The Social Areas of the San Francisco Bay Region

Abstract

tion of racial attitudes which, relative to other Southern states, might tend to give Negro migration patterns similar to Northern states. Looking at the pattern of net-migration of Negro females, one is immediately impressed with the increasing amounts of net out-migration of Negro females from 20 to 40 years of age. There was a small but fairly consistent net in-migration of Negro females between the ages of 45 and 60, but even this changed to a net out-migration in the 1930-1940 decade. The pattern of net migration of older Negroes gives no indication that there was the same excessive misstatement of age in the 1930-1940 decade as is indicated by the pattern of white migration. Looking at the migration patterns of white and Negro males and females we can see the similarity in patterns of female migration regardless of color, and the similarity in patterns of male migration regardless of color, from 1900 to 1920. That is, in this period the color differences are less important than the sex differences. However from 1920 to 1940 the color differences are more important than the sex differences. Another relatively consistent pattern that shows itself is the variation between white males and females in the age at which net out-migration is a maximum. In general this point of maximum net out-migration is at an earlier age for males than for females except for the 1890 to 1900 decade when it is unusually low for both sexes. No such difference exists for the Negro population, the peak of net out-migration occurring at the same age for both sexes every decade. Looking at the total picture for the country by regions we see that for whites and Negroes in nearly every region, the 1930 to 1940 period represents a reversal in trend (though it represents a reversal in direction for only the Southwest) for each color-sex group. This raises questions as to the generality of the conclusions derived from the 1935 to 1940 migration data. It is quite possible that the migration between 1935 and 1940 was consistent with past trends, but that it was the migration during the depths of the depression, 1930 to 1935, that was out of line with previous trends. Before the project is completed it is expected to make a comparison between migration 1930 to 1940 and migration 1935 to 1940 in an effort to get as much information as possible on migration 1930 to 1935. In conclusion we can say that this project will provide a great deal of basic data on net migration in the United States between 1870 and 1940, will examine several methodological problems in the estimation of net migration, and it is hoped will provide a background against which to project many more research projects in internal migration.