In contemporary America, "race" is an evolving
notion whose only constant is its ambiguity. To see some elaboration on this
theme, please click on racial changes and ambiguities.
As part of the elaboration we suggest alternative ways to deal with those
choosing more than one racial identification. Click on Census 2000 Racial Data for NY State, NY City, The Bronx,
and Vicinity for details.
1. Ethnic Ebbs and Flows, 1990 to 2000
For The Bronx (and indeed the entire New York City area) the official unadjusted figures show unexpected population gains. They seem to result in part from even higher levels of immigration than anyone had predicted. Also, the Census Bureau worked closely with the NYC Department of City Planning and other local agencies to find many overlooked addresses.
Maps can best show patterns of change from one
area to another. First we shall look at The Bronx on the block level,
and then we shall examine it within the context of New York City.
Non-Hispanic White majority areas are receding
or even disappearing, particularly in Norwood and north of Pelham Parkway.
A large number of core White areas, which were 3/4 or even 90% White a decade
ago, are now in the 50-75% range. These areas of change remain middle
class, and we now have an increasing Black and Hispanic middle class
throughout the borough. Note that the poorer Black enclave in the South
Bronx (Morrisania) seems to be receding, while Blacks and Hispanics have
an increasing presence in the middle class triangle bounded by Pelham Parkway,
Gun Hill Road, and the Bronx River Parkway. Hispanics are now the predominant
group throughout Norwood and many other areas in the northwest Bronx.
2. Distribution of Major Ethnic Groups
Dot-density maps with the same scale and colors enable us to compare
the distribution of Hispanics, non-Hispanic Blacks, and non-Hispanic Whites
in 2000 and in 1990. The six maps follow.
3. "New Races" and Multiracial Identities
There are still relatively few Asians in The Bronx, though, as we shall see, their presence is quite visible in other parts of New York City. Also, those who choose two or more racial identifications are a relatively small part of the population, mostly in Hispanic areas.
4. The Unusual Characteristics of Bronx Kids (population, age 0-17)
The first phase of Census 2000 measures the total population and adults (age 18 and above). By simple subtraction we can identify the population under 18. For The Bronx, these "kids" as we will call them show some surprising characteristics.
Of all New York State counties, The Bronx has the highest proportion of kids: 29.82% of the total Bronx population. Manhattan has the lowest proportion, 16.78%.
The Bronx's population of Non-Hispanic White kids has continued its drastic decline. By 2000, non-Hispanic White kids were only 2.04% of the total Bronx population. The other four counties comprising New York City had at least double this rate, and no county outside New York City had a proportion of non-Hispanic White kids lower than 14.3%.
If one considers non-Hispanic White kids as a proportion of all kids, the figure for The Bronx is 7.12%. The next lowest New York county, Queens, had a proportion of 22.44%, more than three times as high. In New York State as a whole, 54.65% of the kids are non-Hispanic White.
31.86% of Bronx kids are non-Hispanic Black. This figure is second to Brooklyn (38.61%). In every county outside New York City, Blacks comprise less than 20% of all kids.
The Bronx is the only county in New York State where the absolute majority of all kids are Hispanic (55.65%. Manhattan is next, with 43.58%). In no county outside New York City is the figure as high as 20%.
In The Bronx, and in Manhattan, an absolute majority of Hispanic kids identify themselves as "other race" rather than the traditional categories of Black, White, Asian, Pacific, or American Indian. Only in Manhatttan and The Bronx do less than 30% identify themselves as being of the "White race." In all counties outside New York City except Monroe (Rochester), a plurality of Hispanic kids call themselves "White."
There is no good reason to suppose that the hemorrhage
of White kids from The Bronx will be stopped. Increases in Hispanic
kids are in large measure the result of recent immigration, and thus pose
extraordinary challenges to the school system and other social services.
Maps can show in detail what has happened to kids of the three main ethnic categories over the past decade. In the following dot-density maps, keeping dot size and color constant enables us to see how sparse non-Hispanic White kids are, even in the areas where they predominate. For Black kids we note a further concentration in the north (middle class) Bronx, and a decline in the Morrisania ("underclass") area. For Hispanic kids, the growing red area in the West Bronx is adjacent to the Dominican stronghold in northern Manhattan. The combined area is large enough to be considered an entire "Hispanic world." Of course, many kids in such an area will eventually become assimilated into the "American mainstream." But an even larger group of new immigrants may continue to flow in, creating ongoing social and cultural challenges.
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