firms or big service/back office opportunities have moved there the last ten years. They've preferred Philly, Pittsburg, Indy, M/SP and Columbus in terms of Midwest locales. In particular, Midwest/Rust Belt contemporaries Pittsburgh, Philly, and M/SP have cleaned up better/faster than Detroit. Detroit is the New Orleans of the north, its made babystep strides but there is just too much competition given its location to ever return to its glorious past.
You mentioned that Detroit is cold. Yes, during the winter months. It's also hot, warm, comfortable, and cool depending on the month of the year. The forecast is 70 degrees today.
Second, Chicago, MPS, Boston and a whole host of other cities get cold in the winter.
You mentioned its old. Downtown has been rejuvenated and looks nice, clean, and new as any other major city with beautiful buildings. The northwest suburbs of Detroit are gorgeous and have lakes and hills - looks like the British countryside. Anyone who scoffs at this, come take a look at Bloomfield Hills.
The city has the 14th largest metopolitan population - it's population does not need to grow. Its already there! The area doesn't need a single person for it to be one of the largest aress. Furthermore, there is enough locale hiring in the region. Come look at the traffic during rushtime. The city of Detroit merely comprises 15% of the region's population. That is tiny. Metro Detroit is much more than just the city.
You state that big tech firms will not move into the area on the basis that there is no evidence of any big tech firms moving into the area in the last ten years and its location. The city has seen an influx of tech startups and local universities, companies, and banks have cooperated to increase this footprint. Also, Detroit's location is very strategic as it sits right on the front door with Canada.
The city proper may not see a population increase to 2 million like it was in the past, but it's economic prospects are certainly positive. Trust me, the population of 5 million people in the area are confident and working hard to push as far as possible. Detroit's private equity firms are being flooded with investors from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qutar.
It is rising and located in one of the most scenic states in the union. As we say in Detroit: Don't hate......Congratulate!
Not really an argument, since there are areas of DFW that feel overwhelmingly Black and areas that feel overwhelmingly Hispanic, just wanted to list. Only two suburbs, Cockrell Hill and Mobile City, in DFW have a Hispanic majority and they have a combined population below five thousand. Despite there being a smaller regional population, African/Black Americans make up the majority of five suburbs, Cedar Hills, DeSoto, Forest Hill, Lancaster, and Neylandville, with a combined population over one hundred fifty-four thousand.
That is very shocking to know, since that means Chicago has way more hispanic-majority suburbs(including at least three or four with populations >50,000) than DFW, and the two metros are suppose to be neck-to-neck as far as Hispanic populations.
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