Jackson Heights, New York

Abstract:     
Some communities sustain ethnic diversity by design. Others have it thrust upon them. Over the past one-quarter century, Jackson Heights, a middle-class community in northern Queens, New York, has become one of the Nation's most ethnically mixed neighborhoods. Little in the area's earlier history prepared it to play this role, and few of its long-term residents ever consciously chose to live in a diverse community. Yet despite the massive in-migration of Latinos and Asians, Jackson Heights has not experienced the rounds of panic selling and disinvestment that so commonly accompany racial transition. Today White, Latino, and Asian, as well as middle- and working-class residents, live side by side, not always in harmony, but united in a commitment to make their neighborhood work.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 17

JEL Classification: I3, J7, R2

Accepted Paper Series