Cabot

[tim2462]

Look at Memphis...Blacks live in the Western Half, Whites live in the Eastern half.This isn't just white flight. Actually, the opposite is happening. Whites are moving into downtown more than ever.

[johnnydr87]

I don't deny that what you say about Memphis is true, but you're still oversimplifying matters.

(Hey, didn't you say whites generally prefer the country earlier...but now you say they prefer downtown?)

Anyways, I'm going to *try* to stop debating this for right now; I have college essays to write.

[tim2462]

Yes, and I also said things are changing and blacks are moving to the suburbs...which they are.

[Aporkalypse]

Look at Memphis...Blacks live in the Western Half, Whites live in the Eastern half.This isn't just white flight. Actually, the opposite is happening. Whites are moving into downtown more than ever.

Trends are trends, a few thousand people downtown doesn't change that. Hell, those loft apt buildings and condos are often 95% white as well.

Say what you want to about Memphis but white flight is an extreme there.

[skirby]

In general through history, there has never been a black population anywhere in the northern half of the state, with the exception of Blytheville. Even Jonesboro never had much of one until recent years.

Cabot and Conway are in the northern half of the state and never had a black population. Conway has just in recent years gained a good bit of black population, and Cabot will follow.

Do you just say what ever comes to mind without knowing anything about something. What about Plummerville, just west of Conway with almost 24% black population. They have four times as many as Cabot. Go further up I-40 and Morrilton has a black population of 17.5%. As I said before you need to read a little history. Except for the Delta there has never been a large population of blacks in Arkansas. The reason they went to the larger cities was to look for work. The decline of black popluation in the country can be traced to the flood of 1927 and the use of the farm tractor. The tractor took away the need for any excess farm help of any kind. The days of 40 acres and an mule to make a living were gone. If Cabot's black population grows tell us how? You are the one who said that blacks perfer the inner city and living with other blacks. I do not see Cabot as filling either of these requirements.

[tim2462]

Do you just say what ever comes to mind without knowing anything about something. What about Plummerville, just west of Conway with almost 24% black population. They have four times as many as Cabot. Go further up I-40 and Morrilton has a black population of 17.5%. As I said before you need to read a little history. Except for the Delta there has never been a large population of blacks in Arkansas. The reason they went to the larger cities was to look for work. The decline of black popluation in the country can be traced to the flood of 1927 and the use of the farm tractor. The tractor took away the need for any excess farm help of any kind. The days of 40 acres and an mule to make a living were gone. If Cabot's black population grows tell us how? You are the one who said that blacks perfer the inner city and living with other blacks. I do not see Cabot as filling either of these requirements.

There are exceptions to every rule. I know more than my share about history. My main point is you have race issues to deal with and this is not the place for it. You are so negative that you can't see the positive things going on around you. Now, I am done with this.

[Aporkalypse]

Do you just say what ever comes to mind without knowing anything about something. What about Plummerville, just west of Conway with almost 24% black population. They have four times as many as Cabot. Go further up I-40 and Morrilton has a black population of 17.5%. As I said before you need to read a little history. Except for the Delta there has never been a large population of blacks in Arkansas. The reason they went to the larger cities was to look for work. The decline of black popluation in the country can be traced to the flood of 1927 and the use of the farm tractor. The tractor took away the need for any excess farm help of any kind. The days of 40 acres and an mule to make a living were gone. If Cabot's black population grows tell us how? You are the one who said that blacks perfer the inner city and living with other blacks. I do not see Cabot as filling either of these requirements.

It will grow, ultimately, because they will overbuild with cheap apartments and when those apts become dated in 10-20 years and rents lower lower income residents will move in, which happens essentially everywhere. In addition some blacks will move from Jacksonville and Lonoke to Cabot because of schools.

Every lily-white suburb eventually morphs as it ages. However, some of Cabot's population will just continue to move further out whether it's to Vilonia, Beebe, or if Ward and Austin become real cities I can't say. But it will continue to happen just as it always has.

[Arkansawyer]

This notion that black people won't visit Cabot is a stupid joke among black people because they know it's mostly white.

It's funny, I actually worked with a white person from Cabot and black person from Little Rock, and this joke came up all the time. Even though the discussion was always in a friendly, joking manner, it did show some anxiety that blacks have about moving to Cabot. I don't think it's so much that blacks fear living in Cabot, but that they would feel out of place there. This isn't as much an issue of racism as it is about people wanting to live near other people like them.

Like I've said before though...Cabot has always been that white...black people have never lived there. Arkansas is only 14% black...so most cities are mostly white.

As of the 2000 Census Bureau numbers, Arkansas was 15.7% black.

