How Segregated Is Your Neighborhood?

By Margret Aldrich
Published on February 10, 2011
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The United States has branded itself a “melting pot” since the eighteenth century, but we all know that metaphor has never really fit. Segregation is a perennial issue and, chances are, your city still has a nonverbal understanding of where different ethnic groups live, work, and worship. Through recent mapping and analysis, we are more and more able to discern where those fine lines of segregation lie.

Last September, Utne Reader reported on the infographics created by Eric Fischer that illustrate racial segregation in America. Fischer used data from the 2000 U.S. census to pinpoint the density of racial groups in the 40 largest metropolitan areas, with striking results.

Now, using new 2005-2009 Census Block Group data, Remapping Debate has created an interactive map that allows users to zoom in on segregation in their state, their city, and their neighborhood, even down to their block. Although only African-American, Latino, and white groups are represented, the map is a dramatic statement on modern segregation at a local level.

Source: Remapping Debate

Image courtesy of Remapping Debate

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