Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America

by Rich Benjamin

Book Overview

As America becomes more and more racially diverse, Rich Benjamin noticed a phenomenon: Some communities were actually getting less multicultural. So he got out a map, found the whitest towns in the USA -- and moved in.

A journalist-adventurer, Benjamin packed his bags and embarked on a 26,909-mile journey throughout the heart of white America, to some of the fastest-growing and whitest locales in our nation. Benjamin calls these enclaves...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401322689
• ISBN13: 9781401322687
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Lots of depth in a slim book - great insights on modern demographics!

Rich Benjamin goes to a number of Whitopias (the concept is defined, demographically, in appendices) and actually lives in three of them. He approaches his subject without apparent bias aforethought, and with excellent research eyes. In his research he distinguished between different types of Whitopias, whether the reasons for their development are more conscious or unconscious. Beyond that, he extensively interviews individual residents, to give the different Whitopias an individualized profile. He also notes that natives don't always "cotton to" outside whites. He provides a few statistics that I didn't know, as part of the possibility America may be "majority nonwhite" by 2050. For the whites fleeing blacks and Hispanics for purely racial, or racial-economic reasons, and at the same time, often fleeing Asians because "their kids study too hard for our kids," he has "bad" news I didn't know... the Asian population is growing faster than even the Hispanic population. Beyond that, he asks what do whitopias, more exurban ones like Forsyth County, Ga., than freestanding St. George, Utah or the Idaho Panhandle, mean for the future of American infrastructure, whith highways, sewer, zoning tussles and more. And, what do all whitopias mean in terms of future American cohesiveness? Without offering undue condemnation, Benjamin offers condemnation where it is due for these exurbs being used as a shield to avoid discussing race, and worries that broader social integration may have peaked in much of the country, at least for now. If you want a very insightful -- and very well-written -- take on modern demographics, this is it!

Walling themselves in

It didn't take long for author Rich Benjamin to find the whitopia he was searching for...it's more prevalent than we might think and growing, apparently, by leaps and bounds. What were once known as subdivisions are now classified as gated "communities" (think pre-owned autos) and you get the gist of what Benjamin will tell the reader. He does so with a great deal of insight and humor. On the face of it, "Searching for Whitopia" is a record of Rich Benjamin's time spent in St. George, Utah, Coeur d'Alene/Sandpoint, Idaho and Forsyth County, Georgia. He's quick to point out that individuals in these communities are often by themselves warm and welcoming. He attends and throws dinner parties, he goes to services at a megachurch and he takes golf lessons (does he ever love golf!) His reports give a flavor of these places and Benjamin rightly points out that whites don't necessarily move here because they are "white", but the associated culture makes any discussion of race almost moot by their internal white comfort zone. Benjamin's own racial mix adds some perspective to the book and while the places mentioned above take the bulk of the story, his description of an upper east side Manhattan area called Carnegie Hill held my attention the most...perhaps because I live in a gentrified wealthy enclave an hour away. The author can be downright funny, especially when he talks about the superfluous "e" found in many establishment names in Forsyth County....i.e., Ivey Oakes and Preston Pointe. America's changing face will undoubtedly spawn more books like "Searching for Whitopia". Rich Benjamin has given us his take on a specialized movement...white flight... and it's an excellent look. I highly recommend "Searching for Whitopia" for its examination of this social redirection.

Rich Benjamin, great book!

"Searching for Whitopia" by Rich Benjamin is a about the overall increase in "white flight" in America. "White flight," as the book describes, is the modern movement involving white Americans fleeing diverse urban cities for less populated and less diverse cities. The author makes his point clear by describing his experiences as a resident of three of the nations whitest cities and counties -- St. George, Utah, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and lastly, Forsyth County, Georgia. He makes a few interesting arguments for the basis of "white flight" based on both statistical and anecdotal evidence from locals of whom he came into contact. This book is a bit on the pricey side, but it's definitely an interesting read. I found myself googling some of the references in the book to better understand some of the points made. Lastly, I would like to compliment Mr. Benjamin on his writing style. Rarely do you find a book so well written.

A "Whitopia" homegrown product responds

When he walked in and sat down at my book event at Hastings in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Rich Benjamin stood out. It was late July, 2007. My first inclination was to wonder why a high school kid would be showing up at a book event on a hot Saturday afternoon in the middle of the short North Idaho summer. Oh yeah, I also noticed he was black. One notices such things in North Idaho where, looking back on my 33-year high school teaching career, I'd need only one hand to count the number of blacks who ever sat in my English/journalism classes. Rich and I exchanged pleasant smiles. I moved on with my presentation about my latest book. He listened intently, thankfully laughing at the appropriate times as I read my humorous story about some prankish but friendly former students who invaded my house (while we were supposedly sleeping) left post-it notes on the television and wrapped toilet paper decorations around our porch. When my presentation ended, Rich stuck around and brought a book through the line for me to autograph. Some close friends had attended, so we all enjoyed a few minutes of conversation. When he introduced himself to the group, I immediately recognized his name from a telephone conversation I'd had with him a couple of weeks earlier. The voice on the phone hadn't exactly matched this youthful-looking person in front of me, whom I'd quickly assumed had to be a high school kid, dutifully completing an assignment for a summer-school class. In our earlier phone conversation, however, I had learned that Rich Benjamin was, indeed, fully engaged in an assignment---but not for high school or even college. He'd already graduated from college and had earned his doctorate. Rich was writing a book. He had a publisher and hoped to publish within the next year or two. He had told me in the phone conversation of his plans to visit three areas in the United States where the "boom town" phenomenon of urban dwellers fleeing to rural areas was occurring at the time. He'd gone to great lengths to connect with locals in each area---locals in power, locals with historical knowledge, locals with a cause, everyday locals and, most importantly, locals who could call themselves "locals" after recently moving from somewhere else. I found his general premise fascinating, especially because of my own strong opinions---both good and bad---about the influx of outsiders to the beautiful area in North Idaho where I'd lived since the day I was born. It was easy to connect with Rich because of his manners, warmth, sincerity, ability to carry on a down-to-earth conversation and especially because of the thought-provoking story which had brought with him to our area. A few weeks later, we spent most of a day together, visiting the Bonner County Fair, with no set agenda, except to take it all in. Rich met and visited with 4-H'ers, members of the Antique Tractor Club, politicians and general fair-goers. Later, he spent time at our farm with m

Insightful and Engaging

Benjamin offers a very human, very thoughtful look at the changing composition of the United States. His journey is well-crafted. From St. George, Utah, to Coeur D'alene, Idaho, he has reached out to some fascinating communities. And he resists every temptation to describe any of these places in one-dimensional, inflammatory ways. Instead, he careful considers how and why these communities have formed and, by doing so, reveals so much about human nature - and this country's ethos. Benjamin includes every bit of relevant context a reader could ask for and shows an impressively well-rounded point of view regarding the current state --and future -- of race relations in this country. This is a must read.