Interactive maps pinpoint Boston’s immigrant enclaves

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2015/10/14/interactive-maps-pinpoint-bostons-immigrant-enclaves/

BOSTON – Anyone who’s lived in the Boston area for more than a few years can suggest where to find the most authentic ethnic food – from Chinatown’s Asian American-owned restaurants to Brookline’s Jewish delis.

But a map created recently by Kyle Walker, a Texas Christian University geography professor, provides a fascinating visual representation of immigrant pockets in Boston, Massachusetts as a whole and the rest of New England. Explore the nationwide map here and zoom in for Boston and other regions.

Foreign-born residents from more than 100 countries make up 28 percent of Boston’s population. Most immigrants in 2007 were from China, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Latinos have increased by more than 50 percent and the Asian population overall by more than 70 percent since 1990.

Walker used a dot-density method to illustrate estimated demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009-2013 American Community Survey. Each dot represents roughly 20 immigrants.

The map closely tracks an interactive look at racial and ethnic groups by Dustin Cable, a former University of Virginia demographer, using 2010 Census data. And it may help those trying to navigate the Hub’s ethnic enclaves to discover unheralded culinary treasures.

MA, RI & CT show high concentrations of immigrants in more urban areas. (Kyle Walker)
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Contact Kara Bettis at [email protected] or @karabettis.