New Great Migration facts for kids
The New Great Migration is a big movement of people that started around 1970 and continues today. It's about many African Americans moving back to the Southern United States. This is the opposite of an earlier movement, called the original Great Migration, when many African Americans moved from the South to the North.
People moved for several reasons. Many factories in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States closed down, meaning fewer jobs. At the same time, new jobs appeared in the "New South," and it often cost less to live there. People also wanted to be closer to family, connect with their culture, and felt there was less unfair treatment. Religious connections also played a role.
Between 1975 and 1980, about 109,000 African Americans moved to the South. By 2014, many young African Americans, known as millennials, moved to states like Texas, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. While the number of African Americans grew in the South, it often decreased in parts of the Northeast, like New York and northern New Jersey. Many African Americans also started moving to the suburbs, which are areas just outside big cities. Cities like Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Columbus, Jacksonville, and Charlotte saw the biggest increases in their Black populations.
Contents
The New Great Migration: A Return to the South
Why African Americans Moved South
Many of the people moving during the New Great Migration were college graduates and middle-class families. For example, between 1965 and 2000, Florida, Georgia, and Texas attracted the most Black college graduates. Maryland also saw growth, especially near Washington, D.C.. During this time, California saw more Black residents leave than arrive for the first time in decades.
Where People Settled in the South
People didn't move to every part of the South equally. Most moved to big cities and urban areas. These often included cities that were more open and weren't major sites of conflict during the Civil Rights Era. Some popular cities were Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Dallas, Raleigh, Washington, D.C., Tampa, Virginia Beach, San Antonio, Memphis, Orlando, Nashville, and Jacksonville.
Charlotte, North Carolina, became a very popular place for African American migrants. Between 1975 and 1980, Charlotte gained about 2,725 African Americans. This number grew to 7,497 between 1985 and 1990, and then to 23,313 between 1995 and 2000. This shows how cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, and Houston became major destinations.
Since 1990, the percentage of Black Americans living in the South has increased. The biggest growth happened in large urban areas. For instance, the Black population in metro Atlanta more than doubled from 1990 to 2020, reaching over 2 million people. Metro Charlotte also saw its Black population more than double. Greater Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth each had their Black populations grow to over 1 million for the first time. Other cities like San Antonio, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Orlando also saw significant increases.
The states that offered the most job opportunities were primary destinations. These included Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. Some other Southern states, like Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas, saw less growth from this return migration.
How Cities and Suburbs Changed
In many large cities like New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia, housing costs increased. This led some African American families to move to more affordable suburbs or nearby neighborhoods. This movement, sometimes called 'Black Flight', means people moved from the city centers to areas just outside them. People often moved because they were looking for better opportunities or more affordable places to live. This was a way for families to find new homes that fit their budgets. When people moved out of cities, they often sought areas where they could find stable homes and build a good life.
Recent information shows that many large cities in the South, like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Raleigh, and San Antonio, have continued to grow quickly. Meanwhile, some older, very large cities in the North, like New York and Chicago, have seen slower growth or even a decrease in their city centers. Many people from these big cities have moved to the outer suburbs, looking for more affordable homes and space.
Even as people moved to new areas, creating neighborhoods where different groups live together remained important. In some places, neighborhoods became more mixed, which helps everyone have fair access to schools and jobs. This is a continuing effort to make sure all communities have equal opportunities.
States like Georgia, Florida, and Texas offered many job opportunities for African Americans, especially in areas like administrative services and healthcare. These states saw a lot of people move there between 2010 and 2020. Overall, the South continued to attract the most people moving from other parts of the country.
The Role of Faith in Moving South
Faith also played a part in the New Great Migration. Many people looked for a "sign of God" before moving. Even those moving for jobs often used their faith to help with the changes of moving to a new state. Some saw their move as a "spiritual journey." The Southern states are sometimes called the Bible Belt because they have many churches and strong connections to Protestant Christianity.
See also
In Spanish: Nueva Gran Migración para niños
- Black Belt in the American South
- Black flight
By city
- African Americans in Atlanta
- History of African Americans in Baltimore
- History of African Americans in Boston
- History of African Americans in Dallas-Fort Worth
- History of African Americans in Houston
- History of African Americans in Jacksonville, Florida
- History of African Americans in San Antonio
By state
- African Americans in Alabama
- African Americans in Florida
- African Americans in Georgia
- African Americans in Louisiana
- African Americans in Maryland
- African Americans in Mississippi
- African Americans in North Carolina
- African Americans in South Carolina
- African Americans in Tennessee
- History of African Americans in Texas
- History of African Americans in Virginia
