Immigrant groups in the suburbs: A reexamination of suburbanization and spatial assimilation

For a number of contemporary immigrant groups, suburbanization is occurring at high levels, and either increased or remained stable during the 1980s, a decade of high immigration. We investigate whether these settlement patte rns are consistent with spatial-assimilation theory Using Public Use Microd ata from the 1980 and 1990 U.S. censuses, Mle examine the link between subu rban residence and l ife-cycle, socioeconomic, and assimilation characteris tics for II racial/ethnic groups, including those growing most from contemp orary immigration as well as non-Hispanic whites. We find support for some aspects of the theory. The determinants of suburban residence are consisten t between the 1980 and 1990 models, with some important exceptions: Among s everal groups, especially Asian groups, the effects of very recent immigrat ion and linguistic assimilation have weakened. Our findings indicate that b arriers to the entry of new immigrants to suburbia are now lower than befor e. The growing numbers of recent immigrants there suggest the emergence of new ethnic concentrations and infrastructure.