WASHINGTON — African-Americans in the South are shunning city life for the suburbs at the highest levels in decades. They are rapidly integrating large metropolitan areas that were historically divided between inner-city blacks and suburban whites.
Census estimates also show that Hispanic population growth for the first time outpaced that of blacks and whites in most of the South.
The share of blacks in large metropolitan areas who opted to live in the suburbs climbed to 58 percent in the South, compared to 41 percent for the rest of the U.S. That's the highest share since the Civil Rights Act passed in the 1960s.
The South also had major gains in neighborhood integration among blacks and whites. Topping the list were metro areas in Florida, Georgia and Texas.
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