Study: Young Whites Fleeing Suburbs

The times they are a-changin: The Brookings Institution's analysis of Census data from 2000 to 2008 reveals several interesting shifts in the demographics of urban and suburban areas. Notably, it charts the reversal of “white flight”: For the first time, a majority of minorities live in suburbs over cities. Suburbs are also now home to the country’s largest poor population, with the suburban poor growing by 25 percent between 1999 and 2008. "Several trends in the 2000s further put to rest the old perceptions of cities as declining, poor, minority places set amid young, white, wealthy suburbs,” according to the report. Meanwhile, young, educated whites are moving to cities in greater numbers for jobs and quicker commutes, among other factors, the study shows.