White Flight Slows, Stops, Reverses

White Americans are reversing a decades-old trend by moving back to big cities, the Wall Street Journal reports. In cities like Boston, Washington DC, Seattle and Atlanta, the white population is rising again as suburbanites flock to live in newly trendy city centers—and affluent African-Americans move to the suburbs. Eight of the 50 largest cities saw the proportion of whites increase between 2000 and 2006.

Friction is developing in many areas, over both race and class, as the makeup of neighborhoods changes once again. African-American restaurants, retailers and churches are losing their clientele; congressional districts are changing demographic makeup. The mayor of San Francisco, worried the city is losing "part of its soul," has formed a task force to try to retain its rapidly dwindling African-American population. (More white people stories.)