"Diverse" Suburbs (Minneapolis, Bloomington: credit, homes, neighborhoods)

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Although preliminary 2010 Census estimates are already out, the official Census does not come out until later this year, and if this decade is similar to last decade, the Census usually reveals moderately higher population and diversity than prelim. estimates show.

Given this, I was thinking about what the non-white percentages may be for some of the more diverse suburbs by the 2010 Census (officially)? Including than the known "Brooklyns", here is my guess:

over 50%
Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Center
Richfield
Columbia Heights

over 35%
New Hope
New Brighton
Crystal
Burnsville
Shakopee
Little Canada
Fridley

Although I am a fan of increased diversity, I don't believe there is any equation that indicates that more non-whites = better -- nor any correlation for that matter. However, I do believe that the Twin Cities are a RELATIVELY less segregated metro area, especially for the Midwest, so as people continue to integrate with one-another I see the increase in the non-white population a positive thing for the forseeable future.

Does anyone have any insights of their own to add -- in terms of the non-white population ratio, or diversity in general?

[tropolis]

shakopee over 35 percent non white? no way
burnsville, no way.

richfield over 50 percent non white? dont know.

id like the non white numbers to be higher. im getting a little tired of the lily white mr. beaver stuff i see in the outer suburbs which are over 90 percent white. hopefully those numbers will change as well.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by tropolis

shakopee over 35 percent non white? no way
burnsville, no way.

richfield over 50 percent non white? dont know.

id like the non white numbers to be higher. im getting a little tired of the lily white mr. beaver stuff i see in the outer suburbs which are over 90 percent white. hopefully those numbers will change as well.

Well, isn't the state over 90% white, too?

[northstar22]

Many of the diverse suburbs are pretty undesirable areas, like the Brooklyns, Richfield and Crystal. Burnsville was 78% white in 2000, so I can see how it may have dropped to 65% in 2010. Bloomington is fairly diverse. Shakopee isn't diverse at all.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

Many of the diverse suburbs are pretty undesirable areas, like the Brooklyns, Richfield and Crystal. Burnsville was 78% white in 2000, so I can see how it may have dropped to 65% in 2010. Bloomington is fairly diverse. Shakopee isn't diverse at all.

They are? According to who? That be something to think about.

[uptown_urbanist]

Shakopee is more diverse than people give it credit for, although it's still definitely majority white. There's also a fairly significant Russian population out there which give it some added ethnic, although not racial, diversity.

Many people consider Richfield a very desirable area; it's only "undesirable" when compared to adjacent Edina or Southwest Minneapolis, both areas that come with more bragging rights but also a much higher price tag. I'm really not sure where the idea that Richfield is undesirable is coming from. Then again, it's one of my favorite suburbs. I haven't heard Crystal referred to as undesirable, either, although I don't live on that side of town and don't hear about it much. We have a storage unit over there, though, and think it's perfectly nice.

[audadvnc]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

...pretty undesirable areas...

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

They are? According to who? That be something to think about.

According to some, Marshall would be considered an undesirable place to live - unless your idea of culture is shopping at Walmart.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

When I'm in Shakopee and when I go to the grocery store or whatever I notice quite a bit of diversity for an "exurb", but it may be closer to 25% non-white -- IDK....I think it's changed a bit from 2000. Richfield has to be close to 40% or 50% non-white. When I drive around there and go to random places it seems like it has become quite the melting pot (of sorts), especially on the East side.

Considering that the metro area grew anywhere from 300K to 400K+, and let's say at least half of that population was non-white (which is what I keep hearing) then some places had to gain significantly, right?

[golfgal]

I find it humorous that 90% black is considered more diverse then 90% white .

I think people are going to be surprised at how diverse the suburbs have become. From attending various sporting events and other events around the metro you see the diversity. Sitting in your home in Minneapolis assuming the suburbs are "lily white" is a different story.

[uptown_urbanist]

Who considers 90% black to be more diverse than 90% white? No one on this thread has suggested that. I, for one, don't consider 90% of ANY one race to be anything near "diverse." But given that there are no Twin Cities suburbs that come anywhere near those numbers, that's sort of a moot point. (Brooklyn Center is still majority white! Just barely, but still majority white -- NOT anywhere near 90% black. And of the 49% of minority residents, they're not all black. There's more to diversity than just black and white people.) And for what it's worth, doesn't Min-Chi-Cbus live in Edina? I think it's time to question the assumptions here!! (and if you meant me or any other people with city addresses, you yourself mention traveling around the metro area; do you think we just sit in our homes and refuse to cross city boundaries? Most of us get out sometimes, and most of us have friends or family to visit in the 'burbs, or businesses we visit, etc. etc.)

On the suburb question: SOME suburbs have become very diverse. MOST suburbs have probably become more diverse than they were ten years ago, but that doesn't mean they're all big melting pots now; for some suburbs that still means they're only 93% white now, compared to 97%. And yes, as many of us have recognized on other threads (and is common knowledge) many city neighborhoods aren't all that diverse either. This thread is looking at overall city boundaries rather than neighborhoods, though, and in this case the topic is suburbs.