White Flight Cities/Metros (neighborhood, best schools, incomes)
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But they are actually moving away. Since the 1990s native-born MA residents (mostly white) have been leaving MA at a much greater rate than Americans move in. That's well documented maybe not in whatever town you're referring to but in nearly every sizable or moderately diverse community in MA, NJ, CT etc... It's an entirely different phenomenon than NoVa which does not have a declining white population whatsoever.
In towns where diversity isn't the issue its the declining birth rate and having a home that's appreciated massively in value that you can cash out on.
The fact of the matter is NoVa is not experiencing white flight. Nothing more needs to be said.
Yes, they are moving away. But white flight is (IMHO) a kinda loaded term which really can only be used in certain scenarios (white folks leaving areas because there are too many people of color for them to feel comfortable any longer).
It's worth noting if you look at the South, the rural black belt has the same sort of declines as small town white America. Pretty much everyone young is moving away. People in the Mississippi delta region move to Jackson. People in the black belt of Alabama move to Birmingham or Huntsville. Black people in rural Georgia move to Atlanta. Black people in South Carolina move to Charleston or Columbia. Black people in North Carolina move to Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham. These areas are emptying out for much the same reason a lot of white areas are emptying out - young people have more opportunity elsewhere. Race is not really a factor.
The other areas which see white declines it's more just due to the demographic factors I outlined - more white deaths, less white births, etc. In a lot of desirable suburbs in the Northeast, the main dynamic is that people age in place and do not sell their homes to new families, meaning the population slowly declines as less kids are in the community, but there is no general abandonment. Sometimes rich people buy second homes as well, again leading to population decline. The families move somewhere that real estate is cheaper. All of this is gonna come crashing down in 20 years or so once the boomers have died off, but for now there's just a tremendous amount of family-sized homes off market and underutilized.
Yes, they are moving away. But white flight is (IMHO) a kinda loaded term which really can only be used in certain scenarios (white folks leaving areas because there are too many people of color for them to feel comfortable any longer).
It's worth noting if you look at the South, the rural black belt has the same sort of declines as small town white America. Pretty much everyone young is moving away. People in the Mississippi delta region move to Jackson. People in the black belt of Alabama move to Birmingham or Huntsville. Black people in rural Georgia move to Atlanta. Black people in South Carolina move to Charleston or Columbia. Black people in North Carolina move to Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham. These areas are emptying out for much the same reason a lot of white areas are emptying out - young people have more opportunity elsewhere. Race is not really a factor.
The other areas which see white declines it's more just due to the demographic factors I outlined - more white deaths, less white births, etc. In a lot of desirable suburbs in the Northeast, the main dynamic is that people age in place and do not sell their homes to new families, meaning the population slowly declines as less kids are in the community, but there is no general abandonment. Sometimes rich people buy second homes as well, again leading to population decline. The families move somewhere that real estate is cheaper. All of this is gonna come crashing down in 20 years or so once the boomers have died off, but for now there's just a tremendous amount of family-sized homes off market and underutilized.
All that to say is there actually a white fight in any NoVa community? I can name several I could think of quite a few in the northeast. And probably California.
In NoVa there are several things that would prevent white flight. One would be what appears to me the relative lack of community of subdivision and newer developments compared to older, tighter, poorer, formerly industrial cities and suburbs. Those cities are more incestuous and insular than anywhere Ive been to in NoVa. I never lived in Nova but have had friends in Arlington, Woodbridge, Stafford, Falls Church. It's a lifestyle where you are attending broad county schools, magnet schools, driving on highways and shopping oin modern malls. It's not nearly as "on the ground" as the northern cities- you living in Pittsburgh should know what I mean. Or maybe not as Pittsburgh is very white as a city and lacks substantial immigration.
But the cultural/civic competition, and even just vying for physical space is a bit different in Linden NJ, Lowell MA, or Meriden CT than it is in Vienna VA.
White flight doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing it meant 30-40 years ago. The white population is declining. You are also seeing an influx of some very successful immigrant groups (Asian/Indian/Persian etc.) that are bringing prosperity to certain places.
In many cases those immigrants are the heir of the “successful nuclear family” that once existed among a large portion of Anglo-Saxons in America.
All that to say is there actually a white fight in any NoVa community? I can name several I could think of quite a few in the northeast. And probably California.
Part of PWC (i.e. Dale City/Woodbridge) had seen an influx of Hispanics. It's not too different from areas like Gaithersburg or Germantown in MoCo MD, though - i.e. 1960s/1970s suburbs that starts to age with younger white people moving to inner cities (aka central DC but also part of Arlington) instead of living in outer suburb.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thealpinist
White flight doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing it meant 30-40 years ago. The white population is declining. You are also seeing an influx of some very successful immigrant groups (Asian/Indian/Persian etc.) that are bringing prosperity to certain places.
Yup, in my area, the older white population is declining as they cash out on this incredible real estate market in CA and move out of state, a more diverse population is moving in as household income is increasing. Less whites, at least in California, doesn't mean blight or what "white flight" used to mean.
Part of PWC (i.e. Dale City/Woodbridge) had seen an influx of Hispanics. It's not too different from areas like Gaithersburg or Germantown in MoCo MD, though - i.e. 1960s/1970s suburbs that starts to age with younger white people moving to inner cities (aka central DC but also part of Arlington) instead of living in outer suburb.
Yup, in my area, the older white population is declining as they cash out on this incredible real estate market in CA and move out of state, a more diverse population is moving in as household income is increasing. Less whites, at least in California, doesn't mean blight or what "white flight" used to mean.
It's a very niche issue, but in some school districts when upper-middle class Asians become a plurality a lot of white parents become uncomfortable with how the focus of public schools shifts (more focus on test prep/STEM, less emphasis on music, art, and sports) which causes a form of white flight.
There are some younger white families who move to places like Gainesville, Stafford or Ashburn.
True...I stand corrected.
I guess basically the white population either move further out (i.e. Dale City / Woodbridge to Stafford County or areas like Germantown / Gaithersburg to Frederick County) or move back into western DC / western inner suburbs (i.e. Arlington / Bethesda) along with gentrifying part of eastern DC (at least SE/NE that's WOTR).
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton
It's a very niche issue, but in some school districts when upper-middle class Asians become a plurality a lot of white parents become uncomfortable with how the focus of public schools shifts (more focus on test prep/STEM, less emphasis on music, art, and sports) which causes a form of white flight.
I've definitely see reviews of school saying that the "academic is too intense / high pressure". The difference in culture definitely comes into play here.
It's a very niche issue, but in some school districts when upper-middle class Asians become a plurality a lot of white parents become uncomfortable with how the focus of public schools shifts (more focus on test prep/STEM, less emphasis on music, art, and sports) which causes a form of white flight.
Because they can't compete with Asian students. That's why Harvard and Ivy League schools have an "Asian quota."
It's a very niche issue, but in some school districts when upper-middle class Asians become a plurality a lot of white parents become uncomfortable with how the focus of public schools shifts (more focus on test prep/STEM, less emphasis on music, art, and sports) which causes a form of white flight.
Asians are moving into the most expensive zip codes. White families are clamoring to get into those good schools as well. Pretty much a non issue as most people would rather have their kids in high ranking school districts.
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