Census Data Paragraphs and Maps
*Note: white spaces do not have any persons of the following categories living in that county.
Black Population
The data of the Black population in the United States illustrates the continuing effects that history can have on a population. It is overtly obvious that the higher concentrations of the Black Population can be found in the Southeast of the Continental United States. This is due primarily to the legacy of slavery in the South, which home to large plantations where sometimes the ratio of Blacks to Whites was 10:1. The highest concentrations are found in the region now known as Mississippi and Alabama, which was a big part of the Cotton Belt, and the region now known as Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia which was made of the coastal plantations including peaches, indigo, rice, and tobacco. After slavery ended, many former slaves lacked the financial and educational means to leave the South, staying on as sharecroppers living in a state of economic slavery that continues to this day in some areas. However, some areas, including Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia, became financial and business centers, resulting in a growing affluent class of African Americans around Atlanta, Raleigh, and Richmond. As the South has become a magnet for new industries and new business locations, the economic advantage moves to the South after being economically devastated for years following the Civil War. Outside of the South, moderate concentrations can be explained by the migration patterns of the early 20th century. Many African Americans migrated to the Midwest to find work in the automobile factories explaining high concentrations in Chicago and Detroit. Similarly, there were migrations made to the Eastern cities, i.e. Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, in search of jobs when the Northern factories were putting much of America to work. West of Texas, concentrations of Black population exist in the San Francisco Bay Area, mostly around Oakland and Richmond, the Greater Los Angeles Area, ranging from Compton and Watts to Baldwin Hills, and the Seattle and Las Vegas metropolitan areas. Regrettably, the West Coast, along with Alaska and Hawaii, has very low concentrations of African Americans due to the propensity of most to remain on the Eastern Seaboard. For many, to make the move and transition to these new areas is not worth it as it will take them away from their families and often neighborhoods that their family has lived in for generations. However, for the few willing to make the journey, California can become their place in the sun, as it has been for parts of my family.
Asian Population
The data of Asian population demonstrates immigration trends of foreign born population as well as how distance can impact migration. In the US, the highest concentrations of Asian populations are found along the Pacific coast, including Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast. The higher concentrations found in Alaska and Hawaii can be explained by the proximity of each to Asia. Both states are further west than the continental United States, making immigration by Asian populations much easier. Hawaii has significant Asian populations for three reasons: one, it is located in the middle of the Pacific, two, it has the closest climate to that of the western Pacific, and three, many Asian workers were brought to the islands to work on the fruit and sugarcane plantations in the 19th century, including Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. For the western continental United States, many different Asian populations immigrated for different reasons. Many Chinese workers came over in the mid-19th century to blast through the Sierra Nevada’s to build the transcontinental railroad. Filipinos immigrated when the Philippines became US territory following the Spanish American War and were able to purchase land. The laborers who came to Hawaii to work on the plantations were able to immigrate to the mainland through Angel Island outside of San Francisco, a counterpoint to Ellis Island off of New York. Currently, the highest concentrations can be found in California and the Pacific Northwest with many of the families immigrated through the Angel Island checkpoint. Outside of the West Coast, Asian immigrants can be found in major US cities, which is the reason why all of these cities have Chinatowns, Japan towns, and little Koreas. Asian populations are growing in Texas and the Midwest with the growth of technical industries in those areas. Asian is a steadily growing demographic with extremely diverse national and ethnic groups wielding increasing influence in the political and economic scene in the US.
