This map represents data collected in the 2000 US Census concerning the concentration of the black population of the country. The data is divided according to the percentage of African Americans living in each county. The warmer colors denote regions of lower black population density whereas the cooler colors denote regions where the percentage of the population that identifies as African American is high. As displayed above, the region with the highest percentage of the black population in America is the South. This is typically attributed to the prevalence of the slave trade during the beginnings of the country during the era in which plantations were the main economy for many Americans. As a result, many African Americans still reside in the South where their most recent heritage has rooted itself. A smaller but significant proportion of the southwestern region of the US has also begun to attract the African American population as seen in the yellow color of some California counties.
The second map of the series exhibits population data for the percentage of Asians in residing in counties throughout the continental US. The Census data collected for this group of people reveals a very different population distribution trend with a large majority of the country's Asian population occupying counties throughout the state of California. Another pattern exposed by this map is the tendency for this group to distribute themselves in counties along the coastal region of the country. Overall, this group has spread out over a larger area than the African American population who predominately inhabit the southern part of the US. The Bay Area of Northern California appears to have the highest percentage of Asians consisting of 26-46% of the population. The Midwest seems to have lower percentages of its population made up of Asians. Also, there seems to be distinct clusters of Asian populations in specific counties throughout the country. This differs from the previous group in that the majority of the population resided in relatively the same region of the country. The tendency for Asian populations to gather in certain counties is a product of the network that Asians create for immigrants coming from their native countries. The extensive network of family, friends, neighbors, and business partners provided to recent immigrants provides a safety net and comfortable environment to those just arriving in the country. As seen with most minorities, this group also tends to be found in larger percentages in bigger cities.
The third and final map of this series represents all the minority data collected by the US Census Bureau in 2000. The minority groups consist of every ethnic population excluding the Caucasian, Black, and Asian populations. It appears that a majority of the minority groups reside in the American Southwest. This can be accounted for by the large immigration trend from Central and South America to the United States. This trend also applies to the general western region of the United States. I found this to be very surprising because I would assume that the East Coast would be more of a gateway into the country than would the West. In addition, the history of immigration to the melting pot that has become the US was typically through the eastern part of the country and not the western. The only explanation I could use to explain this phenomenon was the recent influx of immigrants from our neighbors to the south. Another trend revealed in this map is the tendency for large cities such as Miami and New York to have large percentages of their population to be made up of minority groups.
Overall, trends in population distribution by percentages show similar trends in all three minority groups represented. The Blacks, Asians, and other minorities tend to form clusters in which there are high percentages of their specific group in a particular region. Whether it be in large groups such as the African Americans in the South or with the Asian population in small clusters throughout counties in the western portion of the United States. Also, as expected, the big cities of the country seem to attract larger percentages of minorities than do the smaller, rural communities. The Midwest appeared to be the most homogenous group with the smallest percentage of minorities in all three maps. Additionally, coastal counties tended to have higher percentages than did inland counties. This was not surprising as most people entering a country tend to settle nearer to the coast making the ethnic diversity of this region much higher than that of the counties further from the ocean. Surprisingly, the West was a popular residence for Asian and other minority populations. This was unexpected in that the East Coast has typically been where most of the immigrants have come into the country from. However, a shift in immigration has taken place and many of the country's new citizens have roots in countries to the south.
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