ABSTRACT
The demographic trajectory of Chicanas/os during the past quarter century has produced a reconstruction of social, political, and economic relations in the Southwest. Urban expansion is now correlated to minority migration into suburbs and lower-income zones (Suro and Singer 2002; Mendez 2003). Analysis of the 2000 census confirms this bifurcation of Chicana/o urbanism (Suro and Singer 2002; Mendez 2003). Lower-income barrios, either in historic locations or newer working-class suburbs, continue to be an urban entry point for immigrant low-wage labor. The expansion in barrio urban patterns is a response to global and regional economic demands for low-wage labor (Rodriguez 1993). Middle-and upper-income households are following previous trends toward outmigration to suburban areas with higher-quality housing and social amenities. These trends are due mainly to Civil Rights-era reforms addressing housing and employment discrimination. Ending the ethnic apartheid system of residential segregation has changed the regional ethnic composition, particularly in suburban communities.
