Atlas of Race, Ancestry, and Religion in 21st-Century Florida

As one of the most racially, ancestrally, and religiously diverse regions in the nation, Florida rivals California and New York in its multiplicity of cultures. More than 14 million people have joined the ranks of Florida citizens since World War II—most through migration rather than natural increase. This highly detailed study of Florida’s population focuses on where selected racial, ancestral, and religious groups live in Florida, where they lived previously, and why they chose to settle where they are.           Relying primarily on the U.S. Census of 2000—the most detailed of any previous census—as well as the Glenmary Home Missioners’ national census of religion, books, articles, and fieldwork, Winsberg provides narrative analysis of the distribution of these groups, 108 maps depicting their distribution throughout the state, 38 maps showing their distribution within its four largest metropolitan areas, and 11 tables that supplement both the narrative and maps. The author begins with a brief history of Florida’s population from its pre-Columbian inhabitants to the most recent immigrants, followed by chapters on where and why certain counties have become identified with specific groups, and a final chapter explaining the distribution of these groups within the state’s four largest urban areas.            In light of Florida voters’ impact on the last two presidential elections, the nation at large is watching the state with great interest to see how these groups will exercise their emerging political power. Illuminating the incredible diversity the state has experienced during the last half-century, this atlas of historical and contemporary Florida is a revealing reference tool for political scientists, journalists, geographers, cultural anthropologists, social scientists, gerontologists, public administrators, government planners, and demographers, as well as scholars and students of Florida history and politics.