Central Cities Face Challenges : But demographic changes also create opportunities

Over the past century, and especially in the decades immediately after World War II, Orange County’s central cities represented much of what the county aspired to. They became destination suburbs for seekers of the American Dream in sunny California. Today, a host of daunting challenges faces residents, political and business leaders, and educators if these areas, now greatly altered by immigration and economic vicissitudes, are to thrive and flourish in the next century.

For many seeking a better life, communities such as Santa Ana, Westminster, Garden Grove and Stanton have been a place to put down roots. Today, however, neighborhoods have been transformed into places where many languages are spoken. The problems attending urbanization have taken their toll. The economic pain of the recession lingers even after other parts of the region have benefited from an improved economy.

These cities are on the edge of demographic change and are made up of ethnic majorities. They have set the pace for the time in the next century when county demographers have predicted that Latinos will overtake whites as Orange County’s largest ethnic group.

Meanwhile, lagging educational achievement, the decline of older industries, and the onset of gang activity and poverty left some older residents in working-class neighborhoods either taking part in a second wave of flight or holding their ground anxiously. As noted recently by author and economist Joel Kotkin, these areas have struggled with lower real estate values and a gap in business growth compared to neighbors in South County and along the coast. However, there is much that should cheer these areas on.

For example, several have led the way in community policing, which has reduced crime. While new ethnic homeowners have put a different face on neighborhoods, they share strong value systems with longtime residents. They, too, want safe neighborhoods and have imported a strong work ethic, which has made small business a key component of the county’s economic engine.

As Anil Puri, director of the Cal State Fullerton’s Center of Economic Studies, notes, older suburbs do still face the challenge of retooling old office complexes, industrial parks and retail districts to be more competitive. A strong pool of blue-collar workers offers a fertile environment for manufacturing.

Whatever the problems, the growing diversity of these cities offers cause for a celebration of their new vitality. While the older communities are going through difficult transitions, there is much to be excited about. Their energy is a powerful asset for life in Orange County in the 21st century.