Paul Shepard of Black Voices noticed a funny thing happening on the way to work:
Last Sunday morning, as I took my regular route from Silver Spring, Md., to Washington, D.C., down Georgia Avenue, home to Howard University, and the social backbone of D.C.'s black population for decades, I saw a sight that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
I saw a group of young white folks, standing and chatting, on a corner. And then another a few blocks away. Then I passed a few white cyclists and saw even more white faces.…
Since the decline of the nation's real estate market, those who still have good jobs can find great diamonds in the rough in well-built homes in urban neighborhoods that are close to the theater, sporting arenas and transportation hubs.
The problem for many of these urban homesteaders is the crime and grime that often plagues these communities. They, though, are becoming an increasingly attractive alternative for young whites as the population turns over.
Brookings Institution, suburbs are still mostly white, but for the first time, a majority of all racial and ethnic groups in large metro areas live outside the city.
And suburbs now have the largest poor population in the country.