Haitians Capitalize on Atlanta’s Economic Boom

Explosive growth of the Haitian community occurred during the mid-1990s, especially toward the end of the decade.

Unlike the cases of New York and Miami, the growth of Atlanta’s community has not been closely linked to direct arrivals from Haiti. A small portion of today’s Haitian population in Atlanta was in place from the early 1990s, consisting mostly of professionals who had come to work there, and refugees who fled Haiti following the 1991 coup d’état and were welcomed to Atlanta by various churches.

Explosive growth of the Haitian community occurred during the mid-1990s, especially toward the end of the decade. The 1996 Summer Olympics was the catalyst for the tremendous overall growth of the city during the 90s. The city then rode the tidal wave of the booming US economy in the last half of the decade, experiencing unprecedented economic and population growth. The vibrant economy attracted companies in search of new markets and people in search of new jobs.

In 2000, the U.S. census counted 6,394 persons of Haitian ancestry living in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Community leaders state, however, that the actual size of the community is probably around 20,000. This replicates a commonly heard response to official data from within Haitian Diaspora communities – that the official count is considerably lower than the actual size of the community.

Migration to Atlanta in the past decade came from two opposite directions – the northern cities of Chicago, Boston and New York, and the southern locale of Miami. Migrants from these different directions came to Atlanta for different reasons.

In effect, what appeared to have been a major magnet attracting them to Atlanta was their ability to buy a home in a quiet neighborhood for a reasonable price.

Migration From the North…
Haitian-Americans arriving in Atlanta from New York, Chicago or Boston tended to be professionals who relocated when their companies expanded into the southern metropolis, opening offices there. As they settled in Atlanta, word began to spread to others up north about the higher quality of life there, thus attracting other Haitian-Americans from these cities. In effect, what appeared to have been a major magnet attracting them to Atlanta was their ability to buy a home in a quiet neighborhood for a reasonable price. Others mentioned the diversity of Atlanta and the allure of its large middle-class African-American population as an important attraction. One recently arrived migrant from the north added that the warmer weather of the southern city was a consideration also!.

… And From the South
Warmer weather certainly was not the allure drawing migrants from South Florida. Pulling Florida-based Haitian-Americans to Atlanta was its booming economy and prospect for an improved quality of life. Pushing them out of South Florida were relative limited economic opportunities available there. One recent arrival from the south cited an unemployment rate among Haitians in South Florida in the neighborhood of 25 percent of the workforce. Given this dynamic, it is not surprising that Atlanta’s Haitian community today contains a sizable contingent of blue-collar workers who began their experience in the U.S. in South Florida.

A Changing Community
A new phenomenon has recently begun to change the way that the Haitian community in Atlanta is evolving. Many of its newer members have family in Haiti who are actively endeavoring to find ways of immigrating to the U.S. Some of the explosive growth of Atlanta’s Haitian community, therefore, now results from the arrival of family members from Haiti. Some of these migrants have legal status in the U.S.; others do not. Because Atlanta is an inland city, most of them usually do not arrive there directly. Rather, they arrive first in South Florida and make their way to Atlanta by overland travel. As this trend becomes amplified, the community on a whole is adapting to the new arrivals and organizing to ensure that necessary support services are available. With the community becoming better prepared to welcome new arrivals, it seems quite likely that more will come.

Pamphlet for HACOS, one of the new Haitian organizations click to read

This changing dynamic in migration to Atlanta is fueling the effort to come together and organize in a way that had not occurred in the past. The economic boom of late 90s afforded most community members opportunities simply to work and concentrate on establishing themselves in a new city. Today’s conditions are forcing change. The economic downturn of the past two years and the increase of new arrivals are both changing the profile of community and how its members interact.

A plethora of organizations has begun to emerge from within the community as it grows and faces new opportunities and challenges. One of the greatest obstacles confronting those organizations is that of Atlanta’s geography.