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Top 100 Least Racially Diverse Cities (population 5,000+)

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Looking for that ideal community? One that is demographically compatible and overwhelmingly homogeneous in racial and ethnic composition? An area free of “diversity” and the endemic problems one encounters in a racially mixed or heavily nonwhite urban metropolis? Now prospective homeowners have several options for finding those monochromatic enclaves.

Money magazine features the “best places to live,” ranking the top areas (big cities, small towns, rural communities, suburbs and exurbs) out of a composite score across several categories: financial, housing, education, “quality of life,” leisure and culture, weather, health, and “meet the neighbors.”  In the “meet the neighbors” section, there is a “racial diversity index.” The national average is 100. More “diverse” areas receive a higher score, less diverse communities fall below the national average. According to Money, the “best places average” is 59.2 far below the national average.

This “racial diversity” ranking confirms what sociologist Robert Putnam discovered (and apparently tried to suppress) in his own research on diversity: too much of it erodes the desirability factor for prospective residents. Consider Adelphi, Maryland, a suburb of 18,300 east of Silver Spring, Maryland, which has a diversity index of 860.6—nearly 15 times the “best places average.” Adelphi borders Langley Park (missing from the list of Maryland communities), which has a sizable Latino population and relatively higher level of crime than some Maryland communities of comparable size. With an ever transient population, individuals who are seeking the “right” spot, say in relocating to an unknown area as a result of business or family considerations or simply moving away to the farthest outskirts of a metropolis, need to make informed choices about selecting a preferred residential community.

Finding a prime area to settle into—one that is at least implicitly defined by the shared interests of common ethnic and racial bonds—where residents identify with one another, neighbors are friendly and respectful, children can interact with their friends and roam freely “safe” environments, schools are “good” (a “violence-free” learning experience), surroundings are naturally pleasant and largely free of inner-city problems (where bank tellers are not insulated from their customers with three-inch bullet-proof plexiglass and homes do not have protective iron gates over ground-level windows), then consider one of the following cities:

1.    Cameron Park, Texas (99.3%, pop. 5,961)

2.    West Pittston, Pennsylvania (99.2%, pop. 5,072)

3.    Swoyersville, Pennsylvania (99.1%, pop. 5,157)

4.    Mack South, Ohio (98.8%, pop. 5,837)

5.    Old Forge, Pennsylvania (98.8%, pop. 8,798)

6.    Marilla, New York (98.7%, pop. 5,709)

7.    Pana, Illinois (98.7%, pop. 5,614)

8.    Skaneateles, New York (98.6%, pop. 7,323)

9.    Elma, New York (98.6%, pop. 11,304)

10. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (98.6%, pop. 6,083)

11. Nanticoke, Pennsylvania (98.6%, pop. 10,955)

12. St. Marys, Pennsylvania (98.6%, pop. 14,502)

13. Columbiana, Ohio (98.6%, pop. 5,635)

14. Longboat Key, Florida (98.6%, pop. 7,603)

15. Sugarcreek, Pennsylvania (98.6%, pop. 5,331)

16. Roma, Texas (98.5%, pop. 9,617)

17. Jerseyville, Illinois (98.5%, pop. 7,984)

18. Latrobe, Pennsylvania (98.5%, pop. 8,994)

19. Tyrone, Pennsylvania (98.5%, pop. 5,528)

20. Timber Pines, Florida (98.5%, pop. 5,840)

21. Eidson Road, Texas (98.4%, pop. 9,348)

22. Waterloo, Illinois (98.4%, pop. 7,614)

23. Brookville, Ohio (98.4%, pop. 5,289)

24. Pelican Bay, Florida (98.4%, pop. 5,686)

25. Alexandria, Kentucky (98.4%, pop. 8,286)

26. Moosic, Pennsylvania (98.4%, pop. 5,575)

27. Salem, Indiana (98.4%, pop. 6,172)

28. Boston, New York (98.4%, pop. 7,897)

29. Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania (98.4%, pop. 7,504)

30. Aurora, New York (98.4%, pop. 13,996)

31. Monticello, Illinois (98.4%, pop. 5,138)

32. Shamokin, Pennsylvania (98.4%, pop. 8,009)

33. Cedarburg, Wisconsin (98.4%, pop. 5,744)

34. Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (98.3%, pop. 7,451)

35. Kiryas Joel, New York (98.3%, pop. 13,138)

36. Carroll, Iowa (98.3%, pop. 10,106)

37. Benton, Illinois (98.3%, pop. 6,880)

38. Archbald, Pennsylvania (98.3%, pop. 6,220)

39. Millinocket, Maine (98.3%, pop. 5,203)

40. Manchester, Iowa (98.3%, pop. 5,257)

41. Millinocket, Maine (98.3%, pop. 5,190)

42. Staunton, Illinois (98.3%, pop. 5,030)

43. Dickson City, Pennsylvania (98.3%, pop. 6,205)

44. Huron, California (98.3%, pop. 6,306)

45. Atlantic, Iowa (98.3%, pop. 7,257)

46. Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts (98.3%, pop. 5,228)