[tim2462]

It's funny, I actually worked with a white person from Cabot and black person from Little Rock, and this joke came up all the time. Even though the discussion was always in a friendly, joking manner, it did show some anxiety that blacks have about moving to Cabot. I don't think it's so much that blacks fear living in Cabot, but that they would feel out of place there. This isn't as much an issue of racism as it is about people wanting to live near other people like them.

As of the 2000 Census Bureau numbers, Arkansas was 15.7% black.

still a small percentage.

[mcheiss]

This Thread has gone too far, and I have decided to temporarily lock it.

[monsoon]

.....You may be gay but you are a stupid one by making the statements that blacks perfer the city because they live there. .......

Another race relations discussion. While that in itself is not bad, calling people stupid on this forum is. Any valid argument that you may have had gets flushed down the toilet when you add personal attacks.

[mcheiss]

Since things have calmed down a bit, I've decided to open this thread back up, but please try to stick to development, urbansim, etc, and not childish name calling.

[skirby]

There are exceptions to every rule. I know more than my share about history. My main point is you have race issues to deal with and this is not the place for it. You are so negative that you can't see the positive things going on around you. Now, I am done with this.

tim2462 my first comment about this was when I went to eat and there were no people of color. This is what I saw. You are the one who called blacks fear of Cabot a stupid joke which I consider a stupid remark by you. Why does Beebe have 5 times as many blacks as Cabot an it is only 10 miles away? Something happened during the past with black people and Cabot that produced this results.

Whites moving out of LR because of what they see as racial problems does exist. I know someone who lives in a gated community in West Little Rock. Two years ago he spent $200 thousand to put in a pool and redo his back yard. He is now looking to move because three black families have moved in. Not only that he is moving his business to Conway. I do not know if this is race based or not but it does happen.

As for Cabot's building boom they should have one. There is very little there for a population of 20,000. A few years ago someone wanted to build a five story office building but there was no demand. The land is now going to be home for a China Buffet.

Beware of Cabot " home of expansive soil." Foundation repair should be a very good business to be in.

[skirby]

To find out more about Cabot and if the were any race problems in the past I posed the question to the Little Rock branch of the Central Arkansas Library System. Their reply was the following: " The Central High Crisis of 1957 began an exodus of the White population to rural areas. As far as "race problems" in the past, there seems to be no evidence of widespread racial tensions, however, rumors persist that clusters of White Supremacy groups made it difficult for Black people to live in Cabot." If this it true then there is a reason for Cabot only having 50 blacks living there in 2000.

[skirby]

On the news last night the city of Cabot did not observe Martin Luther King Day. As the Mayor said the city was open for business. Some of the locals held a parade to honor Robert E. Lee. There was no parade for MLK.

[johnnydr87]

C'mon Skirby! Stop trying to stir up fights. GEEZ. We all know they chose E. Lee because of the heritage he represents--no racism in involved whatsoever!

Besides, I'm sure the large black Cabot population participated in the parade too.

[vbfl85]

I was somewhat skeptical about bringing this topic back up however I found some interesting census numbers regarding "white flight". Here goes nothin...

From 1990 to 2000 the white population in Pulaski county decreased by 21,000 from 252,000 in 1990 to 231,000 in 2000, while the black population rose by 23,000 from 92,000 in 1990 to 115,000 in 2000. This gives a net gaine of 2,000 people, meaning the remaining population influx in the 90s occured from hispanics, asians, etc. Which is a good thing because I believe that it will help break any racial tension that may still exist between the two prodomenent races by creating a melting pot effect.

The result is that Faulkner, Saline, and Lonoke counties have seen a large increase in white population due to "white flight".

The same thing is occuring in cities like Memphis, Birmingham, and Pine Bluff. The unfortunate thing for Pine Bluff is that even though its black, hispanic, and asian populations are rising, they arent rising fast enough to counter the tremendous white flight that is occuring there.

The end result will most likely be that "white flight" will only get worse. As Pulaski counties white population will probably dip below the 60% mark "white flight" may accelerate and Little Rock will turn into a hybrid of Memphis and Jackson, MS, if it hasnt already happened.

So is "white flight" occuring because white people genuinely dont like blacks or is it more of a poverty issue that im assuming is commonplace in the inner city.

[tim2462]

I was somewhat skeptical about bringing this topic back up however I found some interesting census numbers regarding "white flight". Here goes nothin...

From 1990 to 2000 the white population in Pulaski county decreased by 21,000 from 252,000 in 1990 to 231,000 in 2000, while the black population rose by 23,000 from 92,000 in 1990 to 115,000 in 2000. This gives a net gaine of 2,000 people, meaning the remaining population influx in the 90s occured from hispanics, asians, etc. Which is a good thing because I believe that it will help break any racial tension that may still exist between the two prodomenent races by creating a melting pot effect.

