Audrey Singer, Immigration Fellow

Twenty-first Century Gateways: Immigrant Incorporation in Suburban America

Annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers

April 18, 2007

New metropolitan geography of immigrant settlement

Following opportunities, more immigrants are locating in suburban areas

Many new areas of settlement outside the traditional Southwestern states and large metropolitan areas

The 1990s was a time of extraordinary growth of the U.S. immigrant population

New Metros: changing destinations in the 1990s

Washington, DC and Dallas-Ft. Worth have nearly as many immigrants as Houston or San Francisco (greater than 1 million)

The same number of immigrants currently live in Salt Lake City as Cleveland (115,000)

More immigrants live in Atlanta than Long Island, Philadelphia, or Detroit (612,000)

New Contexts: suburbia is the dominant landscape

Most of the foreign-born in Atlanta and Washington, DC live in the suburbs (94 & 91 percent), but the same is true for only 56 percent of Chicago’s and 49 percent of San Francisco’s

More immigrants now live in suburbia than in central cities (52% vs. 48% nationwide)

The fastest growing immigrant populations are in 21st Century Gateways which are largely sprawling, lower density, and suburban in form

States with the most recent growth are in the Southeast

Percent Foreign Born

Percent of foreign born who entered since 2000

30 or above

1.09 - 4.54

4.55 - 12.40

12.41 - 15.91

15.92 - 27.24

U.S. = 12.4

BostonRiverside-San BernardinoDallas-Fort WorthWashingtonHoustonSan Francisco-OaklandChicagoMiami-Fort LauderdaleLos AngelesNew York

16.021.617.719.921.429.517.536.534.727.9

684,165827,584

1,016,2211,017,4321,113,8751,201,2091,625,6491,949,6294,407,3535,117,290

Top 10 metropolitan areas, 2005

%FB Millions

10.3 13.5 13.9 14.2 11.6 10.3 9.7 9.6 14.1 19.8 35.731.1

13.6%

11.6%

6.9%

5.4%4.7%

6.2%

12.4%

14.7%

11.1%

7.9%

13.2%

8.8%

-

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005

Pop

ulat

ion

in M

illio

ns

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

Per

cent

of T

otal

Pop

ulat

ion

Population Percent of Population

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Immigration is at an all time high

Total Foreign Born and Share Foreign Born in the United States, 1900-2005

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

1900

Few cities have maintained their status as gateways throughout the 20th century

31.288,991Milwaukee33.896,503Detroit29.6104,252Buffalo19.4111,356St. Louis34.1116,885San Francisco32.6124,631Cleveland35.1197,129Boston22.8295,340Philadelphia34.6587,112Chicago37.01,270,080New York

Houston

59.5215,739Miami19.5257,325Phoenix

36.8285,541San Francisco24.4290,436Dallas25.7314,227San Diego

36.8329,757San Jose

26.4516,10521.7628,903Chicago40.91,512,720Los Angeles

35.92,871,032New York

2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Perc

ent f

orei

gn b

orn

Former

Former gateways are no longer major destinations

FormerBaltimoreBuffaloClevelandDetroitMilwaukeePhiladelphiaPittsburghSt. Louis

Percent of Foreign Born in Cities by Gateway Type, 1900-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Perc

ent f

orei

gn b

orn

Continuous

Continuous gateways have always attracted more than their fair share of immigrants

ContinuousBostonChicago Jersey CityNewarkNew York

Bergen Passaic NJMiddlesex-Somerset NJNassau-Suffolk, NY

San Francisco

Percent of Foreign Born in Cities by Gateway Type, 1900-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Perc

ent f

orei

gn b

orn

Post-WWII

Post-WWII gateways became destinations during the past 50 years

Post-WWIIFort Lauderdale HoustonLos Angeles

Orange CountyRiverside-San Bernardino

San DiegoMiami

Percent of Foreign Born in Cities by Gateway Type, 1900-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Perc

ent f

orei

gn b

orn

Emerging

Emerging gateways experienced very recent and rapid growth in their foreign-born population

EmergingAtlanta DallasFort WorthLas VegasOrlandoWashington, DCWest Palm Beach

Percent of Foreign Born in Cities by Gateway Type, 1900-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Perc

ent f

orei

gn b

orn

Re-Emerging

Re-Emerging gateways are once again major destinations for immigrants

Re-EmergingDenverMinneapolis-St. PaulOaklandPhoenixPortlandSacramentoSan JoseSeattleTampa

Percent of Foreign Born in Cities by Gateway Type, 1900-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Perc

ent f

orei

gn b

orn

Re-Emerging

Former

Continuous

Post-WWII

Emerging

Emerging gateways represent a new context for immigrant integration

Percent of Foreign Born in Cities by Gateway Type, 1900-2000

FormerBaltimoreBuffaloClevelandDetroitMilwaukeePhiladelphiaPittsburghSt. Louis

ContinuousBostonChicago Jersey CityNewarkNew York

Bergen Passaic NJMiddlesex-Somerset NJNassau-Suffolk, NY

San Francisco

Post-WWIIFort Lauderdale HoustonLos Angeles

Orange CountyRiverside-San Bernardino

San DiegoMiami

Re-EmergingDenverMinneapolis-St. PaulOaklandPhoenixPortlandSacramentoSan JoseSeattleTampa

Pre-EmergingAustinCharlotteGreensboro-Winston SalemRaleigh-DurhamSalt Lake City

Six types of metropolitan immigrant gateways in 2000

EmergingAtlanta DallasFort WorthLas VegasOrlandoWashington, DCWest Palm Beach

The social science literature shows a surprising lack of comparative metropolitan studies

Roger Waldinger wrote in 1989 that in the past, the study of cities was largely the study of immigrants, however now much research on immigrants is about

“…people who just happen to live in cities; but how the particular characteristics of the immigrant-receiving areas impinge on the newcomers is a question immigration researchers rarely raise” (Waldinger 1989: 211).

