Migration of blacks in the Atlanta metropolitan area, 1973 to 1977.

Abstract

This article examines 3 interrelated components of black migration in the Atlanta metropolitan area: ghetto expansion, white flight, and suburbanization. Aggregate migration data derived from telephone company records for 49 origin and destination zones show ghetto expansion and white flight. Black suburbanization has been less evident, and has been highly restricted to specific areas in south Atlanta. As expected, most households moved short distances. Between 1973 and 1977, over 30,000 migrating black households expanded the predominantly black residential area in Atlanta, conforming to Deskin's 3-phase model of ghetto morphology. The 1st phase is that of the incipient ghetto, the 2nd, the developing ghetto, and the 3rd, the maturing ghetto. The Maturing Ghetto (1970-2000) evolves through 1) a dominant city cluster, 2) a metropolitan cluster, and 3) expansion of the metropolitan cluster. Following this pattern of coalescence, in south Atlanta the black ghetto fans out from the downtown area into the suburbs, and will continue expanding farther south. White Atlanta is decentralizing to the north, northeast and northwest, while black Atlanta is decentralizing to the south, southwest and southeast. Ghetto expansion is part of the decentralization process. Because of its large black population, a truly metrpolitan ghetto exists in south Atlanta, and will continue to expand as white flight opens up housing opportunities for blacks migrating short distances.