Diversity, Poverty, and Transit Dependency in the Suburbs

[David Greene]

Unlike MVTA, SWT makes no attempt to serve the transit-dependent population, which believe it or not, definitely exists in Eden Prairie and Chaska.

Not only does it exist, the poverty rates in some of the SWLRT EP station areas are equivalent to the station areas in Minneapolis with the highest poverty rates. In other words, some of the EP station areas have the highest poverty rates along the whole line.

I don't think most people understand how rapidly the demographics of the suburbs are changing. Brooklyn Park now has a higher percentage of people of color than Minneapolis.

[grant1simons2]

In Eden Prairie it's a different story, we just have a high Somali population. Might be one of the highest in the states. The poverty levels are because the lines goes past a lot of apartment buildings which are very diverse living areas. But those are people who rely mostly on public transit, so hint hint the line will work in EP

[David Greene]

In Eden Prairie it's a different story, we just have a high Somali population.

That's not a different story at all. Immigrants are becoming a huge part of lots of suburbs and rural towns.

[grant1simons2]

A lot of communities are seeing more Hispanic immigration though

[xandrex]

I don't think most people understand how rapidly the demographics of the suburbs are changing. Brooklyn Park now has a higher percentage of people of color than Minneapolis.

Isn't Minneapolis actually behind several cities now? If I remember correctly, the highest number of POC is Brooklyn Center, followed by Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, and then Minneapolis (which I'm pretty sure actually got more white during the last Census).

It definitely shows the shifting of demographics in urban and suburban areas.

[David Greene]

[sn't Minneapolis actually behind several cities now?

It certainly could be. I've been contemplating the Black Helicopters thread and the shifting of our urban living patterns to a more European scheme (wealth in the center, poverty in the suburbs). If current trends continue (and I have no reason to believe they won't), we're going to have a major poverty problem in a couple of decades. Not only will poverty be concentrated in the suburbs, those folks won't be able to get anywhere. It'll be much, much worse than what we have in the cities today.

[xandrex]

[sn't Minneapolis actually behind several cities now?

It certainly could be. I've been contemplating the Black Helicopters thread and the shifting of our urban living patterns to a more European scheme (wealth in the center, poverty in the suburbs). If current trends continue (and I have no reason to believe they won't), we're going to have a major poverty problem in a couple of decades. Not only will poverty be concentrated in the suburbs, those folks won't be able to get anywhere. It'll be much, much worse than what we have in the cities today.

I've often thought that the "Europeanization" of American urban areas with wealth concentrating in the core is actually a decent argument for expanding transit out to the suburbs. Presumably the transit will provide a bit of an investment to keep some wealth out there. But in the scenario described, it would also be a huge social justice/equity project to ensure the poor still had access to jobs and amenities out in less-than-walkable suburbs.

[HoratioRincewind]

Isn't Minneapolis actually behind several cities now? If I remember correctly, the highest number of POC is Brooklyn Center, followed by Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, and then Minneapolis (which I'm pretty sure actually got more white during the last Census).

MInneapolis is the third most diverse city in the state after the two Brooklyns. Both of which IIRC are majority-minority, while Minneapolis is at like 47% minority.

[Nick]

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27/2743000.html

A boot 36% minority as of the 2010 census. Behind both Brooklyns and St. Paul.

[twincitizen]

If you look down a few columns further, you'll see "White Alone, Not Hispanic/Latino", of which Minneapolis is 60.3%. So actually closer to 40% minority in Minneapolis, which puts us fourth, after BC, BP, and StP. All three of those cities have a higher "foreign born" population as well, led by Brooklyn Center at 25.9%. I cannot imagine how challenging things are in Brooklyn Center, both for the foreign immigrants and the city government/staff.

Richfield is maybe a shade whiter than I would have guessed, at 63.2% "white alone". Lots of elderly (whites) there too, so that number is changing rapidly.

Given current migration trends, that "White Alone" percentage in Minneapolis will actually rise by the 2020 Census, while probably every first and second ring suburb will see that number drop, even if just a little in some cases.

I just flipped through several other first ring suburbs and found them to be very white still, mostly high 70s to low 80s (compared to 83.1% statewide). Only BC, BP, and Richfield really break the mold.

[min-chi-cbus]

And Columbia Heights, which I can't remember just off the top of my head, but I believe is south of 70% white only. CH, Fridley, New Brighton, Mounds View, Spring Lake Park, The Brooklyns, Crystal and New Hope are amongst the fastest-changing suburbs demographically in the entire metro, and all have one thing in common: they're the first or second stop when exiting north Mpls. There are other first/second-ring suburbs with similar demographic changes outside of this area (e.g. Richfield and Little Canada) but this seemingly is where much of the non-white population is living these days. Northeast Mpls also is seeing some of this change as well, so it's not strictly city vs. suburb either.

[lorwest]

While Minneapolis is 4th in the metro, it is 5th in the state. One outstate city, Worthington, is only 48.9% white non-Hispanic.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27/2771734.html

[xandrex]

While Minneapolis is 4th in the metro, it is 5th in the state. One outstate city, Worthington, is only 48.9% white non-Hispanic.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27/2771734.html

My dad was just out in Worthington doing some business and said he stopped by one of the public schools. He said he only saw two white students. The rest seemed to be Hispanic (presumably mostly Mexican?) and Somali.

He probably was exaggerating to make the story more interesting, but I think it speaks to some of the very real trends that small, rural towns face (especially once the older population begins to die off).

[Nick]

Are they gentrifying the town, you think?

[min-chi-cbus]

Worthington is a fairly unique example in MN, as it's this town dominated by a meat-packing plant largely employed by Latinos. I think Marshall and Redwood Falls may be somewhat diverse as well, and Owatonna for Somalis. It's not necessarily this new big trend in regional demographics, in fact, I've heard that if anything the trend is reversing a bit as Latinos aren't flocking to this country in droves like they were even 5 years ago.