Map of White Flight

**JenniferL** · April-11-13, 01:34 AM

While not an ethnic group, Detroit's gay community was centered around Palmer Park in the 1970s, but migrated northward along Woodward and into Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak.

**Király** · April-12-13, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Kiraly, that link doesn't seem to work. Could you please repost it?

Check your downloads folder. On my computer [[Mac) clicking the link doesn't display the PDF, it downloads it.

Or, go here:
http://www.cus.wayne.edu/census/MapT...e/%20Ethnicity

And click White Population Change, 1990-2000.

**coracle** · April-12-13, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Király

Check your downloads folder. On my computer [[Mac) clicking the link doesn't display the PDF, it downloads it.

Or, go here:
http://www.cus.wayne.edu/census/MapT...e/%20Ethnicity

And click White Population Change, 1990-2000.

If you look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demogra...ory_of_Detroit and go to The Table it shows in detail how the numbers changed.
The Whites peaked at 1,545,847 in 1950 and were reduced to 22,154 in 2010 [[75,758 - 55,604 non-Hispanics). I don't see why we need A Map of White Flight, why does it matter where they went too? They haven't deserted the City. When something is going on like Celebrations, Parades, Sporting Events, and the like they give their support in great numbers and are a big part of the engine that drives Detroit.

**menckensghost** · April-13-13, 09:54 PM

Admittedly I have mostly skimmed the posts on this thread, but no one seems to have addressed the practice of "red-lining". "Red-lining" was a de facto form of residential segregation that probably still exists. Red lines were drawn around neighbourhoods where estate agents were forbidden to sell to people of color or Jews. I believe this policy came into force after the Ossian Sweet debacle in 1925. Upwardly mobile Jews and people of color gravitated to the west side because the were "red-lined" out of the Pointes and Indian Village and other existing posh enclaves.

I believe the spirit of this post is to map the ethnic diaspora from the city proper. To call it "white flight" is an over-simplification. Detroit inspires all kinds of flight, and has done for over a century. There is white flight, Jewish flight, black flight etc. I take exception to the idea of flight. I don't think any of these groups were running away from anything, but rather running towards some pastoral promise embedded in the American Dream.

Detroit exists as a stepping stone on the way to some better future. The monument to the Underground Railroad on our riverfront is a testament to that. For a hundred's of years an entire class and race of people held fast to an enduring idea. "If I can make it to Detroit, everything will be alright."

So here we are, a weigh station on the road to the American Dream, a sad joke with too many punchlines. And somewhere along the way, for far too many, the dream has become a nightmare, and the nightmare a reality.

**Scottathew** · April-13-13, 10:36 PM

There's also a large Ukrainian population in the southwest [[48091) area of Warren.

I've had seniors at local shopping areas tell me how to properly pronounce my last name, as opposed to how I pronounce it :-)

**Danny** · April-15-13, 10:48 AM

White middle class flight has already begun in most inner ring suburbs. [[That is suburbs that border Detroit.) White middle class flight is slowly gaining pace alongwest to east 8 Mile Rd. Five Points, Telegraph Rd, Ford Rd. between ArtesianSt. to Southfield Rd. Schaeffer Rd. from Greenfield Rd.-Mellon St to Fort St. Along 18th Street in Ecorse to Outer Drive Rd. further to Fort St. to AllenPark and all of Dix and Verner Rd. and all of Kelly Rd. towards Mack Ave. and Moross Rd. Grosse Pointes and St. Clair Shores have seen 15 to 40+% loss ofmiddle class families.

According the N.Y. Times Census 2000 to 2010 web page, White Middle class flight from the inner ring suburbs and expanded further to 20 Mile Rd. [[Hall Rd.), Oakland to Orion TWP. Waterford TWP, further south as Taylor, Romulus,and further West as Livonia and father northwestward as Novi and Wixom.

This trend begin somewhat in the early 1990s just ten years after the 8 Mile divide was broken when middle class African Americans [[mostly from Detroit)quickly moved to Oak Park, Southfield, Lathrup Village. Later an influx and Middle Class African Americans are migrating further northwestward to Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield TWP.

White middle class flight is not only because of Black families wanting better life. An influx of other immigrants; Canton TWP, Farmington Hills, and Troy had seen and 20 to 122% of ethnic Asians.

White middle class maybe long gone from Dearborn's Eastborn neighborhood, [[AlongW. Warren Ave.) and replaced by Arab Americans who are changing the neighborhood and beautifying it. They are determine to expand their communities furtherwestward to Dearborn Heights, parts of west side Detroit, Garden City and parts of Livonia and Westland.

