Diversity Spreads South

The Hispanic, black and Asian populations of Southern metros recorded some of the nation's highest growth rates between 2000 and 2004, according to a new study by William Frey of the Brookings Institution.

Frey found that "the fastest growing metro areas for each minority group in 2000-2004 are no longer unique, but closely parallel the fastest growing areas in the nation." While some Southern metros expanded greatly in recent decades, much of that growth was fueled by white in-migration. That is no longer the case.

Take Hispanics. Historically, much of the growth in the nation's Hispanic population had been concentrated in a few gateway cities like New York or Chicago. Today, Southern metros are magnets for Hispanic growth with places like Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville and Atlanta experiencing rapid growth in their Hispanic populations.

Similarly, blacks are now moving back to the South after having spent decades moving away in search of better lives outside of the region. Southern metros like Orlando, Atlanta, Tampa, Austin and Dallas all have seen their black populations swell since 2000.

Such trends are remaking the face of growing Southern metros. Besides having to confront such growth issues as providing adequate infrastructure and addressing sprawl, Southern metros also must confront racial and ethnic issues. For example, many Southern metros now have "majority minority" child populations. In Atlanta, 34 percent of the children younger than age 15 are black, 10 percent are Hispanic, 4 percent are Asian and 2 percent belong to other non-white groups. Addressing such issues will be just as crucial to the region's success as building roads and providing affordable housing.