The Concept of White Flight - Essay Example

In view of the fact that the growth of capitalism has accelerated the dislodgment of a substantial number of people from fringe areas to central locations as well as from underdeveloped to contemporary locations, the resettlement of people has been perceived as a positivist trend for the settlers themselves as well as for their adopted homelands/towns, because of its ability to contribute in the process of revolutionizing such homelands. Several theories exist, which attempt to describe such a phenomenon, whereby people belonging to a particular region or culture migrate in large numbers to other areas. According to one such theory put forward by Bottomore (1991), imperialism is a system of monopolistic exchange whereby “excess” is channelized from subsidiary territories to frontrunner sectors that are thriving in all aspects. In other words, it is also described as a process that suggests domination of underdeveloped countries or regions at the hand of the well-established nations.

The theories illustrating the new trend of large scale immigration of Hispanics in the white-dominated areas, of southern California, particularly, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside, emerged during the early 1990s whereby such a trend was contemplated as a part of a global phenomenon with large chunks of the population from less developed economies migrated in large numbers to more developed ones in search of better prospects.

The concentration of Hispanics in Southern California is relatively high as compared to those belonging to non-Hispanic races. According to the Southern California Association of Governments Region (SCAG), the significant number of Hispanics in various regions of southern California is a result of the state’s close proximity to the Mexican border as well as the ensuing symbiotic association among the various counties of the southern part of California and Mexico.

The following table shows the population of Hispanics as compared to people belonging to other races, in the state of California.

The Los Angeles region has witnessed a long and impressive history of foreign migration since its founding. According to the State of California Department of Finance report, the number of whites residing in Los Angeles is expected to decline by 25% approximately, and a simultaneous rise in the Hispanic population by approximately 26% is projected in the coming years.

Orange County, in Southern California, is a highly urbanized locality and plays host to some of the cities several largest commercial hubs in the field of entertainment, biotechnology, as well as aerospace. The county’s growing industrialization and its rapidly increasing popularity as a commercial center have led to a large-scale migration of Hispanics which is presented in the following table.

Riverside is the fourth largest country in the state of California and is strategically significant as a distribution hub. The population of Hispanics and the simultaneous shift of the white population in this county are apparent from the statistics provided in the following table.

San Bernardino is the largest county, in terms of geographical area, in the United States, and today it is widely known for its industrial manufacturing. Similar to the other counties in the southern region of the state of California, San Bernardino is also likely to experience a shift of population from a majority white to Hispanic domination.

Such a shift would require the administration as well as the policymakers to reinvent pioneering alternatives that would facilitate and warrant framing of policies aimed at ensuring the growth and prosperity of the new emerging population. The state of California today stands at a major turning point in its history, that of the Hispanic Boom which is in several ways similar to the white baby boom of the early 1950s. Various reports based on the concentration of Hispanics in the designated areas and the subsequent fleeing of the whites have further led to the increase in the population of Hispanics in the southern Californian regions.  

The state of California is undeniably witnessing a major shift of population, with a rising number of Hispanics dominating the vast geographical expanse of the state and the subsequent fleeing of whites.