Spatial and Temporal Patterns of an Ethnic Economy in a Suburban Landscape of the Nuevo South

Arguably, suburban areas—as geographic spaces—are becoming increasingly shaped by the influx of Latinos, their businesses, and their cultures. This study investigates the spatial distribution and temporal relationships of Latino-cuisine restaurants and Latino populations within a suburban context of the New "Nuevo" South. Census data, geospatial techniques (geographically weighted regression), and semi-structured open-ended interviews were used to determine where restaurant-based ethnic entrepreneurship has developed, both spatially and temporally, in Cobb County, Georgia, USA. Results show that in this suburban area, Latino-cuisine restaurants have become spatially clustered over time and that there is a moderately positive relationship between locations of restaurants and proportion of Hispanic residents. Our findings suggest that the Latino community parallels the spatial and economic characteristics of an ethnoburb, with the presence of geographically-diffused Latino population clusters and Latino-oriented businesses catering toward the dominant cultural identity of the region.