ABSTRACT
In 2008, the US Census Bureaus American Community Survey indicated the ancestry or ethnic origins of almost 90 per cent of the US population. Racial and ethnic diversity in the United States appears to be expanding and becoming more complex, as migration becomes more global and as intermarriage between groups becomes more common. America's cities continue to be major gateways to America for immigrant and ethnic communities searching for new opportunities, even though many major urban centres have been in decline for decades. Role models emerge regularly from America's immigrant and ethnic communities, not always typical, and not always expected, but often showing a shared understanding of the opportunities that exist in the USA. Both old-established, and newly migrating, ethnic and racial groups do nevertheless maintain identifiable characteristics. Racial and ethnic differences notwithstanding, there remains a firm and widespread belief in America as a nation of opportunity for its diverse population.
