New Books Network: Becky M. Nicolaides on "The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945"

Date: October 22, 2025
Host: Jim Wunsch
Guest: Becky M. Nicolaides
Book Discussed: The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945 (Oxford UP, 2024)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jim Wunsch interviews historian Becky M. Nicolaides about her new book The New Suburbia, which traces the transformation of Los Angeles’ suburbs from the mid-twentieth century to the early 2000s. Far from the monolithic and predominantly white enclaves often associated with suburban America, Nicolaides illustrates the evolution and diversification of LA’s suburbs—economically, racially, and culturally. Through case studies of places like Southgate, Pasadena, San Marino, and Lakewood, the book—and this discussion—explore how changing demographics and shifting social and economic forces have reshaped the suburban landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Challenging Suburban Stereotypes

• Nicolaides’ first book, My Blue Heaven, documented working-class, not middle-class, white suburbia.
• (03:40) Southgate, LA, was a “center of blue collar life”–white factory workers seeking homeownership and stability.
• Becky notes that suburbia was not always privileged: “Even they [white working class] were able to find their way into the suburbs… There were a lot of sort of loose regulations in these particular kinds of suburbs. So it gave them the chance to find that life and be able to become suburban homeowners.” (04:25)

2. Trajectory of Suburban Transformation (1945–2000s)

• The suburbs started as “the image of the white middle-class nuclear family” in the 1950s and 1960s (08:05).
• Massive demographic change set in by the 1970s, with rising racial and ethnic diversity.

Contributing factors:

• Immigration Act of 1965 (opened doors to Asia and Latin America) (09:41)
• Fair Housing Act (1968) and Supreme Court rulings on housing discrimination (10:22)

3. Case Studies of Suburbia’s Evolution

Southgate: From Blue Heaven to Barrio

• Postwar economic boom based on manufacturing; “a good standard of living for white families.”
• Racial politics, especially school desegregation, and deindustrialization in the 1970s–80s led to white flight.
• Latinos moved in, seeing opportunity in economic crisis: “I think Latinos look at this urban crisis as an opportunity and they move into it... and have kind of moved in and on some level, revitalized cities in some of those areas.” (12:45)
• Unique among Rustbelt stories: instead of depopulation, Southgate’s population rose, with families adding units to lots (13:40).

Pasadena: Elite Diversity and Segregation

• Known for its wealth and elite institutions; always had Black, Latino, and Asian minorities—service populations for wealthy whites.
• “I call it the yin and yang of elite suburbia. Where you’ve got the wealthy whites, but you’ve got that domestic service.” (16:00)
• Despite never being a sundown town, Pasadena remained highly segregated. Desegregation in the 1970s led to “white flight within”—whites stayed in Pasadena, but retreated into private schools, clubs, and churches (17:46).
• “Pasadena has one of the highest rates of private school attendance… it resegregated the schools.” (19:18)

San Marino: From WASP Exclusion to Ethnic Integration

• Historically the “creme de la creme” of LA’s white elite, and a sundown town (21:00).
• Adjacent to more diverse Pasadena, San Marino imported domestic workers but remained closed to minorities for decades.
• After 1965, Asian, especially Chinese, immigration rose steeply—with Chinese Americans becoming the majority by 2000.
• “What binds the Chinese with these upper class WASPs? They have much in common… their wealth… conservative values… desire for a certain kind of very American looking suburb.” (23:16)
• Integration was achieved not so much through multiculturalism as through shared elite values and wealth.

