African-American rise in southern cities...

[EastSideResider]

Do ya'll think neighboring New Orleans cities will have a rise in the African-American population? And also the lower-class? I think these two categories were on the rise in the south anyways, but now it's even faster. I think if you made a curvy line from Charlotte or Raleigh to El Paso, all cities in that section will see a rise in the African-American population? Thoughts?

[EastSideResider]

I don't think I could live anywhere else than the south because I'm too used to being around a diverse group of people. I know some cities already have a large number of lower-class, hopefully New Orleans victims will be better off than they were because these cities will help them bounce back?

[NCB]

I dont think anyone knows if any other cities will really grow in African-American population because of Katrina.

There are to things that can happen..

1. New Orleans bounces back, and the Afrincan-American population basically stays the same.

2. The African-American populatoin grows considerably in neighboring cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Baton Rouge, and also grows in Jackson, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Charlotte.

Even if the African-American population does rise in other southern cities, know one knows how much.

[krazeeboi]

I think that only a small handful of cities will see anything close to a significant increase in their Black populations. Those would include Baton Rouge, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. Other cities such as Birmingham, Memphis, Jackson, and Atlanta are already predominantly Black, so I don't think the presence of displaced Black New Oleanians will make much of a difference.

[Spades]

Houston will probably get the most in the southern cities. They said up to as many as 100,000 to 150,000 will probably stay in the Houston area alone. I do agree with krazieboi though. it wont change much because these cities already have large black populations This could put the Houston metro close to 1 million blacks though.

[sonofaque86]

Yeah...The news said that blacks are already moving back to the south in very large numbers...But for the predominately black cities like someone said it won't make a difference but I think they Texas cities will see a huge increase...Charlotte is already seeing a huge black population growth. It may be a popular destination because blacks have been moving to Charlotte in huge numbers more so than Atlanta lately.

[krazeeboi]

Believe me, Atlanta is still THE place for relocation for African Americans. Charlotte is doing a pretty good job, but Atlanta still claims that title by a long shot.

[Aporkalypse]

Believe me, Atlanta is still THE place for relocation for African Americans. Charlotte is doing a pretty good job, but Atlanta still claims that title by a long shot.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Atlanta and South Florida, not necessarily in that order.

[dgreen]

South Florida & ATL.

[Florida]

^Yes, but more so for Professional blacks with college educations, not for poor people like many of our Hurricane Victims. These people probably couldn't afford to move into a major US city with the prices of homes on the rise. I'd look for them to move into areas of Texas, AL, OK, Arkansas, Georgia, and Florida, in addition to the upper LA and Mississippi areas away from the coast. Cost of living in a big city may be too much for many, but these areas may help them to rebound and staying close gives them the opportunity to return to New Orleans once its balance has been restored.

[Spades]

South Florida? I would have said Dallas considering they have attracted the most blacks in the south outside of Atlanta. It is starting to become a powerhouse for black americans in this country. They are expecting over 100,000 blacks to move to DFW by the 2010 census.

[Arkansawyer]

In the early days after Katrina, it was estimated that Arkansas took in 75,000 evacuees, and then had around the 60,000 mark. Those numbers are second only to Texas, but in terms of percentage of the population, Arkansas has taken in by far the most. Evacuees now comprise about 2.5 percent of our state's population, and Arkansas is a poor state. We actually had a budget surplus of $123 million, but part of it is now being spent on evacuees. The whole state has bent over backwards to help these people in their time of need, offering homes, money, etc. Our governor, Mike Huckabee, has demonstrated outstanding leadership in setting up shelters and making sure they are cared for. The state has set up a website to help with the situation. Now, the reason I bring all this up is because I've seen zero mention of Arkansas' role on the national news, when no other state is experiencing such a burden. Heck, even FEMA rushed to give the evacuees in Houston money, because of all the media attention, while those in Arkansas waited for days more without any money. I'd like to know if any of y'all have seen anything about Arkansas on the news, seeing as how much attention Texans has gotten for the good things they've done.

