All of my Grandparents were born in the U.S. and raised in Northeastern Ohio. My Grandma S. from my mother's side was raised in Canton in the 1940's and 1950's. Her father was German and her mother was French/Swiss.
Even though She described her inner city neighborhood as multicultural, consisting of Italian, Greek, and German families, their customs and communication styles were so similar that she said she didn't even always know the ethnicity of her neighbors and classmates. She lived and went to school in a multiethnic area, but didn't perceive any cultural tensions or strong feelings one way or the other toward immigration. European cultures melded together so even though Canton was technically multicultural, it would be a stretch to call it diverse. One exception is the Irish. It's hard to imagine today, but a lot of people expressed bigotry toward people of Irish decent to a similar degree as today's bigotry toward Hispanics.
She remembers only one Black classmate whose father was a doctor. Similarly the Canton area today is predominantly Caucasion, with about 10% black populations, 2% Hispanic and < 1% Asian.
Some people still, either formally or informally remain tied to their ancestral roots by joining clubs exclusive to their heritage or by moving to areas more saturated in certain ethnicities.
But since the population is growing increasingly diverse, some cultural dynamics can be expected to change. Thousands of varying religious sects are in existence within the U.S. today. Immigrants come with their own values and beliefs. The idea of a cultural change produces mixed reactions. U.S. opinion on a whole tends to show resistance as the numbers of immigrants increase. It seems that while traditions have been changing for quite sometime, people are still territorial.
