New Immigrants in the Hudson Valley

Recent evidence indicates that immigrants are moving away from, or bypassing altogether, traditional destinations and settling in new metropolitan and suburban areas, where previously they had scant representation. But we know relatively little about the context of their reception, the social and economic infrastructure, and their outcomes in these communities. Sometimes these new arrivals go directly to suburban areas, bypassing the central cities. Sometimes, these new destinations constitute the second step in a migration out of more expensive metropolitan areas.

With support from the Foundation, Richard Alba of the State University of New York, Albany, will conduct an exploratory study of new immigration to Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, New York, where Mexicans and Asian Indians have recently moved to work, respectively, in the local blue-collar and high-tech labor markets. This preliminary study will include an analysis of census data to help chart the growth of the foreign-born population and map their residential patterns. Alba will also conduct twenty-five in-depth interviews with immigrants to discuss how their experiences led them to the Hudson Valley region and what their future plans are, as well as twenty-five interviews with native-born blacks and whites to ask about their experience with and attitude toward the new arrivals. Results will be reported in conference papers and journal articles.