Meaning of sundown town | Babel Free

Definitions

A place or jurisdiction that prohibits or discourages a certain class of people, typically a certain race or ethnicity, from living there or remaining there after sundown, or, in some cases, from visiting during the day.

Examples

“Beattie is a sundown town for tramps since the fire.”

“Cousin Paul said: "Of course, this is a sundown town [no Negro residents tolerated], but if Ike sends in the paratroopers, we can always integrate with the bears."”

“However, according to old-timers, there is a time-honored tradition extending back at least two generations that "this is a sundown town."”

“A dandy example is Fairborn, up until recent years a "Sundown Town" where community forces worked in concert to keep Negroes out.”

“[James W.] Loewen compiled an online map allowing people to find out more about the racial history of their towns, identifying thousands of likely and confirmed sundown towns across the U.S.”

CEFR level