Regarding an increase in the black population across the South, I think there will definitely be at least a slight increase in some areas of Arkansas. We can't yet know just where the evacuees will settle, but one would assume that most will settle in the larger towns and cities. Little Rock has a black population of over 40 percent and so there wouldn't be a noticable change in the number of blacks in the city proper, but where a significant change may occur is in the suburbs, many of which have small black numbers. Another area where the settlement of evacuees would be noticed is the Delta, which, of course, is predominantly black, but which has been losing population for decades now. Pine Bluff, for example has suffered greatly from white flight, and the evacuees could actually give that city some growth. However, Pine Bluff is already one of the poorest towns in America, so I wonder what kind of impact the poor evacuees would have.

Here's a map showing the number of evacuees per state:

[EastSideResider]

Here's a map showing the number of evacuees per state:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why is Georgia red? The chart says 1,134?

[krazeeboi]

Atlanta and South Florida, not necessarily in that order.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was speaking of cities in particular. Atlanta has the largest net migration of African Americans in the nation, by a pretty large margin. When it comes to Florida cities, I believe that Orlando has the largest net migration.

[EastSideResider]

South Florida? I would have said Dallas considering they have attracted the most blacks in the south outside of Atlanta. It is starting to become a powerhouse for black americans in this country. They are expecting over 100,000 blacks to move to DFW by the 2010 census.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. I think LA, MS, AL, SC, GA, NC, East TX, TN (parts), and S. Florida are all pretty much equal in the black category. So it's kind of a toss up between any of those mentioned states. I don't think S. Florida has an edge over any other location (A state all around). According to the Census:

STATE / %Black

1 Mississippi 36.3

2 Louisiana 32.5

3 South Carolina 29.5

4 Georgia 28.7

5 Maryland 27.9

6 Alabama 26

7 North Carolina 21.6

8 Virginia 19.6

9 Deleware 19.2

10 Tennessee 16.4

11 New York 15.9

12 Arkansas 15.7

13 Illinois 15.1

14 Florida 14.6

15 Michigan 14.2

16 New Jersey 13.6

17 Texas 11.5

18 Ohio 11.5

As for Dallas, I think it's the best option for refugees because of it's location. But, if you put Atlanta in Dallas' location that where (practically) all victims would go. If they had a choice for any city in America they probably just might choose Dallas. It's only 26% black which isn't abnormally large for the south, but is large for America. (I did my research ). Black Enterprise Magazine polled a large population of African-Americans from all-over America and their choices for "Best city for blacks" were....

1. Atlanta

2. Washington, D.C.

3. Dallas

4. Nashville, Tenn.

5. Houston

6. Charlotte, N.C.

7. Birmingham, Ala.

8. Memphis, Tenn.

9. Columbus, Ohio

10. Baltimore

LINK: Black Enterpise

I think Dallas is a great choice and other's are as well. Notice besides Columbus, and maybe DC and Baltimore, all selections are in the South.

[Viper]

I don't get the whole "S. Florida" part. Jacksonville has a higher % of blacks than any other large Fl metro.

[showtime21]

Believe me, Atlanta is still THE place for relocation for African Americans. Charlotte is doing a pretty good job, but Atlanta still claims that title by a long shot.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't for get that shelby country Tn, (Memphis) has the highest percent of blacks in the country so there for Memphis has the title

[Lady Celeste]

Don't for get that shelby country Tn, (Memphis) has the highest percent of blacks in the country so there for Memphis has the title

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ummmmmmm Sweetie...........ahem..........he said RELOCATION........not precentage of population. There is a difference. Now had he said Atlanta had the highest precentage of blacks per population in the country then you would have a case and he would be wrong. You are right that Shelby County Tennessee has the highest precentage of blacks.

