1. Changing Population Patterns in Los Angeles
James Allen and Eugene Turner
California State University Northridge
LA Co contains a highly diverse population and is a major destination of many new immigrant groups
20% of the nation’s foreign born now live here
Now that first releases of 2000 census data have occurred we can see what kinds of changes in the ethnic populations have occurred.
The following maps were prepared from the PL redistricting files and they attempt to deal with a new reality of the 2000 census.
In this census respondents could indicate one or more race categories. This is a departure from the old single-race responses in earlier censuses and complicates comparison of this census with earlier censuses.
Only 4.9% of LA Co persons indicated 2 or more races. However, we fractionally assigned those persons to get a better estimate of the larger ethnic populations.
For those groups that are already here we expect that the settlement patterns will be essentially the same as 1990

3. Another reality of this census is that there appear to be a number of tracts whose populations are in error. LA City among others believes there is an undercount and has considered legal action. However, there appears to be no indication yet that the Census Bureau will correct their figures.
These errors seem more common in tracts containing institutions such as prisons
Prisons: Mira Loma Det. Facility (lancaster)
Peter Pitchess Honor Rancho
Long Beach Naval Hospital
3 million Not Hispanic and White alone, % of county pop.
Dominant in upper income areas
West SF Valley
Coastal communities – Redondo Beach
East Long Beach – very different from W. Long Beach
La Habra Heights
Pasadena

7. East LA
San Gabriel Valley – City of Industry
Pomona

10. West of Central Ave.
Concentrations shifting west
Ladera Heights
Compton

13. Others with much lower income have settled in Long Beach, Koreatown, and Chinatown
Prominent in
Monterey Park – Chinese, Japanese
Rowland Heights – Filipino, Asian Ind., Korean
Gardena - Japanese
Note
UCLA – various groups
Chinatown
Koreatown – Koreans
Filipinos nw of Long Beach 44%of tract
Cambodians

19. Ethnic Pluralities Note NH White – green Hispanic – yellow/brown
Asian – pink
Blacks – blue
Lighter shades indicate lower proportion

20. Ethnic Diversity
Note
Diversity indicates more equality in the proportions of 4 groups
Number varies between 0 and 1 – High diversity
Some of most diverse cities in US are found in
older suburban communities like
Gardena
Cerritos
Walnut

21. Summary of 2000 Distributions
1. Ethnic settlement patterns are distinct and strong.
2. Settlement patterns are explained by earlier
patterns, housing price variations, and
income/wealth of groups.
3. Secondary factors include housing discrimination,
attitudes toward other groups, and amenities.

22. Residential Segregation 1990 to 2000
D - Score

23. Residential Segregation 1990 to 2000
D - Score

24. Summary of Change
1. Suburbanization - All groups increased in areas of new housing near the urban fringe.
2. Black segregation continued to weaken, esp. as Latinos moved into former Black enclaves and Blacks moved to suburbs.
3. White decrease was widespread, with Whites replaced by Latinos, Asians, and Blacks.

25. Summary of Change (cont.)
4. Latino increase was widespread, esp. in areas of low- and moderate-cost housing.
5. Segregation between Whites and Hispanics and between Whites and Asians increased due to the settlement of immigrants near earlier arrivals.
6. Some older Asian enclaves declined. Asian increases were greatest in older and newer suburbs, with some replacement of Hispanics in San Gabriel Valley.

26. Final Comments
Neighborhoods differ greatly in their ethnic composition and patterns of change.
It is impossible to understand Los Angeles
without looking at it geographically.