All three of these maps are very interesting in showing the dynamic between races throughout our country. This clearly shows the multiculturalism of our country, and that we may in fact not be a true melting pot. There are many pockets throughout the country that are predominantly one or two races and nothing more. This often has historical ties, for example in the south with African Americans and in California with Asians and Hispanics. Another interesting that these maps display is the lack of minorities that reside in the Midwest and the North. This too has historical ties, but also shows the lack of movement of migrants, who seem to stay almost solely along the coasts, or at least very close to where they entered this country.
What is equally as interesting for me at least is the lengths to which I had to go to make certain maps look like there was any variety, as many counties falls within about five percent of each other. This shows two major aspects for me. First, the lack of dispersal of minorities in our country, as they seem to stay in their destination of origin, creating their own niches and cultural havens. The second aspect, which has much more bearing on GIS, is how malleable these maps are. I was able to change them at the drop of a hat to project the figures how i saw fit. This has political capabilities as we have seen in more professional maps, but the fact that it was my own creation is what really nailed this point home. I chose to try and make maps as aesthetically pleasing as possible, with a wide range of colors and distributions, but that does not mean i could not have adapted them in any number of other ways.
Black
This map speaks volumes about the history of country. Even after the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, and the Civil Rights movement, we still see African Americans residing almost predominantly in the south. I think this goes to show what many of these maps do, which is that people really do not move around as much as we might expect. They find their home, and even if there may be someplace better or more suited to them out there they do not necessarily move. This is what i really got out of creating these maps.
Asian
The same seems to be true for the Asian population and where they choose to reside. There are large clumps in California, especially in the the Bay area and in New York. These are major harbor towns, so this seems where immigrants come in, and then simply stay. Enclaves are created, and the culture permeates into the city, creating a setting similar to what they may be used to. This is why there is so little dispersal across the nation, as once again people become ingrained in their own cultural comfort zone and stay there their entire lives.
Hispanics
This map is not too surprising, showing a large distribution in the south and west. What is interesting is that Hispanics are now the most numerous minority, and this is very evident from this map. They are also much more spread out than the other two races. This has to do with the fact that they are so lumped together as a catch-all term, when in fact there are a number of different cultural traditions and places of origin that fall under the term Hispanic.