47. Warren, Pennsylvania (98.2%, pop. 10,259)

48. South Williamsport, Pennsylvania (98.2%, pop. 6,412)

49. Fort Edward, New York (98.2%, pop. 5,892)

50. Lafayette, Wisconsin (98.2%, pop. 5,199)

51. Sun City West, Arizona (98.2%, pop. 26,344)

52. Freedom, Wisconsin (98.2%, pop. 5,241)

53. Cumberland, Maine (98.2%, pop. 7,159)

54. Rumford, Maine (98.2%, pop. 6,472)

55. East Aurora, New York (98.2%, pop. 6,673)

56. Exeter, Pennsylvania (98.2%, pop. 5,955)

57. Baxter, Minnesota (98.2%, pop. 5,555)

58. Sandown, New Hampshire (98.2%, pop. 5,143)

59. Bright, Indiana (98.2%, pop. 5,405)

60. Rye, New Hampshire (98.2%, pop. 5,182)

61. Covedale, Ohio (98.2%, pop. 6,360)

62. Bridgetown North, Ohio (98.2%, pop. 12,569)

63. Greene, New York (98.1%, pop. 5,729)

64. Waterboro, Maine (98.1%, pop. 6,214)

65. Clearfield, Pennsylvania (98.1%, pop. 6,631)

66. New Martinsville, West Virginia (98.1%, pop. 5,984)

67. Lincoln, Maine (98.1%, pop. 5,221)

68. Mountain Brook, Alabama (98.1%, pop. 20,604)

69. Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania (98.1%, pop. 6,390)

70. Eliot, Maine (98.1%, pop. 5,954)

71. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (98.1%, pop. 6,271)

72. Constantia, New York (98.1%, pop. 5,141)

73. Kings Point, Florida (98.1%, pop. 12,207)

74. Boonville, Indiana (98.1%, pop. 6,834)

75. Georgetown, Massachusetts (98.1%, pop. 7,377)

76. Greenville, Rhode Island (98.1%, pop. 8,626)

77. Harrison, Wisconsin (98.1%, pop. 5,756)

78. Delphos, Ohio (98.1%, pop. 6,944)

79. Taylor, Pennsylvania (98.1%, pop. 6,475)

80. Fairfield, Illinois (98.1%, pop. 5,421)

81. Hopkinton, New Hampshire (98.1%, pop. 5,399)

82. Lancaster, New York (98.1%, pop. 11,188)

83. Hamburg, New York (98.0%, pop. 10,116)

84. Bloomingdale, Tennessee (98.0%, pop. 10,350)

85. Mount Horeb, Wisconsin (98.0%, pop. 5,860)

86. Kirtland, Ohio (98.0%, pop. 6,670)

87. Pendleton, New York (98.0%, pop. 6,050)

88. Yarmouth, Maine (98.0%, pop. 8,360)

89. Winthrop, Maine (98.0%, pop. 6,232)

90. Lisbon, Wisconsin (98.0%, pop. 9,359)

91. Mecca, California (98.0%, pop. 5,402)

92. Mooresville, Indiana (98.0%, pop. 9,273)

93. Groveland, Massachusetts (98.0%, pop. 6,038)

94. Holiday City-Berkeley, New Jersey (98.0%, pop. 13,884)

95. West Frankfort, Illinois (98.0%, pop. 8,196)

96. Hartford City, Indiana (98.0%, pop. 6,928)

97. Hingham, Massachusetts (98.0%, pop. 5,352)

98. Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock, Massachusetts (98.0%, pop. 5,100)

99. Gilford, New Hampshire (98.0%, pop. 6,803)

100. Economy, Pennsylvania (98.0%, pop. 9,363)

For more links on the best places to live, as well as compare the “racial diversity” composition, the following sites offer some useful (if partial) information:

http://money.aol.com/best-places-to-live

Kevin Lamb, a freelance writer, is a former library assistant for Newsweek, managing editor of Human Events, and assistant editor of the Evans-Novak Political Report. He is the managing editor of The Social Contract.

Comments on Katrine Fangen’s “Breaking Up the Different Constituting Parts of Ethnicity: The Case of Young Somalis in Norway” (Acta Sociologica, December 2007. pp. 401-414).

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This article examines five case studies of Somalis living in Norway: Norwegian-Muslims who are Norwegian-Somalis. None of the five Somalis  see Norwegian identity as desirable, except in so far as it grants them opportunities and welfare. None of Somalis respect Norwegian culture. None of the Somalis feel “stigmatized” by Norwegians because  of their skin color, religion or race: By contrast, each of the five  Somalis appear to have deep and sometimes aggressive racial,  religious and cultural prejudices against Norwegian-Christians.  Despite all this, Fangen only concludes that the definition of ethnic identity can be  parsed into elements including “everyday practice” and “geographic  belonging.”  (See Fangen’s abstract here.)

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The five case studies include:

(1) Ayanna, who considers herself to  be Somali but also appreciates the greater freedom she has in Norway compared to Somalia or even among Somali relatives who live in the fundamentalist Somali colony in East London.

(2) Riyo, who came to  Norway as a small child refugee and grew up in Norway, sees herself as  “100% Somali.” He despises Norwegian institutions such as schools  because the schools, even if subtly, imply that the majority culture is more  important than Somali culture.

(3) Hassan is a cosmopolitan because he likes to date White girls. Increasingly(seemingly because his success in dating White girls has been limited) he has defined  himself as a Muslim more than as a Somali, but definitely does not  see himself as a Norwegian. (He thinks Norwegians are ignorant and  crude.)

(4) Abdulrahim moved from membership in Rastafarian Black [racist, drug] gangs to being a clan-oriented, “politicized” Somali supremacist. He sees his role as rescuing younger Somalis from entrapment and victimization by the inferior Norwegian culture.

(5) Asha, planning to enter law school (through Affirmative Action)  sees herself as 100% Somali and notes that Somalis will be 100%  Somali even after 100 years. Indeed, she plans to raise her future children  as 100% Somalis.

Notably, the author omits a case study of hardline Somali racial supremacists, who live self-segregated, welfare-sustained lives in  Norway away from the Norwegians they hate, although she admits they  exist in large numbers, especially in Oslo.

James Murray is the pen name of an academic sociologist.