New Books Network Becky M. Nicolaides, "The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Oct 22, 2025
Becky M. Nicolaides, a historian and author specializing in suburban history, discusses her work on the transformation of Los Angeles suburbs after 1945. She explores how the 1965 Immigration Act reshaped suburban demographics, highlighting the diverse experiences of South Gate, Pasadena, and San Marino. Nicolaides dives into issues of racial integration, economic changes, and community building while sharing personal stories from local families. She challenges stereotypes of suburbs, emphasizing their evolving social fabric and neighborly connections.
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Suburbia Wasn't Only Middle Class
- Los Angeles suburbs included working-class and blue-collar communities, not just middle-class enclaves.
- Becky Nicolaides shows suburbs like South Gate provided affordable homeownership and economic security for wage workers.
Policy Shift Drove Suburban Diversity
- Suburbs began as overwhelmingly white in the 1950s and 1960s but diversified sharply from the 1970s onward.
- Federal actions like the 1965 Immigration Act and Fair Housing laws reshaped suburban demographics and legal access.
South Gate's Industrial Turn To Latino Majority
- South Gate shifted from white industrial suburb to majority Latino as plants closed and housing prices fell.
- Latinos moved in and revitalized housing rather than leaving, increasing population and density.