**poobert** · April-15-13, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by coracle

why does it matter where they went too? They haven't deserted the City. When something is going on like Celebrations, Parades, Sporting Events, and the like they give their support in great numbers and are a big part of the engine that drives Detroit.

Uh, have you seen Detroit? By all appearances, it really, really matters. I'm going out on a limb here, but going to a baseball game once a year doesn't make up for losing 1.3 million residents. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming them for leaving, but Detroit needs residents way more than boosters these days.

**coracle** · April-15-13, 03:08 PM

"

Originally Posted by poobert

Uh, have you seen Detroit? By all appearances, it really, really matters. I'm going out on a limb here, but going to a baseball game once a year doesn't make up for losing 1.3 million residents. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming them for leaving, but Detroit needs residents way more than boosters these days.

What you say poobert makes perfect sense and is very desirable; but how is it achieved? My "..why does it matter where they went too?" was on the basis that they are unlikely to be persuaded to return, but at least they do visit; which I agree is small recompense but better than nothing. They are maintaining a nominal contact.

**Dumpling** · April-17-13, 03:12 AM

What I find fascinating is that, whereas in the fifties when my parents left
Detroit right after I was born, people were moving out because they were
ambitious and wanted to live in a roomier less expensive home closer to work,
the neighbors that leave now for the suburbs may do so because the cops don't show up to their party fight in a timely manner, or because their driving habits necessitate a locale with lower auto insurance costs.

**Smirnoff** · April-22-13, 04:30 PM

Anyone know why all the exotic dancers [[strippers) come from Fowlerville - just askin'?

**IrishSpartan** · April-24-13, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Jaybiz

This is the washington post link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...n/census/2010/. If you type in the zip code on the search box you can really get a detailed look at the demographic changes. Your right about Schoenherr [[Btwn 6 & 7 Mile) with the Italians. There was one last wave that few people know about that took place in 80's, I knew of several families that moved here from Sicily in the mid 1980's and they ended up btwn 6 & 7 mile Schoenherr area actually more toward 6 mile. They had to be the last young Italian families to move into the city. What happen was that they were basically lied to by Italians who lived in America and that had property for sale or for rent in that neighborhood. They sent money in advance and thought they were moving to a nice American nieghborhood that was populated by other Italians that had come before them and then they showed up to something much different. There was no money to leave or for private schools so they stuck it out for a few years before having the means to move out. They never stayed for more than a few years, I have a two friends who are barely 30 years old and they both lived and went to school there, they said it was rough, a lot of fighting everyday.

Thanks for the link. This interactive map doesn't appear to have pre-1990 census data. I've have to investigate whether Social Explorer breaks down the census tracts by block group. I'm especially interested in the 1960-80 U.S. Census data. By the 1980's, Assumption Grotto and Our Lady of Good Counsel were on the decline. The cost of Catholic schools had increased substantially, which didn't help the situation.

**marshamusic** · April-24-13, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by menckensghost

Admittedly I have mostly skimmed the posts on this thread, but no one seems to have addressed the practice of "red-lining". "Red-lining" was a de facto form of residential segregation that probably still exists. Red lines were drawn around neighbourhoods where estate agents were forbidden to sell to people of color or Jews. I believe this policy came into force after the Ossian Sweet debacle in 1925. Upwardly mobile Jews and people of color gravitated to the west side because the were "red-lined" out of the Pointes and Indian Village and other existing posh enclaves.

I believe the spirit of this post is to map the ethnic diaspora from the city proper. To call it "white flight" is an over-simplification. Detroit inspires all kinds of flight, and has done for over a century. There is white flight, Jewish flight, black flight etc. I take exception to the idea of flight. I don't think any of these groups were running away from anything, but rather running towards some pastoral promise embedded in the American Dream.

Detroit exists as a stepping stone on the way to some better future. The monument to the Underground Railroad on our riverfront is a testament to that. For a hundred's of years an entire class and race of people held fast to an enduring idea. "If I can make it to Detroit, everything will be alright."

So here we are, a weigh station on the road to the American Dream, a sad joke with too many punchlines. And somewhere along the way, for far too many, the dream has become a nightmare, and the nightmare a reality.

Beautiful. Also, remember the widespread use of legal constructs in property deeds that forbade the owners from selling to Jews or Blacks.

Conant Gardens, in Detroit's Northeast side, was developed into a community by the "flight" out of Black Bottom - the owner of the land, Shubael Conant, an abolitionist, was a white man who refused to allow homes to be built with such language in the deeds.

This making that community one of the first places where, later, during the migration of blacks from the South, there was middle-class black home ownership, one of the only areas where blacks could live outside of Black Bottom.