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University of Alaska Anchorage sociology professor Chad Farrell has spent several years studying Anchorage’s diversity by using mathematical formulas to show just how diverse parts of the city are. His work made headlines after the 2010 U.S. Census showed Mountain View, on the city’s east side, to be the most diverse neighborhood in the country.

But how exactly is diversity defined? Simply put, an area has to have many different groups of people in relatively similar proportions to score highly on the “diversity index,” which Farrell and his colleagues at Penn State University use to quantify an area’s ethnic diversity.

“The more groups there are and the more equally sized they are, the more demographic diversity you have in an area,” he said.

Anchorage’s neighborhoods are unique because they include members of all seven demographic categories recognized by the government -- white, black, Hispanic/Latino, Alaska Native/American Indian, mixed race, Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander -- in large numbers.

“There are few areas in the United States that have the mix of groups and the presence of groups in significant sizes like we do,” Farrell said.

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