Communist Party) and human capital (such as age and educational attainment) shape an individual’s life-chances during the transition period (Cao and Nee, 2000; Szelényi and Kostello, 1996). Although it has been argued that a close relationship exists between social stratification order and migration (Enyedi, 1998; Kostinskiy, 2001; Timár and Váradi, 2001), the relationship has been poorly studied (Ladányi and Szelényi, 1998). The aim of the current paper is to examine the characteristics of the residents of new post-1991 suburban settlements in the Tallinn metropolitan area, Population Composition in New Suburban Settlements of the Tallinn Metropolitan Area Anneli Kährik and Tiit Tammaru [Paper first received, August 2006; in final form, August 2007] Abstract Suburban settlements are in the process of quick change in the major metropolitan areas in central and eastern European transition countries, losing their agricultural character and developing into modern residential areas. New housing construction is the most visible manifestation of those changes. The aim of the current paper is to examine the characteristics of the inhabitants of new suburban settlements in the Tallinn metropolitan area, Estonia. The data are from the Household Panel Survey (2004) and New Residential Areas Survey (2006). The main results of the study indicate that people younger than 35 who are well educated and earn considerably higher than average incomes have the highest odds of living in the new suburban settlements. Having a child increases the probability of living in the newest suburban houses built in the 2000s 1. Introduction The fall of the Berlin Wall and demise of the former Soviet Union brought along major transformations in the political, economic and social structures in formerly centrally planned societies. One of the results of the reforms in the prevailing neo-liberal atmo- sphere (Bockman and Eyal, 2002) was an in- crease of (previously latent) social and spatial inequalities across countries in transition. As regards the population, both previous social capital (such as being a member of the 0042-0980 Print/1360-063X Online © 2008 Urban Studies Journal Limited DOI: 10.1177/0042098008089853 Anneli Kährik and Tiit Tammaru are in the Department of Geography, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, Tartu, 51014, Estonia. Fax: 372 7375 825. E-mails: akahrik@ut.ee and Tiit.Tammaru@ut.ee. 45(5&6) 1055–1078, May 2008 1055-1078 USJ_089853.indd 1055 1055-1078 USJ_089853.indd 1055 3/25/2008 10:48:36 AM 3/25/2008 10:48:36 AM Process Black Process Black