RACE,IMMIGRANTS, AND RESIDENCE: A NEW RACIAL GEOGRAPHY OF WASHINGTON,D.C.*

ABSTRACT. This study examines the residential patterns of immigrant newcomers within a relatively new immigrant destination, Washington, D.C. Particular attention is given to how these patterns are shaped by the newcomers' race and ethnicity. Our analysis is based primarily upon data on immigrant flows from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for the 1990–1998 period. Evidence from our study suggests a racial and ethnic hierarchy to the residential location of Africans, Asians, Europeans, and Latin Americans, providing some support for the pattern expected in the place‐stratification model. When their residential patterns are compared with those of non‐Hispanic blacks, we find that African newcomers are more likely to settle among blacks than are other regional‐origin groups. However, Africans are also found to reside in multiethnic zip codes where large numbers of newcomers are concentrated. The findings suggest that race is an important but not exclusive factor in explaining the residential choices of recent immigrants.