The result is that Faulkner, Saline, and Lonoke counties have seen a large increase in white population due to "white flight".

The same thing is occuring in cities like Memphis, Birmingham, and Pine Bluff. The unfortunate thing for Pine Bluff is that even though its black, hispanic, and asian populations are rising, they arent rising fast enough to counter the tremendous white flight that is occuring there.

The end result will most likely be that "white flight" will only get worse. As Pulaski counties white population will probably dip below the 60% mark "white flight" may accelerate and Little Rock will turn into a hybrid of Memphis and Jackson, MS, if it hasnt already happened.

So is "white flight" occuring because white people genuinely dont like blacks or is it more of a poverty issue that im assuming is commonplace in the inner city.

I think it's just a matter of who wants to live where. I don't think white people are trying to get away from black people or the other way around. Conway was once all white because only white people wanted to live there. In the last 10 years, blacks have decided they want to live there as well, and now Conway is 12% black. While you talk about white people leaving Pulaski County, you have to remember that a lot of white people are also moving into Pulaski County: West Little Rock, Maumelle, Otter Creek, Downtown, Colonel Glenn/Bowman, Sherwood, Jacksonville, and parts of North Little Rock.

[sleepy]

So is "white flight" occuring because white people genuinely dont like blacks or is it more of a poverty issue that im assuming is commonplace in the inner city.

Since you mentioned Memphis: Shelby County TN is 47% black, 47% white, and 6% other ethnicities. One of the reasons for the explosion of growth in suburban DeSoto County MS isn't so much white flight as it is the fact that suburban east Shelby County is increasingly very expensive--the middle-class is being shut out. DeSoto is much less expensive.

[skirby]

I think it's just a matter of who wants to live where. I don't think white people are trying to get away from black people or the other way around. Conway was once all white because only white people wanted to live there. In the last 10 years, blacks have decided they want to live there as well, and now Conway is 12% black. While you talk about white people leaving Pulaski County, you have to remember that a lot of white people are also moving into Pulaski County: West Little Rock, Maumelle, Otter Creek, Downtown, Colonel Glenn/Bowman, Sherwood, Jacksonville, and parts of North Little Rock.

The 1990 census shows that Conway has a black population of 10%, I do not consider this to be all white. LR has a problem with their schools and white parents looking for so-called better schools. There are nothing wrong with LR district schools if you are white. Chances are you will get a good education. If your are a black student that is another question.

[vbfl85]

While you talk about white people leaving Pulaski County, you have to remember that a lot of white people are also moving into Pulaski County: West Little Rock, Maumelle, Otter Creek, Downtown, Colonel Glenn/Bowman, Sherwood, Jacksonville, and parts of North Little Rock.

Even with all of the suburban white communities that are being developed as youve mentioned, the overall white population is still down 21,000 in 10 years. So you might have 15,000 people moving into these communities, but there would have to be an additional 36,000 moving out. Obviously im not factoring in births and deaths but we can assume that there are more births.

[johnnydr87]

I think it's just a matter of who wants to live where.

It's always a matter of who wants to live where.

The question is: why do they want to live somewhere else?

Granted, not all those people moving can be accounted for "white flight"; however, a sizable portion is accountable for white flight.

[Aporkalypse]

I think it's just a matter of who wants to live where. I don't think white people are trying to get away from black people or the other way around. Conway was once all white because only white people wanted to live there. In the last 10 years, blacks have decided they want to live there as well, and now Conway is 12% black. While you talk about white people leaving Pulaski County, you have to remember that a lot of white people are also moving into Pulaski County: West Little Rock, Maumelle, Otter Creek, Downtown, Colonel Glenn/Bowman, Sherwood, Jacksonville, and parts of North Little Rock.

You are incorrect. Conway has always had a similar-sized black population, there are areas of town that were largely black back in the 1960s. When I went to college in Conway from 1993 to 1997 the town had a sizable black population. Nearby towns like Menifee and Plumerville are largely black as well.

[CentralArkansas]

The 1990 census shows that Conway has a black population of 10%, I do not consider this to be all white. LR has a problem with their schools and white parents looking for so-called better schools. There are nothing wrong with LR district schools if you are white. Chances are you will get a good education. If your are a black student that is another question.

Pssst.....white students and black students attend the same schools in the LRSD. How one race could receive a better education than the other in the same buildings is beyond me.

[skirby]

Pssst.....white students and black students attend the same schools in the LRSD. How one race could receive a better education than the other in the same buildings is beyond me.

I don't know but if you compare test scores for white students across the state the LR district is among the top. This is after a large number of upperclass white students have left for private schools. On the three end of course test(year 2005) black students average 22% Proficient and Above and white students average 72% Proficient and Above.