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The new American neighborhood

All-white enclaves are quickly vanishing. Today, more people in the D.C. area and across the country live in communities defined by their diversity, not their lack of it.

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Long-standing patterns of residential segregation are being upended by what Brown University sociologist John Logan calls “global neighborhoods.” The scope of change is evident in the Washington region, and especially in Northern Virginia in places such as Ashburn. At Ashburn’s Winwood Children's Center, clockwise from front center, Colbie Comerford, Aisha Almuhaya, Charlie Stanek, Austin Kraft and Lawrence Liu.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Making frog puppets at Winwood Children's Center in Ashburn are, from left, Langdon Cotti, Hugo Sinz, Alyssa Vaughan and Kayla Taeschner. Their class represents the changing diversity of the outer D.C. suburbs.

Making frog puppets at Winwood Children's Center in Ashburn are, from left, Langdon Cotti, Hugo Sinz, Alyssa Vaughan and Kayla Taeschner. Their class represents the changing diversity of the outer D.C. suburbs.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Luke Rohrbaugh works on a math problem with help from teacher Kesha Menefee at Winwood Children's Center. <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/'>A Washington Post analysis of 2010 census data</a> shows a precipitous decline in the number of the region’s census tracts, areas of roughly 2,000 households, where more than 85 percent of the residents are of the same race or ethnicity — what many demographers would consider a segregated neighborhood.

Luke Rohrbaugh works on a math problem with help from teacher Kesha Menefee at Winwood Children's Center. A Washington Post analysis of 2010 census data shows a precipitous decline in the number of the region’s census tracts, areas of roughly 2,000 households, where more than 85 percent of the residents are of the same race or ethnicity — what many demographers would consider a segregated neighborhood.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Preschoolers, from left, Dean Cote, Sashi Kosaraju and Landon Ahearn with Menefee in Ashburn. The biggest drop in segregated areas, according to the census data, has been in <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/03/AR2011020304604.html?nav=emailpage'>Northern Virginia</a>, where only one in 20 neighborhoods is a racial or ethnic enclave.

Preschoolers, from left, Dean Cote, Sashi Kosaraju and Landon Ahearn with Menefee in Ashburn. The biggest drop in segregated areas, according to the census data, has been in Northern Virginia, where only one in 20 neighborhoods is a racial or ethnic enclave.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Langdon Cotti works on his frog puppet with Alyssa Vaughan and Hugo Sinz. “Langdon doesn’t notice race,” and his friends don’t, either, said his mother, Erika Hodell Cotti. The family lives in Loudoun County. Two decades ago, more than three-quarters of Loudoun’s neighborhoods were overwhelmingly white. Now just 14 percent are.

Langdon Cotti works on his frog puppet with Alyssa Vaughan and Hugo Sinz. “Langdon doesn’t notice race,” and his friends don’t, either, said his mother, Erika Hodell Cotti. The family lives in Loudoun County. Two decades ago, more than three-quarters of Loudoun’s neighborhoods were overwhelmingly white. Now just 14 percent are.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Shiloh Johnson, 3, helps Edna Jemieson rake leaves in the Hillandale area of Silver Spring. Jemieson moved into a house at McGovern and Devere drives with six of her 10 children. The other four stayed with family in their native Jamaica. She came looking for good schools for her children, and after they grew up and moved away, she turned her home into an assisted-living facility for the elderly.

Shiloh Johnson, 3, helps Edna Jemieson rake leaves in the Hillandale area of Silver Spring. Jemieson moved into a house at McGovern and Devere drives with six of her 10 children. The other four stayed with family in their native Jamaica. She came looking for good schools for her children, and after they grew up and moved away, she turned her home into an assisted-living facility for the elderly.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Raquel Jackson and Epifanio Benavides cross McGovern Drive in Hillandale to bring food to their neighbors Virginia and Wayne Cole, both 89. From one end of McGovern Drive to the other, and on adjacent streets, a boundless diversity has emerged: immigrants, or their offspring, from <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/jamaica.html'>Jamaica</a> and <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/haiti.html'>Haiti</a>, <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/egypt.html'>Egypt</a> and <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/israel.html'>Israel</a>; African Americans who have lived there for 20 years; and whites who bought their homes when Lyndon Johnson was president.

