GIS beginner question

[SpiroKorizis]

I am trying to remove the gray background on one of my maps, but can't figure out how. I am trying to create a choropleth of population density in NYC. For some reason the color I am trying to use is being covered by all the gray. I have attached a pdf of my layout. It is the map in the middle of the bottom row.

[SpiroKorizis]

I figured out how to get rid of the gray, but it still doesn't look right. The darker colors don't appear as dark as they should.

[SpiroKorizis]

Yes, I removed the outlines. Transparency is at 0% and "scale symbols when a reference scale is set" is checked. Display expression is "CB2000." Still doesn't look right. I think I need a private tutor

[SpiroKorizis]

It looks the same in data view. I turned off all other layers, but still looks the same. I added the layer to a new map document, but still looks the same.

I am headed to my class in about an hour, so I will ask the professor what the problem is. I will let you know what the issue was. Anyway, I appreciate the help.

[SpiroKorizis]

In order to fix the problem, I needed to exclude areas where the population is "0" and then change the classification scheme. I manually changed to ten classifications, with intervals of approximately 5000. It still doesn't look perfect, but the color shows a lot better.