Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation in Boston 1830-1970

• DOI: 10.1177/000271627944100105
• Date: 01 January 1979
• Author: Nathan Kantrowitz
• Published date: 01 January 1979
• Subject Matter: Articles

41

Racial

and

Ethnic

Residential

Segregation

in

Boston

1830-1970

BY

NATHAN

KANTROWITZ

ABSTRACT:

Residential

segregation

in

Boston

between

Eu-

ropean

ethnic

populations

has

declined

little

during

the

20th

century.

Racial

segregation

rose

during

the

19th

and

early

20th

century,

but

has

remained

stable

since

about

1940,

prior

to

the

expansion

of

the

city’s

Negro

population.

These

conclusions

indicate

that

racial

segregation

is

but

an

exten-

sion

of

the

pattern

of

ethnic

separation,

especially

since

Asian

and

Latin

ethnics

show

similar

patterns

in

the

con-

temporary

city.

Moreover,

segregation

levels

are

only

slightly

lower

in

the

1970

SMSA

suburban

ring

than

they

are

in

the

central

city.

We

suggest

that

this

demographic

record

is

relevant

to

issues

of

Boston’s

public

school

desegregation

controversy.

Nathan

Kantrowitz

is

Professor

of Sociology,

Kent

State

University.

He

has

been

employed

at

Columbia

and

Fordham

Universities,

as

well

as

with

State

Govern-

ment

in

Illinois

and

New

York.

ANNALS,

AAPSS,

441,

Jan.

1979