The 50 zip codes with the largest growth in white population share, 2000-2010

yes Michael J. Petrilli / June 14, 2012

The other day, I posted a list of the 25 “fastest-gentrifying” zip codes in the U.S.—a list that generated a great deal of commentary. Now I’m back with a new, improved, and expanded list; give it a look and let me know what patterns jump out at you.

With the new list, I’ve tried to address several complaints that readers lodged against me (and the post), most of them fair. First, many were upset that I equated “gentrification” with a significant increase in the white share of a neighborhood’s population. In my defense, I did admit that looking at the numbers by race was far from perfect—gentrification is a socio-economic issue—but census income data by zip code are not yet available for 2010. Still, I chose to use the “gentrification” word, and it’s reasonable to point out its inaccuracy. (I didn’t even contemplate using the term “whitened”—what is this, Crest Toothpaste?—as some in the media did.)

Second, I failed to look at the population numbers for these zip codes, and as a result I included several that had tiny populations—phantom zip codes really. That included Columbia (SC)’s 29202, Chicago’s 60604, Roanoke’s 24011, and Dallas’s 75247, all of which had 2010 populations of less than 1,000. That was a

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The 50 zip codes with the largest growth in white population share, 2000-2010

"Gentrification" generates buzz

yes Tyson Eberhardt / June 13, 2012

A little census data can spark a big conversation. On Monday, Mike Petrilli posted a list of the twenty-five zip codes that saw the greatest increase in the white share of their population between 2000 and 2010. The neighborhoods were located in some of the usual suspects when it comes to gentrification (Brooklyn and D.C), but also included a few surprises (Chattanooga?), and writers have been quick to delve into what’s happening.

The Atlantic Cities’ Nate Berg pointed out that Roanoke, VA’s shift has more to do with development in previously lowly populated areas than gentrification and noted that the Columbus, SC zip code in question was composed entirely of post office boxes. Slate’s Matthew Yglesias discussed the implications of demographic changes for school integration.

While writers in San Diego, Dallas, and St. Paul showed interest in what was happening in their hometowns, most of the conversation centered on the two communities with the most zip codes on the list: Washington and New York. Posts from The Atlantic Wire, New York magazine, Gothamist, Business Insider, and am New York profiled the four Brooklyn neighborhoods

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"Gentrification" generates buzz

The fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods in the United States

yes Michael J. Petrilli / June 11, 2012

Ed Note (6/14/12): Be sure to see Mike's expanded list, "The 50 zip codes with the largest growth in white population share, 2000-2010"

For the past several years I’ve been obsessed with the issue of gentrification. Mostly that’s because of a book I’ve been writing about diverse public schools. What’s clear is that gentrification—for all of its downsides—is providing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to integrate some of our schools—at least if we don’t let it go to waste.

So I was curious: Which communities in the U.S. are witnessing the greatest amount of gentrification? I started poking around Census Bureau data (with the assistance of some colleagues and the Census Bureau’s excellent help line) and here’s what I found. I looked at zip codes (which isn’t perfect, because boundaries can change) and places with a large increase in the white share of the population (which isn’t perfect, because you’d really want to look at changes in income levels, but those data aren’t available yet for 2010). With those caveats in mind, take a look:

I’m not an expert on gentrification (education policy is my beat) but I was surprised by the

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The fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods in the United States

Eli Broad, conservative hero?

yes Michael J. Petrilli / June 4, 2012

It wouldn’t be super-hard to poke fun at Eli Broad. (Diane Ravitch did a mean-spirited version of that when she called him and his peers “The Billionaire Boys Club.”) Here’s a man who made his fortune  building tract housing in the ‘burbs,  who micromanages grants down to the penny, a man who names more than a few things after himself (the Broad Prize, the Broad Fellows, and his latest museum project, simply The Broad). He’s the 1 percent of the 1 percent of the 1 percent, and not ashamed of it, either.

But while some gentle teasing about his non-inconsiderable ego might be in order, Eli Broad deserves something more—namely, a full measure of respect and gratitude. As depicted in his surprisingly affecting memoir-cum-business-advice-book, The Art of Being Unreasonable, he’s a pretty amazing guy, someone who has been wildly effective in four separate careers and who now wants to share his hard-earned experience with countless others. As I read the book, my image of Broad shifted, from a semi-caricature of the Arrogant American to an archetypal Self-Made Man from the Midwest. His advice and exhortations reminded me of a very influential tome from my own Midwestern roots: William Danforth’s I Dare You. Danforth and Broad share the same spirit: An overwhelming optimism that all things are

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Eli Broad, conservative hero?