ETHNIC TRANSFORMATION IN RURAL CALIFORNIA - LOOKING BEYOND THE IMMIGRANT FARMWORKER

Communities in rural California are becoming increasingly Latino. Usin g a quantitative database of 288 rural communities, together with qual itative data collected in the San Joaquin Valley we examine the proces ses through which this ethnic transformation is occurring, Most studie s have focused on Latino immigration as the cause of changing ethnic c omposition. We find that non-Latino population growth, as well as Lati no population growth, accounts for the relative differences in changin g community ethnicity Most important for explaining migration among La tinos are housing costs and year-round job availability Among white no n-Latinos, ethnic conflict and perceptions of community deterioration better explain migration decisions. As a result of these changes, plac es in rural California are becoming increasingly economically and ethn ically differentiated.