Madison Park has many things going for it, but diversity certainly isn't one of them. At least not diversity of the racial/ethnic kind. Though we may show a degree of variety in other ways, it would be evident to anyone taking a quick jog around the neighborhood that our population is essentially monochromatic.
But not exactly lily white, either.
The recently released 2010 census numbers provide evidence that there's at least a modicum of diversity in the old neighborhood. Slightly more than 10% of area residents classified themselves as either non-white, mixed race, or Hispanic/Latino. Asians comprised the largest minority group, representing 3.7% of the total population (186 total residents), with Hispanics at 2.7% (136 residents), blacks at 1.1% (60 residents), and American Indians at 0.2% (10 residents). A total of 141 Madison Parkers claimed two or more races, while two people reported they were native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders and 17 said they were of another race.
This certainly makes Madison Park one of the whitest neighborhoods in what is a very white city. As the Seattle Times reported last month, the 2010 census showed Seattle with the fifth highest percentage of non-Hispanic whites of any major U.S. city: 66%. Washington State reported an even higher 72.5%. Like the State as a whole, Madison Park showed a significant increase in the minority population since the 2000 census. The current figure of 10.3% is actually a big increase over the 6% reported at the time of the 2000 census. This growing diversity is primarily attributable to increases in the Asian and Hispanic/Latino population groups.
Unlike Washington overall, however, Madison Park does not show any significant difference in diversity between the under-18-year-old and the 18-and-over population. For the State, the under-18 population is much more diverse (only 61% white) than is the older demographic (over 75% white). For Madison Park, 90.8% of the older residents classified themselves as non-Hispanic white, versus 89.7% for the population as a whole.
This first batch of statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau is limited to ethnic/racial identification and housing occupancy. Madison Park actually lost population since the 2000 census, with 44 fewer people reported as residents since the last census (4,962 in 2010 versus 5,006 in 2000). There were 2,829 separate housing units in Madison Park in 2010, up slightly from the 2,822 reported in 2000. Almost 11% of these available residences were, however, vacant at the time of the 2010 census, which may explain our slight population decline.
The Census Bureau will be releasing additional demographic information from the 2010 census over the next several years, and we will keep you posted as these data dumps occur.
[Notes: Madison Park (including the Washington Park and Broadmoor enclaves) is almost--but not quite--wholly contained within Census Tract 63. A very few Madison Park residences, primarily in the area of 39th Avenue E., just north of Denny Blaine, are excluded from this census tract. However, their inclusion would not change the demographic mix reported above, though it would perhaps add another 100 or so people to the neighborhood's population total. Also, note that the census allows those who are ethnically Hispanic or Latino to separately classify themselves as white, black or mixed race. If all Hispanic/Latino residents of Madison Park were simply classified by race rather than ethnicity, the neighborhood's white population would be 91.6%, based on the 2010 census figures.]
Unlike Washington overall, however, Madison Park does not show any significant difference in diversity between the under-18-year-old and the 18-and-over population. For the State, the under-18 population is much more diverse (only 61% white) than is the older demographic (over 75% white). For Madison Park, 90.8% of the older residents classified themselves as non-Hispanic white, versus 89.7% for the population as a whole.
This first batch of statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau is limited to ethnic/racial identification and housing occupancy. Madison Park actually lost population since the 2000 census, with 44 fewer people reported as residents since the last census (4,962 in 2010 versus 5,006 in 2000). There were 2,829 separate housing units in Madison Park in 2010, up slightly from the 2,822 reported in 2000. Almost 11% of these available residences were, however, vacant at the time of the 2010 census, which may explain our slight population decline.
The Census Bureau will be releasing additional demographic information from the 2010 census over the next several years, and we will keep you posted as these data dumps occur.
[Notes: Madison Park (including the Washington Park and Broadmoor enclaves) is almost--but not quite--wholly contained within Census Tract 63. A very few Madison Park residences, primarily in the area of 39th Avenue E., just north of Denny Blaine, are excluded from this census tract. However, their inclusion would not change the demographic mix reported above, though it would perhaps add another 100 or so people to the neighborhood's population total. Also, note that the census allows those who are ethnically Hispanic or Latino to separately classify themselves as white, black or mixed race. If all Hispanic/Latino residents of Madison Park were simply classified by race rather than ethnicity, the neighborhood's white population would be 91.6%, based on the 2010 census figures.]
The combination of this lack of diversity and fear of doing almost anything novel or innovative is the true dark side of Madison Park. Yes, it is a beautiful place to live. But there are also a lot of people here that don't want to have anything to do with people not like them (rich and white). We could plan events at the Park to attract more cultural diversity, so much we could do besides having spas and banks.
ReplyDeletewithout all those banks and spas where else would they get the money to pay to have all their rich people problems massaged away?
ReplyDeleteI love listening to complaints from people to whom "we" means "everyone else."
ReplyDeleteWhat have you done to move forward with bringing these "events" to reality? I mean besides just complaining from the sidelines?
I am getting a chuckle out of a scenario where in areas of the city that minorities make up 90% of the population, they are planning concerts to attract more whites to their neighborhood.
ReplyDelete