U.S. Rep. Artur Davis believes if Montgomery allows racial issues to dictate its policies and patterns of development rather than considering the best welfare of the community, the community will squander its growth potential.
Speaking to a group of Montgomery leaders during Minority Enterprise Development week, Davis said he is concerned about whites leaving Montgomery County and about the disaffected black youths in the poor parts of town who might leave for other reasons.
He said Montgomery can become a great metropolitan center in Alabama, but the disparate groups need to lay aside their differences and begin to act like a community.
"Sometimes we act as if we do notbut they differ on why it is occurring and what it means. Some blame the perception of a failing public school system for driving people from the county. Others say it's a race issue with deep roots in the South.
State Rep. Alvin Holmes, a Montgomery native, said, "the social issue that is driving that is most whites don't want to live in the same neighborhoods as blacks."
Other public figures, such as Montgomery County Commissioner Todd Strange, disagree.
"I have not heard a soul tell me (they've) left Montgomery because of the demographic shift," Strange said. "What I have heard is education, cost of housing, location, (and) wanting to move out to a bigger spread, if you will."
Strange said the economic opportunities afforded to blacks today have elevated many into professional positions and facilitated a citywide integration process, which "makes for a healthy city."
Still, Holmes said there is relatively little integration in the community besides those in the professional class.
Both agree the solution will require a multirace approach.
"We, the elected leadership and business leadership -- whether it be white, black or Hispanic -- have to come together and figure out how you manage that transition," Strange said.
A long, steady trend
When the 2005 data came out in August showing that the number of blacks had exceeded the number of whites in Montgomery County, it was the first time that had happened since World War II, said Don Bogie, the director at the Center for Demographic Research at Auburn University Montgomery.
From 1800 to just after 1940, the number of blacks outnumbered the number of whites in Montgomery County. When the war got under way, blacks sought lucrative industrial jobs in the North, causing a major outmigration and marking the start of a 60-year predominance in the white population.
In 1980, whites outnumbered blacks in the county by about 40,000 residents. In 1990 that number had fallen to 32,000. In 2000, whites held a slim margin -- just 597. The new numbers, estimated just five years later, show that blacks outnumber whites in Montgomery County by 16,300.
During the same period, the white population in Montgomery County has grown steadily older.
In 1980, only in the youngest group studied by the U.S. Census Bureau -- those 5 years old and younger -- did blacks outnumber whites. Ten years later, blacks outnumbered whites among residents 20 and younger. The trend continued until the 2005 numbers were released, which showed blacks holding a strong majority of the population among residents 50 and younger.
For the past several decades, the average age of the black population has been getting younger in Montgomery County.
From 2000 to 2005, only five of the 18 age groups showed positive growth for whites. Some of the groups showed a drastic reduction in population, particularly the 25- to 29-year-olds and the 30- to 34-year-olds. Those two groups of white residents together represented a reduction of 4,735 people.
Where they are going
The overall tri-county population increased by 1,036 residents from 2000 to 2005. All of the growth occurred in Elmore and Autauga counties, and all of the population loss occurred in Montgomery County. Elmore and Autauga picked up 9,932 residents, while Montgomery County lost 8,896 overall.
In Autauga County, whites made up 80 percent of the population in 2004. In Elmore County, that number was 77 percent.
The idea that big-city issues like public education are driving residents out of Montgomery County has been seized by officials in these other communities.
In Prattville, the Chamber of Commerce touts its school system and slower pace of life when recruiting businesses and residents. It launched a campaign called "The Preferred Community" that showcases all the ways it differs from the surrounding area.
On the chamber's Web site, Prattville is described as "a place where the air is cleaner, nature grows freer and the people are friendlier."
The Millbrook Area Chamber's Web site touts, "good schools, low crime rates, bargain land prices and a beautiful country atmosphere."
Between 2000 and 2005, the numbers of blacks increased by about 12 percent in both Autauga and Elmore counties. The percent change of whites in Autauga and Elmore counties was slightly less, but the absolute numbers were greater -- the number of whites increased by nearly 10,000 for the counties.
According to Prattville Chamber President Connie Bainbridge, "The Preferred Community" campaign amounts to selling the "big city amenities" of Montgomery with the slower paced lifestyle of Prattville.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060918/NEWS/609180320/1001
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