Ethnic profile (Los Angeles: home, college, camps)

[lols]

Hi all. I am currently writing a thesis on the city of Los Angeles.

I'm stuck on an essential section and would appreciate some help from people who have an everyday understanding of the city to push me in the right direction;

What would you consider the ethnic profile of Los Angeles to be like? (e.g. what groups live there, where these groups live, why they moved there and what influence has their presence had on the urban landscape - visible markers, landmarks etc).

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by lols

Hi all. I am currently writing a thesis on the city of Los Angeles.

I'm stuck on an essential section and would appreciate some help from people who have an everyday understanding of the city to push me in the right direction;

What would you consider the ethnic profile of Los Angeles to be like? (e.g. what groups live there, where these groups live, why they moved there and what influence has their presence had on the urban landscape - visible markers, landmarks etc).

Hey kid....take a look around LA and it is pretty obvious...Mexican, Mexican and more Mexican...

[ParkTwain]

Sounds like you need to start with a longitudinal examination of the relevant U.S. Census data. For the "why" part you will need to dig into some sociological literature.

[JTGJR]

Assume Hispanic/Latino percentage has grown since 2000 while White American and African American has dropped.

Wikipedia

The census[56] of 2000 recorded 3,694,820 people, 1,275,412 households, and 798,407 families residing in the city, with a population density of 7,876.8 people per square mile (3,041.3/km²). There were 1,337,706 housing units at an average density of 2,851.8 per square mile (1,101.1/km²). Los Angeles has become a multiethnic/racially diverse city, with major new groups of Latino and Asian immigrants in recent decades.

As of the 2000 US Census, the racial distribution in Los Angeles are as follows:[57]

* 46.9% White American - includes 17.2% White Hispanic,
* 8.24% African American,
* 10.0% Asian American,
* 0.8% Native American,
* 0.16% Pacific Islander,
* 25.9% from other races,
* 5.2% from two or more races.
* 46.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).[58]

42.2% spoke English, 41.7% Spanish, 2.4% Korean, 2.3% Tagalog, 1.7% Armenian, 1.5% Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin) and 1.3% Persian as their first language.[59] Since the mid-1980s, Los Angeles has been a minority-majority city.

According to the census, 33.5% of households had children under 18, 41.9% were married couples, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 28.5% of households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size 3.56.

The age distribution was: 26.6% under 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household was $36,687, and for a family was $39,942. Males had a median income of $31,880, females $30,197. The per capita income was $20,671. 22.1% of the population and 18.3% of families were below the poverty line. 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those aged 65 or older were below the poverty line.

Los Angeles is home to people from more than 140 countries speaking 224 different identified languages.[60] Ethnic enclaves like Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Koreatown, Little Armenia, Little Ethiopia, Tehrangeles, Little India, Little Tokyo, and Thai Town provide examples of the polyglot character of Los Angeles.

[calipoppy]

Originally Posted by lols

Hi all. I am currently writing a thesis on the city of Los Angeles.

I'm stuck on an essential section and would appreciate some help from people who have an everyday understanding of the city to push me in the right direction;

What would you consider the ethnic profile of Los Angeles to be like? (e.g. what groups live there, where these groups live, why they moved there and what influence has their presence had on the urban landscape - visible markers, landmarks etc).

There is A LOT of information out there regarding the data that you are seeking. Since this is for a thesis, I would recommend delving into the numerous articles in the LA Times, LA Weekly, La Opinion, Los Angeles Business Journal and the numerous other published sources for this type of info.

I did a my thesis on the history of city Los Angeles in college...how 'bout I just sell you mine(just kidding....did get an A though)

[Ultrarunner]

Be careful using Census 2000 data... I believe Census 2010 will reflect dramatic changes in California's population and makeup.

[xyzxyz]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

Be careful using Census 2000 data... I believe Census 2010 will reflect dramatic changes in California's population and makeup.

I agree wholeheartedly. My friends were looking to move to areas of the country with a smaller Latino population and they were looking at data from the 2000 census which for the most part is put together in late 1998/early 1999, almost ten years ago now. This country has changed dramatically and substantially in ten years. For example, as an earlier poster provided, Los Angeles is 46.5% White...yeah, I don't think so. I believe that has dropped to 30% since 2000. The last I heard, Latinos comprised 71% of the population of Los Angeles proper.

[the one]

this is too broad of a questions. everyone gave you census data. if you want to compare from census date to census date (10 years) check here on CD or laalmanac.com

as for why people chose to live where they live, well thats ever changing and enough books and artilces exist about that. i suggest you focus on one or two major groups. otherwise you would have a long ol' paper.
further, are you asking about just now, or historiacally?
either way you would have to discuss the history thats led up to now. but ther eare too many groups in LA. yes we got spanish speakers galore, but also other groups.

i.e. you can talk about the japaneses. from migrant workers to Boyle Heights home owners to concentration camps and back down into the city of LA to a resurgent J-Town. or filipinos who also share in the migrant worker legacy. there even exists a filipino town. maybe you can look at the demogrphic shifts around south central LA. white to black to brown. lots of directiosn to go into. narrow it down a lil and come back to us..

[lols]

Maybe it would have been better for me to ask for some sources.. I have tried looking but the trouble is knowing where to look (I'm in England for a start lol), and the fact that there is so much information to sift through, plus I'm running out of time.

I can use the 2000 census and describe how it has changed today though. You all helped to put things in perspective anyway =)

[Prince of Lombards]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

I agree wholeheartedly. My friends were looking to move to areas of the country with a smaller Latino population and they were looking at data from the 2000 census which for the most part is put together in late 1998/early 1999, almost ten years ago now. This country has changed dramatically and substantially in ten years. For example, as an earlier poster provided, Los Angeles is 46.5% White...yeah, I don't think so. I believe that has dropped to 30% since 2000. The last I heard, Latinos comprised 71% of the population of Los Angeles proper.

Another problem with those numbers is that they're counting Middle Easterners as White.