(NAME-MCE) Hispanic growth extends eastward

[Anselmo Villanueva]

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Hispanic growth extends eastward

By Haya El Nasser and Brad Heath, USA TODAY  August 9, 2007

Rapidly growing numbers of Hispanics are fanning out across the
eastern half of the USA and settling in rural and suburban counties
far from traditional immigrant strongholds, according to Census
numbers released Thursday.

The increases in areas that experienced little diversity until this
decade intensify the uproar over immigration. Forty-one states have
enacted 171 laws this year aimed at illegal immigrants. About 100
communities have proposed similar ordinances; 40 have been enacted.

"We're seeing new immigrant minorities coming in to areas that haven't
had very much minority populations or immigrant populations," says
William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution. "It put
immigration on the front burner politically. It scared a lot of
people."

The number of Hispanics has soared since 2000 in counties such as
Paulding near Atlanta, Kendall on the western edge of Chicago, and
Stafford, Prince William and Loudoun in Virginia, outside Washington.

None of the traditional immigrant gateways, including Los Angeles,
Chicago and New York, remains among the fastest-growing Hispanic
centers.

The Hispanic population in Pennsylvania's Luzerne County, two hours
north of Philadelphia, nearly tripled since 2000, the fourth-fastest
increase among large counties. Luzerne is home to Hazleton, which
enacted a law last year that would have fined landlords who rented to
illegal immigrants and suspended licenses of companies that hire them.
A federal judge last month ruled the law unconstitutional.

Immigrants who resettled in the USA in the 1990s typically moved from
California to escape that state's recession, says Jeffrey Passel,
demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. They flocked east to jobs in
poultry and meatpacking plants. Then the housing boom happened.

"Immigrants who were coming in no longer were going first to
California," he says. "This is a very fast turnaround. It accelerated
and it's just continuing. … What causes the friction is the rapid
change much more than the absolute number."

Not all the changes in the July 1, 2006, county estimates are caused
by immigration, but they're a strong indicator of where immigrants
settle. Births and moves from other parts of the USA add to the
growth.

The high birthrate among Hispanics accounted for more than half the
growth in Hispanics this decade, according to Kenneth Johnson,
demographer at the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute.

As young Hispanics settle in places where the aging population is
largely white, the generation gap widens, says Peter Morrison,
demographer at the RAND Corp. In Philadelphia County, for example, 14%
of whites are 65 and older, and 5% of Hispanics are.

"It's affecting school budgets and creating new needs that impinge
directly on local taxpayers," he says. "How will the newcomers in
these non-traditional gateways be transformed into productive workers
and taxpayers? … The frictions will be most palpable at the local
level."

The Census data show that diversity is increasing in more parts of the
country. In 303 counties — nearly one of 10 — the share of whites has
slipped below 50%. Eight more counties joined the list since 2005, and
205 others are nearing the mark with more than 40% minorities, nearly
all in the South and West.

"We'll be able to see how well America can adapt to multiethnic
populations," Frey says.