Geography and segmented assimilation: examples from the New York Chinese

Abstract Drawing upon the segmented assimilation framework, and using the 1990 5% PUMS file, the paper compares the assimilation of selected Chinese immigrant cohorts, based upon age and period of entry. Including a spatial component within the framework, we examine whether differences in the organisation and assimilation of immigrant groups exist across space. For each cohort, contrasts are made with reference to location in the New York Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA), with the analysis focusing upon differences in spatial assimilation with respect to acculturation, socioeconomic characteristics, internal migration, and immigrant characteristics relative to other immigrant and native‐born groups. The analysis is updated using Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) data files from the 1990s. Results suggest that space, and location in space, alter the assimilation trajectory of similarly defined groups. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.