A new wave of immigration studies is illuminating the fact that immigrants are in new destination areas

PLACE-FOCUSED

• rural areas, “the South,” “the Suburbs”

INDUSTRY-FOCUSED

• Carpets, poultry, meatpacking, mushrooms, technology

ORIGIN COUNTRY-FOCUSED

• Mexicans in New York, Salvadorans on Long Island, Chinese in Monterey Park

21st Century Immigrant Gateways:Why we are doing the book

Nine Gateways in Book 10.3%

Other 21st- Century Gateways

9.9%

Remainder of U.S. Immigrants

79.8%

Percent of U.S. foreign-born, 2000

21st Century Immigrant Gateways

19.9%17.9%12.6%9.9%7.7%

53.5%56.2%62.5%

61.5%63.8%

26.6%25.9%24.9%28.6%28.5%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1970 1980 1990 2000 2005

21st Century Gateways Established Gateways Remainder of US

The 9 metropolitan areas featured in the book are located in states on the perimeter of the United States

[_

[_

[_[_

[_

[_[_

[_

[_Austin

Dallas

Phoenix

Atlanta

Portland

Charlotte

Sacramento

Washington

Minneapolis

_

EmergingRe-emergingPre-emergingPost-WWIIContinuousFormerBook Chapter Metro

-

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

Former Continuous Post WWII Emerging Re-emerging

1970

1980

1990

2000

Continuous and Post-WWII Gateways still dominate, but Emerging and Re-Emerging are growing faster

Number Foreign Born by Gateway Type, 1970-2000

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Former Continuous Post WWII Emerging Re-Emerging Pre-Emerging

Per

cent

% Change in Total Population % Change in Population without Foreign-Born

Population growth in Continuous and Post-WWII Gateways depends more on immigration than in Emerging Gateways

Growth rates are greater in suburban areas, yielding more immigrants in absolute terms

Foreign Born in Cities and Suburbs, 37 metro areas (in millions)

6.9

9.9

10.5

5.0

7.9

13.1

15.7

4.9

- 3 5 8 10 13 15 18

1980

1990

2000

2005

Central CitiesSuburbs

Foreign born in cities and suburbs, (millions) 1980-2005

Dallas

All but one metro has Mexican immigrants at the top of the list, but after that they vary in origin countries

Atlanta Washington

Minneapolis

El Salvador: 13% Top Ten: 46%

Mexico: 14% Top Ten: 60%

SacramentoMexico: 26% Top Ten: 67%

PortlandMexico: 29% Top Ten: 67%

PhoenixMexico: 65% Top Ten: 82%

CharlotteMexico: 34% Top Ten: 63%

AustinMexico: 55% Top Ten: 78%

Mexico 59% Top Ten: 79%Mexico: 28% Top Ten: 58%

7 of the metros in the book were top refugee resettlement areas, differing from the top foreign-born destinations

23,072▲▲ Phoenix1520

18

12

10

9

8

7654321

Refugee Rank

10

31

29

16

30

712236312

FB Rank

37,436▲▲ Sacramento34,292▲▲ Portland25,867▲▲ Dallas

40,149▲▲ Atlanta

41,239▲▲ Twin Cities

41,795▲▲ Washington

42,565San Jose48,573Seattle50,714Orange County63,322Chicago

114,606Los Angeles186,522New York

Refugees Resettled, 83-04Metropolitan Area

Post-WWII 112,128 Post-WWII 138,831

Continuous 92,814

Continuous 225,680Re-emerging 72,647

Re-emerging 157,376

Emerging 35,550

Emerging 76,168

Former 28,079

Former 74,471

Pre-emerging 16,391

Pre-emerging 8,088

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

1983-1989 1990-1999

All gateway types doubled the number of refugees resettled in the 1990s, except for Post-World War II gateways

Refugees Resettled in Metropolitan Areas by Gateway Type, 1980s and 1990s

Local efforts may be compounded by the large number of recent arrivals and local governance

THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS: The Policy Context

Social networks will ensure further immigration

No uniform set of policies and programs to aid in the social, economic, and political incorporation of immigrants

The “grey zone”: local responses to federal failures, i.e., day labor, language policies, occupancy policies, local police enforcement

Goals of the project

Generate new knowledge about suburbs as the current context for immigrant incorporation

Explore the underlying dimensions of foreign-born growth in 21st century gateways

Provide in-depth, comparative, interdisciplinary analysis of 21st century gateways

Help local leaders understand their area’ s transformations in a broader context