Mapping America

New York Times released an article reporting about the 2010 Census findings. The article is related to the finding that immigrants are now settling in suburbs instead of urban areas which was common in the past.

Attached to the article is a pretty cool interactive map. It depicts the ethnic background of the citizens in all of America's nieghborhoods and rural areas. For instance, my neighborhood "The Hill" zip code 63110 (census tract 1135) is 97% white, 2% black, 1% hispanic, 0% asian, 0% other. The neighborhood I grew up in and where my parents still live, Shaw Neighborhood, is the same postal zip code 63110 (census tract 1174). However, the breakdown there is 46% white, 45% black, 5% hispanic, 2% asian, 2% other.

These numbers are not surprising to me. The Hill is neighborhood that was established by Italian immigrants and is very heavily spotted with Italian grocery stores, bakeries, and restaurants. (My grandfather says the underground Italian Mafia tunnels are still in existence, even though they may not be utilized.) On the other hand, the Shaw Neighborhood does not scream one specific ethnic background. Neighbors are more open-minded as a whole and lower class citizens are given housing opportunities that are not often found in other parts of the city.

The above is the map of New York city, and the one below is Memphis. Both of these areas stir up conflicting emotions for me - belief in neighborhood and ethnic pride as well as optimism that one day neighborhoods won't be so ethnically segregated.