Historical Residential Segregation in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area: An Exploration of Location Attainment in 1940 L.A.

Abstract

The research I report in this study draws on previously unavailable detailed restricted Census microdata and employs recent innovations in methods of segregation analysis to examine and clarify the social dynamics that gave rise to historical residential segregation patterns in the Los Angeles metropolitan area circa 1940. I document patterns of residential segregation using quantitative index scores as well as with thematic maps produced using GIS resources I created for the needs of this project. I estimate micro-level locational attainment models that predict neighborhood-level outcomes for households that directly determine the aggregate level of segregation between White and nonwhite minority populations in Los Angeles in 1940. I compare these results with similar results for contemporary analyses of locational attainment in Los Angeles. The results provide detailed insights into the nature of racial-ethnic segregation in Los Angeles in 1940 that extend beyond previous quantitative research. Because I use previously unavailable restricted-access data, the results provide the best available systematic assessment of White-Latino segregation in Los Angeles 1940. The main findings are that pan-ethnic minority groups are segregated from Non-Hispanic White households with Black households experiencing the highest level of segregation followed by Asian and Latino households. Among these groups, Latino-White co-residence is more strongly shaped by spatial assimilation dynamics, Black-White co-residence is only minimally shaped by spatial assimilation dynamics, and Asian-White co-residence falls in between. The findings of my analysis for 1940 Los Angeles closely reflect residential attainment patterns observable in Los Angeles in recent years.