Reflections on Migration and Urban Development

Abstract

The first point worthy of consideration is that, until recently, Washington was not a traditional destination for Hispanics and other foreign nationals migrating from developing societies. Before the 1980s, when the Hispanic population exploded in the region, the city welcomed two waves of migrants. The first consisted of various waves of Europeans, primarily from Northern and Eastern Europe, who settled in DC as part of the migration wave of the late 19th century through the 1920s. Many from this group were professionals but the majority was journeyman simply employed in retailing and other low-cost entry services.¹ Although we do not have an accurate and concrete account of the size of this migration wave, by simply examining the growth of the overall population of the city one can assert that the European migration at the turn of the 20th century in Washington did not amount to the proportions we witness today.

Citation

Pumar, E.S. and Stark, P. (2012), "Reflections on Migration and Urban Development", Pumar, E.S. (Ed.) Hispanic Migration and Urban Development: Studies from Washington DC (Research in Race and Ethnic Relations, Vol. 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 231-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0195-7449(2012)0000017018