KC Area Becoming Less Segregated Than In 2000
Kansas City, MO – For decades, Kansas City has been known as a city sharply segregated by race, most dramatically along Troost Avenue. But new data suggests that's changing, at least among blacks and whites.
The 2000 census showed that Kansas City was the 16th most segregated major city in the US, but new estimates from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate that we've dropped to 28th.
African Americans are increasingly moving west and south within Kansas City, Missouri. And many whites are returning to older, urban areas. The suburbs north of the river, and especially those southwest of the city are also increasing in diversity. And Wyandotte County is well on its way to having a majority minority population.
KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross spoke with Frank Lenk, senior researcher at the Mid America Regional Council, about the new data and why segregation continues to plague Kansas City.