Raquel Jackson and Epifanio Benavides cross McGovern Drive in Hillandale to bring food to their neighbors Virginia and Wayne Cole, both 89. From one end of McGovern Drive to the other, and on adjacent streets, a boundless diversity has emerged: immigrants, or their offspring, from Jamaica and Haiti, Egypt and Israel; African Americans who have lived there for 20 years; and whites who bought their homes when Lyndon Johnson was president.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Jackson and Benavides, with Virginia and Wayne Cole. “I think we’re lucky with our neighbors,” said Virginia Cole, ticking off acts of kindness shown to her and her husband, who are both 89. Today in <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020904310.html?nav=emailpage'>the Maryland suburbs</a>, only one in five neighborhoods is dominated by one race or ethnicity, down from almost a third in 2000.

Jackson and Benavides, with Virginia and Wayne Cole. “I think we’re lucky with our neighbors,” said Virginia Cole, ticking off acts of kindness shown to her and her husband, who are both 89. Today in the Maryland suburbs, only one in five neighborhoods is dominated by one race or ethnicity, down from almost a third in 2000.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Jackson and Virginia Cole share a hug. The Coles have witnessed the changes to their Hillandale neighborhood from their picture window. The three-generation Nguyen family from <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/vietnam.html'>Vietnam</a> lives next door to them. On the other side are the Crawfords, an African American couple who moved to Hillandale after he retired from Howard University and she stopped teaching in District schools. And then there is Jackson, a house cleaner from <a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/mexico.html'>Mexico</a> who brings the Coles dinner on holidays. She lives across the street.

Jackson and Virginia Cole share a hug. The Coles have witnessed the changes to their Hillandale neighborhood from their picture window. The three-generation Nguyen family from Vietnam lives next door to them. On the other side are the Crawfords, an African American couple who moved to Hillandale after he retired from Howard University and she stopped teaching in District schools. And then there is Jackson, a house cleaner from Mexico who brings the Coles dinner on holidays. She lives across the street.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Virginia and Wayne Cole, shown with their son Tom, moved to Silver Spring in 1965, when the Hillandale neighborhood was all white. Meet the neighbors today: from left, Cindy and Stan Chan, Alisa Barkett, Elizabeth and Evans Crawford, Gideon Aberr, and Judith, Bernard and Cynthia Nestor.

Virginia and Wayne Cole, shown with their son Tom, moved to Silver Spring in 1965, when the Hillandale neighborhood was all white. Meet the neighbors today: from left, Cindy and Stan Chan, Alisa Barkett, Elizabeth and Evans Crawford, Gideon Aberr, and Judith, Bernard and Cynthia Nestor.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

The Reid family — Dewayne, 13, Elijah, 5, and mother Katrina — pray during services at Community Church in Ashburn. Evidence of the diversity in Washington’s outer suburbs abounds in the Northern Virginia congregation.

The Reid family — Dewayne, 13, Elijah, 5, and mother Katrina — pray during services at Community Church in Ashburn. Evidence of the diversity in Washington’s outer suburbs abounds in the Northern Virginia congregation.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

After a service at Community Church, Deacons Sherrie and Bill Irvin pray with Tracey Egloff, and Elder David DelaPenha and church member Dale Frock pray with Andrea Segovia.

After a service at Community Church, Deacons Sherrie and Bill Irvin pray with Tracey Egloff, and Elder David DelaPenha and church member Dale Frock pray with Andrea Segovia.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

Charlie Whitlow, lead pastor at Community Church in Ashburn, is flanked by fellow pastors Mike Taylor, left, and Alain Noriega. The nondenominational church has a leadership team as diverse as its congregation.

Charlie Whitlow, lead pastor at Community Church in Ashburn, is flanked by fellow pastors Mike Taylor, left, and Alain Noriega. The nondenominational church has a leadership team as diverse as its congregation.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

A group prays together — from left, Bill Irvin, Angela Smith, Evelyn DelaPenha and Sherrie Irvin — after services at Community Church.

A group prays together — from left, Bill Irvin, Angela Smith, Evelyn DelaPenha and Sherrie Irvin — after services at Community Church.

Katherine Frey / The Washington Post

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