Lakewood: Mass-Produced Integration

• Built as an “instant city”—the Levittown of the West. Over 17,000 homes built in three years (25:35).
• Racial exclusion in its founding years; by the 1970s–80s, massive demographic change led to sustained, stable diversity.
• “Lakewood actually turns out to become one of the most racially balanced communities in LA County. It goes from being super white to incredibly diverse and stably diverse…” (27:33)
• Recent example: first Black city council member, Cassandra Chase, elected in 2022 (27:46).
• Nicolaides tells the story of the Williams family, a Black couple who found community and engagement in Lakewood: “They really Left me with the sense that they are really committed to their community and they're there for the long haul.” (29:38)

4. Reassessing Suburban Experience

• Contrary to academic anxieties (Jane Jacobs’ critique of suburban atomization), Nicolaides finds robust civic life and neighborly ties—even in “uniform” environments like Lakewood (31:01).
• “You can find a lot of surprises in these communities.” (31:01)

5. Persistent Issues: Diversity ≠ Equity

• Wunsch points out that diversity does not guarantee justice or equity, as demonstrated by ongoing school and housing segregation (32:55).
• Nicolaides notes intra-ethnic tensions: “When I approached LA ethnic suburbia, I thought every ethnic suburb would look ethnic…That was not what I found. I found some level of resistance to that… They were passing measures to kind of suppress that. That happens in San Marino. It happens in Southgate…” (33:25)
• Trends of “spatial policing” surfaced, even within immigrant and minority groups.

6. The Changing Political Climate

• The 1980s represented a low point for immigrant rights, but today, California is more blue and empathetic. Federal-local shifts in immigration policy enforcement have changed attitudes (35:20).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On working-class suburbia:
  “Even they were able to find their way into the suburbs. There were opportunities for them. Land was cheap. A lot of them built their own homes…”
  —Becky Nicolaides (04:25)

• On Latino revitalization:
  “Latinos look at this urban crisis as an opportunity and they move into it...”
  —Becky Nicolaides (12:45)

• On Pasadena’s paradox:
  “Pasadena has one of the highest rates of private school attendance in the state. It’s way up there…”
  —Becky Nicolaides (19:39)

• On San Marino’s transformation:
  “By 2000, Chinese Americans are the majority in San Marino. So I’d say in one generation there’s a major shift.”
  —Becky Nicolaides (22:46)

• On shared values bridging ethnic divides:
  “They [Chinese and WASPs] also shared certain more conservative values. They believed in pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you work hard, you can make it in this country.”
  —Becky Nicolaides (23:16)

• On the meaning of home:
  “It doesn’t look like a place that would be hospitable to diversity, does it?...And yet there it is…”
  —Jim Wunsch (30:56)

• On intra-ethnic conflict:
  “When I approached LA ethnic suburbia, I thought every ethnic suburb would look ethnic…That was not what I found.”
  —Becky Nicolaides (33:25)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:40 – Southgate as a working-class “blue heaven”
• 08:05 – Suburban whiteness and the beginning of demographic change
• 09:41 – Federal policies enabling racial change
• 12:45 – Latino “revitalization” of Southgate and embracing suburban crisis
• 14:55 – Pasadena: elite suburb, segregation, and service populations
• 16:44 – Desegregation and “white flight within” in Pasadena
• 21:00 – San Marino’s elite seclusion, then Asian integration
• 22:46 – Chinese majority emerges in San Marino
• 25:35 – Lakewood: mass housing and demographic evolution
• 27:46 – First Black city councilmember in Lakewood, Cassandra Chase
• 29:38 – Williams family story: Black homeownership and civic engagement
• 31:01 – Surprising evidence of social connection in uniform suburbs
• 33:25 – Conflicts within new ethnic majorities and the “spatial policing” of diversity
• 35:20 – Shift from local anti-immigrant politics to more empathetic responses

Conclusion

Becky M. Nicolaides’ The New Suburbia dispels longstanding myths about American suburbia, painting a rich and complex picture of communities transformed by immigration, economic change, and evolving social norms. Rather than uniformity or inevitable decline, she finds stories of resilience, contestation, and surprising forms of integration—in all their messiness and promise. The book and this conversation challenge both popular and academic preconceptions about what suburban life can and does look like, ultimately suggesting that the meaning of home, community, and belonging is constantly negotiated and redefined.

A must-read for urban historians, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of American cities and suburbs.