Percentages of Caucasian people
living in different counties across America show interesting trends. Places
along the Rust Belt and the mid-west have much higher Caucasian percentages,
while areas around the Southeast have considerably lower percentages.
California, Hawaii, and Alaska also have low white percentages, along with
large cities, even when surrounding areas have a more white population.
Some possible explanations for these
patterns is that places with lower percentages of white people tend to be the
states that owned slaves prior to the Civil War, and people generally tend to stay
living around where they and their family grew up. Many of the settlers from
the Northeast were immigrants from Europe, while immigrants from Mexico live
more frequently in the states bordering Mexico. Big cities tend to attract more
immigrants because there can be more opportunities, such as affordable housing,
entry level jobs, and clusters of other immigrants, for people who are starting
new lives.
Being segregated can have a
substantial impact on how people think about other races, even when it’s not
forced, self-chosen segregation. When people don’t have much interaction with
different ethnic groups, it is considerably easier for stereotypes and hatred
to live on. As long as people are separating themselves, it will be near
impossible for people to ever feel equal or fully integrated.
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