Some Other Race Population
Checking with the US Census categorizations, some other race includes the label “multiracial, mixed, interracial, or a Hispanic/Latino group.” The Hispanic/Latino population is the fastest growing minority group in the US. This group is heavily concentrated in the Southwest along the US/ México border from California to Texas, with pockets found in the East Coast and Midwest cities and the southern part of Florida. The American Southwest formerly belonged to Spain until Mexico declared (1810) and won (1821) its independence as a nation. The area was sparsely populated by Mexican settlers and Native Americans. To encourage settlement in the territory of Texas, the Mexican government invited US citizens with enticing homesteads and a promise to become Mexican citizens. However, by the 1830s the American citizens living in Texas decided to declare their independence. Following their disastrous defeat at the Alamo, the retreating Texans used a scorched earth policy that badly weakened the Mexican army. By the time a heavily outnumbered Texas force attacked, the army was on the edge of its endurance and was slaughtered, effectively leading to victory for Texans. The issue of tExas wouldn’t be settle until after the US annexed the republic and went to war with Mexico over the disputed territory. At the end of the Mexican-American War, Mexico was forced to cede all territory north of the Rio Grande, including the present-day states of Texas, New México, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. For many Mexican citizens living in these areas, the border moved from underneath them. Some were granted US citizenship, but several retreated back to México. Many Mexicans still regard the territory as Mexican land that was stolen and Mexican Americans currently represent the largest Latino group in the US. The American Southwest has a high concentration of Latino immigrants as it lies along the northern Mexico border, making it easy to enter the US. Many Mexican and Central Americans immigrated following economic disasters and the rise of military dictatorships in their native countries in the 1970s and 1980s. Florida significant Latino concentrations can be explained by the state’s proximity to the Caribbean and specifically Cuba. Following the Communist Revolution in 1959, many Cubans traveled across the Caribbean by boat to land in Florida, resulting in a large Cuban population in southern Florida. In the Northeast including cities like New York and Philadelphia, the primary Hispanic group tends to be Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans are unique among Hispanic migrant groups in that they already have US citizens, since Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth. Latin communities continue to grow in the US, so as the population begins to spread out beyond its traditional neighborhoods to areas like the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and the Mid-Atlantic around the Capitol. Since the Latino population is the fastest growing minority, their demographics will only increase reshaping the makeup of the American population.
Summary Paragraph on Census
When compiling the Census map data of the different racial groups of the United States, I was struck by the patterns that emerged. Having studied American history, I noticed that population clusters seemed to be consistent with the historical events of each group. I wanted to demonstrate that history can have a profound effect on where you live and the community in which you live in. If you know that Asian immigrants were brought to Hawaii to work on the fruit and sugar plantations, then the relatively high percentage of Asians on the islands makes sense. Similarly, knowing that slavery was the dominate economic system in the South explains the high concentration of African Americans in the South, which is some of the highest concentrations of any minority group in America. Another thing I wanted to include Hawaii and Alaska to see if any of the minority groups have made significant inroads into these states. Often in our minds we see Hawaii full of Pacific Islanders while Alaska is viewed as primarily White with Eskimos, or Native Americans. Having the three maps gives a better picture of each group and demonstrates that immigration destinations are often determined by proximity to location of origin. The 2000 Census shows that minority groups are growing across the country. This gives credence to the theory that by 2050 fifty percent of the American population will be from minority groups. One group that I didn’t really touch on was those of mixed race or multiracial. As the minority groups continue to grow, so will the multiracial population, forcing the US to reevaluate the racial categories currently used to classify people. The numbers of this population is hard to quantify as some people identify with one identity or the category is not listed as an option. The identification issue is especially prevalent in the South as children of mixed heritage where often denoted Colored or Negro in official government records. It is then difficult to get those people to change their status as they have lived their entire life as a Colored person facing discrimination, or have hidden their African or Hispanic blood and passed as White. The nation needs to move to a multi-ethnic view instead of having hard and fast racial categories as the population is shifting to multiracial people who need acknowledgement that they are neither one thing or another but both.
Summary Paragraph on GIS
Having completed this course on Geographic Information Systems, I can say that I walked away with a marketable and useful skill. Being able to use a computer program to make maps with different levels of data is a challenging but rewarding skill. As an Electrical Engineering student, I found very useful to learn a program that is in use by many different government agencies, utilities, and companies. This skill would allow me to design massive programs, like power grids and cell phone tower locations, over a great area with all of the geographic and human features at my fingertips. I found that this would be something useful for other engineering students to learn, especially the Civil and Geotechnical Engineers. Most of the Departments of Transportation use this program and would appreciate having more trained people able to use it in the midst of their projects. I spoke with a Senior Civil Engineering student at UCLA who felt that this class would have been a more useful class to take as a GE than some other classes offered and would have liked to have known of its existence. The many applications of GIS from Census data to wildlife emergency tracking to disease tracking make it a very versatile program. Even if I don’t use this program in the immediate future, knowledge of it will benefit me when I become a part of big engineering projects.
