Blacks Are Migrating Away from Northern Cities, Due Partly to Rising Costs and Violence

(p. B3) The waves of migration that brought Black Americans to many northern cities are reversing.

Departing residents are heading everywhere from nearby suburbs to high-growth areas in the southern U.S., such as metro Atlanta, according to demographers, real-estate agents and public officials.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates, released Thursday, indicate Black residents are continuing to leave many urban centers in the North and elsewhere, adding to decades of decline. These losses have hit many major cities with historically large Black populations, including Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Oakland, Calif.

. . .

Some are motivated by rising housing costs and worries about safety.

“I wanted some peace and quiet. I was tired of the gunshots, the sirens,” said Mary Hall-Rayford, a retired teacher who moved from Detroit to neighboring Eastpointe, Mich., in 2012. “Eastpointe was a nice little city.”

She serves on the school board and is running for mayor.

For the full story, see:

Jimmy Vielkind, Jon Kamp, Paul Overberg and Jack Gillum. “Black People Are Departing Cities in North.” The Wall Street Journal (Friday, June 23, 2023): B1 & B4.

(Note: ellipsis added.)

(Note: the online version of the story has the date June 22, 2023, and has the title “Black Americans Are Leaving Cities in the North and West.”)

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