As we learned in The Big Sort, America is sorting itself into enclaves of people with similar beliefs. In Whitopia, Rich Benjamin shows that the fastest growing areas are also the most white.
"'There's a long-term harm when Americans accept balkanization as a way of life,' says Benjamin, who is an African American. 'Segregation can appear to allay social tensions, but it worsens them in the long run. Optimal democracies require more than voting; they require social integration and involvement.'
Benjamin defines Whitopias as towns that are much whiter than the nation as a whole, which means they are more than 75 percent Caucasian. He looked at areas with a population growth of more than 6 percent since 2000, in which the growth was 90 percent white."
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