Where Georgians live–together and apart

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The 2020 Census shows that there are more Georgians than ever and that we’ve gotten a lot more diverse. But a closer look at where we actually live reveals our variations in land use, a rural-urban divide that’s real, and the persistence of segregation.

Use this racial dot-map to explore Georgia’s diverse demographics.

Here’s some highlights we’ve found.

Legend:
　 Black 　 White 　 Asian / Pacific Islander 　 Hispanic 　 Other & Multiracial

In Buckhead and Vinings, the map shows that people are fewer, relatively spread out, and very likely to be white, compared to surrounding metro Atlanta communities.

In the heart of Atlanta, Sweet Auburn is visible — just — as having more Black residents than other neighborhoods on the north or east side.  

Whitfield County in North Georgia has the state’s highest percentage of Hispanic or Latino residents, about 36%. Many are first-generation immigrants working in the carpet industry, centered around the county seat of Dalton, and their US-born children.

Church Street largely divides Black Clarkston from immigrant Clarkston.The city, just northeast of Atlanta in DeKalb County, is unique in Georgia as the destination assigned to thousands of refugees from all over the world since the 1970s. The new folks often start their American lives in large or small apartment complexes in the city.

Now, explore the map for yourself!

If this tool teaches you something about Georgia that you didn’t know, or that we should know, please email us your thoughts at info@atlantaciviccircle.org.

Technical notes: Each dot is randomly generated inside a Census tract, a small area where the U.S. Census tabulates people — so it’s a dot generally near peoples’ homes, but not a dot for anyone personally on their house.

The dots may land on uninhabited parks or office buildings or even cemeteries that are near where folks live. The map is granular enough in urban areas to roughly show major segregation lines, but not granular enough to show the demographics of a single street.