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White flight slows, black flight continues in Cook

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Illinois

Cook County gained about 13,000 inhabitants in 2013 and remains the county with the largest black population in the nation, according to Census Bureau estimates of population, race and Hispanic origin released Thursday.

Most of the growth in Cook County came from the Hispanic and Asian communities, with the county actually losing 4,300 whites and 8,300 blacks, according to the estimates.

Total population also increased in the five other counties of the Chicago metro area. But in four of those counties — DuPage, Lake, Will and Kane — white population also declined. Those declines were more than offset by growth in Hispanic, black and Asian populations.

The US Census reported after the last major count that Cook had lost about 117,000 African-American residents during the previous ten years. The county lost 149,000 whites during the same period, so that flight appears to have slowed down quite a lot, at least for now.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 12:38 pm

Comments

Wonder if John and Mike are doing a first draft of their next map trying to incorporate another State Senate seat or two? lol.
After the last winter here, we might see more outward migration. It is getting close to the time where a second Hispanic Congressional seat should be seriously considered before the courts decide for us.

Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 12:57 pm
Latinos already weren’t too happy with the maps this past go-around. If there was more registration/turn-out, it would start causing some major power shifts. They’ll come anyway–it will just take longer.

Comment by liandro Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 1:04 pm
This seems relevant - www.wbez.org/news/chicago-public-schools-chided-affluent-school-communities-inequity-110418

When you choose to neglect education, infrastructure, safety and development in areas of Cook County for so many years, people who can leave those areas will eventually leave.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 1:13 pm
all people want safe neighborhoods, jobs and good schools

Comment by Wumpus Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 1:13 pm
Folks fleeing farther and farther? McHenry’s white pop went up and all non-white pops went down. The song remains the same.

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 1:25 pm
DuPage went from 70.5% white to 68.8% white in 3 years. That doesn’t bode well for the GOP in statewide elections unless they can figure out how to better pull minorities into their tent.

Comment by train111 Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 1:41 pm
Looks like Cook County is receiving the benefit of some hard working, opportunity seeking, family focused growth. Hopefully that will help clean up the crime ridden image….and reality. That’s a positive.

Comment by Sunshine Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 2:16 pm
=== train111 - Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 1:41 pm:

DuPage went from 70.5% white to 68.8% white in 3 years. That doesn’t bode well for the GOP in statewide elections unless they can figure out how to better pull minorities into their tent.====

Very true Train. We’re doing a lot better with Asians than we are Latinos. Part of it is that there is less of a language barrier. We’re working harder with Latinos, which is good. If you can speak Spanish, it helps immensely. In many cases the children help with translation as well. This can bode very well for the GOP if we work hard. There’s a common set of reasons people come to DuPage. In that way, the minority populations are really no different than everyone who came before them. We need to get on the stick and work harder. No Question.

Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 2:44 pm
It’s hard for me to believe these “estimates” . Rahm Emanuel and Mayor Daley claim more white folk are moving back to the city to enjoy all the benefits of the big , blue city.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 2:58 pm
“Rahm Emanuel and Mayor Daley claim more white folk are moving back to the city to enjoy all the benefits of the big , blue city.”

I’ve seen more white people in certain neighboroods, like Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square and lately more in Humboldt Park. This also happened in other neighborhoods, as the city became gentrified in certain places.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 3:29 pm
i left the city after 40+ years as the shootings got closer and closer on the northwest side

Comment by other guy Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 3:53 pm
As a Black woman who live in Cook County, none of these figures are surprising, but still disheartening. There are myriad reasons why Blacks are fleeing the county, but I will hold off on that discussion as I suspect this is neither the time nor place for that kind of vitriolism…

Comment by Black Ivy Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 3:57 pm
@BlackIvy - I hope you post it eventually and chime in other posts - we could use the additional POV.

Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 4:03 pm
I’ll second that, @lake county democrat.

@Black Ivy, I look forward to hearing your thoughts in future posts.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 4:30 pm
So what SPECIFIC Republican type issues would appeal to Hispanics?

I have seen exit polls since 1964 and at the Presidential level the Republican candidate has never received a majority of the Hispanic vote. Not even Reagan. Bush 2 came the closest in 2004but he always supported amnesty and ran against Kerry who had very little Latino appeal as far as I could ascertain.

So again, what specific issues would help Hispanics actually identify with and then vote for Republican candidates (other than the Republican candidate being Hispanic in a heavy Hispanic district)?

Goldwater, Ford, Reagan, both Bushes, McCain were very respectful. It did no translate into any real support.

Comment by Federalist Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 4:49 pm
This conversation reminds me of an article I read where a country music executive was asked how that music could appeal to a wider aud more diverse audience. His answer was to feature more minorities performing it. It’s all about recruitment, a welcoming mindset, and finding common ground with any movement.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 5:29 pm
Of course, one party could also just go the way of the dodo bird in this stare. Then there will just be factions of the same party, aligned by interests. Suburbs, city, downstate, whatever.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 5:32 pm
state

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 5:33 pm
Federalist,

It is not a coincidence that the two parties are close to 50/50. It is probably a natural result of the way both parties try to maximize their votes. For instance, Truman embracing civil rights at a time his party included segregationists to take votes Thomas Dewey or Eisenhower’s embrace of the New Deal. The high rate of intermarriage between whites & Hispanics will help move us toward a day where Hispanics “become white” like Italian-Americans became white. I don’t know what the partisan divide is among Italian-Americans or what Republican issues could appeal to Hispanics, but I do believe something will keep the partisan divide close to 50/50 no matter what demographic changes occur.

Comment by Illiana Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 6:21 pm
Illiana,

You could be right particularly in the very, very long term. I doubt if that will be the case for the next 50 years. Indeed, I see a greater split.

While White, non-Hispanic and White, Hispanic marriage will increase (I have two cousins married to wonderful Hispanic ladies) it will not keep pace with the tremendous increase in Hispanics coming to this country- legally and particularly illegally.

Most politicians know this and that is what the issue/fuss/debate is about.

In any case, I have asked the question of what Hispanics want from Republicans (specific issues) and I never get a real answer, only generalities that beg the question.

Comment by Federalist Thursday, Jun 26, 14 @ 6:51 pm
Ask Hispanics.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Jun 27, 14 @ 3:33 am
I am with Precinct Captain. Polls & focus groups can help Republican politicians figure it out. For example, I was thinking Illinois Republicans (perhaps Rauner) could talk about local land-use regulations & how they may drive up the cost-of-living in Chicagoland. Not being from Chicagoland, I wonder if using the state to weaken local could be politically dangerous regarding how suburban whites (middle-class & up) would react. Do they like using land-use regulations to keep down the number of poor & working-class people in their town?

http://www.nationalreview.com/agenda/378065/growing-recognition-excessive-land-use-regulation-limits-opportunity-reihan-salam

Comment by Illiana Friday, Jun 27, 14 @ 6:25 am