Out of the country’s 15 largest cities, only two were majority white in 2017: Columbus, Ohio, and Jacksonville. But that’s about to change.
Our Florida Times-Union news partner reports Jacksonville is in the midst of a demographic shift as white residents leave and the non-white population flourishes.
In 2008, only 42 percent of the city was non-white. Nine years later, in 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that 49 percent was. 2018?s data won’t come out until next year, but it’s possible that Jacksonville has already crossed the threshold thanks to the city’s growing black, Hispanic and Asian populations.
There were 15,400 fewer white people in 2017 compared to 2008, 32,400 more African-Americans, 36,100 more Latinos and 18,600 more Asians. In the county as a whole, which includes the Beaches and Baldwin, there were about 6,300 fewer white people and 93,000 more non-white people. The county was still about 53 percent non-Hispanic white.
Krista Paulsen, an urban sociologist at the University of North Florida, said that when cities see minority populations grow, their needs change.
For example, how public space is used can vary by racial group, she said. Conflict has arisen in cities when white residents have responded with hostility to minority groups who might be more community-minded than previous residents.
Growing minority populations, she said, might be more likely to need a more robust public transportation system, more public parks and schools that are equipped to teach students who are learning English as a second language. Because changing demographics isn’t always obvious, sometimes needs go unmet.
For example, in November’s election, Duval County Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan was found to have violated a federal court order by not providing Spanish-language sample ballots at early-voting sites.
The growing diversity can also impact a community’s culture, food and politics.
One area where this is most clearly seen is on Baymeadows Road by I-95. About one in five people in the neighborhood is Asian, and the stores and restaurants around there reflect that reality.
Similarly, near Powers and St. Augustine roads, where nearly 19 percent of residents are Hispanic, cash checking stores, barber shops and tax preparers advertise bilingually.
“Soy la abogada Gabriela Narvaez, será un placer asistirle en SU idioma,” reads one sign. I am the attorney Gabriela Narvaez, it says. It will be a pleasure to assist you in YOUR language
Narvaez, a Cuban-Mexican immigrant herself who grew up in Jacksonville, moved her law office to the shopping strip off Dupont Avenue about two years ago hoping to pick up some foot traffic from people visiting the Spanish-language businesses in the area: the laundromat, the convenience store, the restaurant and the barber shop. Now she gets so many people stopping by that she more often than not works from home to avoid distraction.
“We have a good support system here,” she said. “Twenty-two years ago, it looked very different.” For one thing, she said a lot of businesses were more likely to advertise themselves as Latino, but now they can cater to migrants from specific regions, whether it’s the Honduran restaurant down the road, the Puerto Rican barbershop or the Colombian breakfast spot.
Paulsen said she was surprised that despite Jacksonville’s steadily growing population that there are fewer white people in Jacksonville in 2017 than in 2008. Part of that might be because of migration to suburban counties where school districts are graded higher by the state. The average annual net migration from Duval to St. Johns, Clay or Nassau from 2011 to 2015 was 3,600 people. While those counties are growing almost entirely thanks to migration from other American communities, Jacksonville’s growth is largely due to international migration and births outpacing deaths.
A longer version of this story that also includes additional photos is available on Jacksonville.com.
