Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation in Boston 1830-1970

Abstract

Residential segregation in Boston between European ethnic populations has declined little during the 20th century. Racial segregation rose during the 19th and early 20th century, but has remained stable since about 1940, prior to the expansion of the city's Negro population. These conclusions indicate that racial segregation is but an extension of the pattern of ethnic separation, especially since Asian and Latin ethnics show similar patterns in the contemporary city. Moreover, segregation levels are only slightly lower in the 1970 SMSA suburban ring than they are in the central city. We suggest that this demographic record is relevant to issues of Boston's public school desegregation controversy.