[Mith242]

It's had an impact here in northwest Arkansas. It's not too hard to tell because being a part of the Ozarks this area has historically mainly been all white. In Fayetteville it hasn't been quite as noticable because the university here does draw in a more diverse ethnic group. But the Afro-American community isn't so big here that you can't tell that there are more Afro-Americans here now. In the rest of northwest Arkansas I would imagine it is much more noticable. I have a feeling quite a few of the evacuees will end up staying here in northwest Arkansas. The unemployment rate in the two counties up here are at 3.1% and 2.9%. There are jobs here for many of these people and northwest Arkansas has always been rated high on it's quality of life. The only reason I could see many of the evacuees leaving is because 'it's still not home like New Orleans' and the culture shock of this area being different. Also the fact that perhaps some of the evacuees might feel odd living in areas that are still mainly white despite the influx of people from outside the state coming here for the last decade.

[krazeeboi]

Ummmmmmm Sweetie...........ahem..........he said RELOCATION........not precentage of population. There is a difference. Now had he said Atlanta had the highest precentage of blacks per population in the country then you would have a case and he would be wrong. You are right that Shelby County Tennessee has the highest precentage of blacks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for clarifying that for me.

In the Brookings Institute report [url=http://www.brookings.edu/urban/pubs/20040524_Frey.pdf]The New Great Migration: Black Americans

[Fruit Cove]

My school alone has gotten about 10 students from NO.

[bobdreamz]

I don't get the whole "S. Florida" part.  Jacksonville has a higher % of blacks than any other large Fl metro.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

here's an article that was just published yesterday on this very subject....

Black professionals flourish in S. Florida

With networking and social events growing, South Florida has become an alluring place for young black professionals to live and work.

BY NICOLE WHITE

[email protected]

South Florida, once considered hostile territory for many young black professionals, has slowly shed that image, emerging in recent years as a place where they can revel in the area's attractions and network with a growing community of like-minded individuals.

The evidence: Census figures that reveal a swell in the number of blacks moving to Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties; a shift in the power structure in cities like Miramar, Lauderdale Lakes and North Miami Beach, where officials of Caribbean descent are routinely elected to office; and a wave of well-attended networking and social events geared toward black professionals.

rest of the article is here.....

My Webpage

[krazeeboi]

Here's an excerpt of an article in the Christian Science Monitor that bears out the point I made earlier about the relatively minimal demographic changes that some of these cities will undergo:

A big city like Houston is unlikely to be changed very much by an influx of Louisianans. Urban areas in the US are already largely populated by people transplanted from elsewhere. But the smaller the community that receives new residents, the larger the corresponding effect.

"The impact in cities like Houston and Miami won't be very big," says Chris Girard, a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Florida International University. "But in rural communities and states that are more homogenous, there will be a much bigger impact and there will be some culture shock."

[DruidCity]

It should be pointed out also that "evacuees" include a whole lot of people from the central Gulf Coast region, not just New Orleans' inner-city blacks.

Up here, a lot of the evacuees were from the Mississippi Coast, many of whom returned home. I've also met a few Louisiana evacuees here of white, black, and Vietnamese origins, so I don't really see any sizable demographic shifts.

[microtuskegee]

It should be pointed out also that "evacuees" include a whole lot of people from the central Gulf Coast region, not just New Orleans' inner-city blacks.

Up here, a lot of the evacuees were from the Mississippi Coast, many of whom returned home. I've also met a few Louisiana evacuees here of white, black, and Vietnamese origins, so I don't really see any sizable demographic shifts.

Thank You!! There will not be an increase in blacks in the south because the were already here. Know some cities may see an increase in population but what dose it matter if they are black. This is a national disaster and im glad to see the south stepping up to the plate and helping our family states.

My city, my school, and my family have takin in a family that is LOW INCOME from NO and they are some of the most productive citizens you could ever met. The kids are at school every day they have joined school clubs and the families have joined the local churches. Some of these PEOPLE are doing better the others in the USA and dont need to be labled by socity....

This storm did not just effect us blacks it effected all americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!