
150 Years of Immigration in America, Visualized - Thevet
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3056173/infographic-of-the-day/150-years-of-immigration-in-america-visualized
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tokenadult
I'm checking the main sublink under the link kindly submitted here, that is
the link from the University of Richmond,[1] to see how well it displays under
the demand of being visited by many Hacker News readers.

An interesting fact about immigration to the United States is how much more
some regions (broadly, the north after the Civil War) than other regions
(broadly, the territory of the former Confederacy after the Civil War) were
favored by immigrants during the peak period of United States immigration (the
end of the 1800s). All of my ancestors arrived before peak immigration--in
particular, all before the founding of the immigration station at Ellis Island
in New York harbor--but immigrants throughout the post-Civil-War era strongly
preferred settling anywhere but in the former Confederate states.

[1]
[https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/foreignborn/#decade=1950&c...](https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/foreignborn/#decade=1950&county=G2901130)

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refurb
_strongly preferred settling anywhere but in the former Confederate states_

Is that surprising? The Confederate economy was absolutely destroyed by the
Civil War. From my understanding, there wasn't much work even for the
Confederates let alone immigrants.

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tokenadult
_Is that surprising?_

Yes, I found it surprising when I first learned the fact (in the 1970s),
because immigrants were pouring into all other parts of the United States in
large numbers at the time. That includes places that were wholly undeveloped
wilderness and also places that were battlegrounds outside the borders of the
Confederacy.

It's even more surprising to me now, after years of reflection on my visits to
Hong Kong in the 1980s, because the plain lesson of history is that welcoming
immigrants is an excellent way to build up a destroyed economy and to provide
more work both for the new arrivals and for the people who were already in the
place that welcomes immigrants. There wasn't "work" (preexisting jobs) in the
places where my ancestors or the majority of immigrants settled either, but
there became work to do as the new settlers arrived.

~~~
refurb
I see your point.

I don't know much about Reconstruction, but I assume that word got around fast
that states like NY would provide a lot more opportunity than a place like GA.
That said, I'm sure there were immigrants who went down there. From the little
I know the Confederate States were smashed beyond recognition (not everywhere,
but certainly the big cities).[1]

Also consider that Northerners who went South were looked down upon by
Southerners. I assume they didn't look at immigrants in a much better
light.[2]

[1][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_Era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_Era)
[2][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetbaggers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetbaggers)

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brownbat
1950 to 1970 is fascinating.

US foreign born is 6% at the beginning. 18% at the midpoint. Then 4% at the
end.

a) what caused this rapid spike and retreat? b) are there or why aren't there
a million econ studies about immigration studying this time period?

Note: I got as far as Wikipedia's immigration to the US in the 1950s section,
which is more a list of random unconnected facts, none of which seem to line
up well enough to explain the tentpole. Maybe rising Mexican immigration and
the Hungarian revolution, followed by a new system of immigration no one knew
how to use... not really sure.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_immigration_to_the_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_immigration_to_the_United_States#1950s)

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aikah
The link should point to the interactive graph IMHO (great graphics by the
way):

[http://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/foreignborn/#decade=2010&co...](http://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/foreignborn/#decade=2010&country=Germany)

As a European, migrating to US is tough, so it's no surprise immigration from
Europe is that low today. Obviously the biggest contributor today is Mexico ,
but the fact the Philippines arrive at the second place is surprising.China is
only at the 4th rank.

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pkaye
I think the immigration flow is more related to economic opportunities in
birth country along with proximity to the US so Europe is doing well as it is,
China and India are improving considerably but Philipines is still struggling.
Mexico is right at the border to the US.

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refurb
Don't forget that _most_ of the immigration (focusing on permanent immigration
- green cards) are awarded based on family reunification, not employment. Many
green card categories are capped, family reunification is not (for close
relatives).

Data is a bit old (2011), but this says ~50K employment GCs and ~750K based on
family ties.[1]

[1][http://immigration.uschamber.com/uploads/sites/392/Summary%2...](http://immigration.uschamber.com/uploads/sites/392/Summary%20Green%20Cards%20w%20FY11%20Tablev2.pdf)

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AIienreborn
Related: [http://peoplemov.in/](http://peoplemov.in/)

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brooklyndavs
This is very cool. On this note, I'd like to highly recommend the immigration
museum on Ellis Island in NY. It gives you a complete history of migration to
the US from the first migrants into the colonies to present day. I think its a
must see for anyone visiting or living in NYC.

