Local Hispanic population burgeoning
Published: October 22, 2008
Updated: October 23, 2008
WASHINGTON — Culpeper County had the second-fastest growing Hispanic population by percentage of all counties nationwide between 2000 and 2007, according to a new report released today.
Culpeper finished behind only Frederick County, which has a Hispanic community that has more than quadrupled since 2000.
Among the country’s top 25 metropolitan counties with rapidly-growing Hispanic communities in the new century, seven are in Virginia — more than any other state — and one in Maryland, according to estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington think tank.
Fauquier County landed sixth place, followed by Spotsylvania (10th), Stafford (11th), Loudoun (13th) and Prince William (23rd) counties.
Frederick County, Md. had the 15th fastest-growing Hispanic population on the list.
Many of the high-growth counties were typically outer suburbs or small or mid-sized cities, the Pew report said.
Richard Fry, Pew’s senior research associate and the study’s author, suggested that jobs were the driving force behind the population increases. The report does not address reasons for growth.
“Hispanics are sensitive to labor market opportunities. They tend to migrate where the jobs are,” said Fry, adding that the Washington region’s market has been robust compared to other areas. “I think that’s probably reflective of why so many Virginia counties are on the list.”
Additional factors such as cost of living, quality of life and a network of other Hispanics also has traditionally driven movement to outside of major cities, said Michael Fix, senior vice president of Washington’s Migration Policy Institute, an independent think tank.
He called such suburbanization one of the “massive trends” of immigration.
Chuck DeHaven, a member of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, said his community nestled in the northern end of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is indeed growing.
According to the census, the county’s population totaled about 71,000 in 2006. But DeHaven was surprised to hear of the Pew report’s findings.
“I haven’t noticed,” he said of the Hispanic growth Pew reports.
Nationally, Hispanics are the country’s largest minority group, and since the start of this decade accounted for more than half of the overall population growth, according to Pew. The study found that from 2000 to 2007, their numbers mushroomed by 10.2 million to 45.5 million, or a rate of 29 percent. Unlike in the 1990s, Hispanics’ growth was not due to new migration, but births.
Pew used census population estimates to identify 676 fast-growing Hispanic counties among the nation’s 3,141 counties. The booming areas had a Hispanic population of at least 1,000, and a Hispanic growth rate of at least 41 percent from 2000 to 2007.
According to the report, the non-Hispanic population also increased in those areas.
Other residents are “moving for the same reason” as Hispanics, Fix said, referring to job opportunities.
Along with typically being suburbs, fast-growing counties had more Hispanic men than women, slightly more foreign-born nationals and Hispanics who weren’t U.S. citizens.
Those characteristics differ to more established, slow-growing counties nationwide, according to the report.
About one-fifth lived in poverty and about one-third had trouble speaking English — characteristics the Pew study found to be similar to slow-growing counties.
Pew also identified 10 locations — including Virginia’s Arlington County and the city of Alexandria — in which the Hispanic population had decreased since 2000.
Fry attributed that drop to high housing prices.
Hispanic population up
Here are the top 10 counties with the largest Hispanic population growth from 2000 to 2007, according to a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington:
1. Frederick County, Va.
2. Culpeper County, Va.
3. Paulding County, Ga.
4. Kendall County, Ill.
5. Henry County, Ga.
6. Fauquier County, Va.
7. Barrow County, Ga.
8. Luzerne County, Pa.
9. Newton County, Ga.
10. Spotsylvania County, Va.
In addition, Stafford County ranked 11th in the nation and Loudoun County ranked 13th.
SOURCE: AP
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
senseit- “Your” hospital? I take it you are no longer living around here. Anyway I have never heard of any official from the hospital reporting any problem with illegal aliens. I talked to the media person there a couple of years ago and he said there was no particular problem with any group not paying for services. Then you write: “reports from local authorities put the figure at between 600-900 illegal children in Culpeper Co. schools.“ How about backing that one up too? But you won’t be able to because no one ever said that.
Numerous hospitals, including your local hospital have reported problems due to illegal aliens. CNN reported that virtually every county hospital along the Mexican border has applied for Fed. Emergency funding because of this illegal invasion. How come hospitals without illegal alien problems are not reporting this problem? But oh how you Obama liberals hate when someone reads between the lines. As to schools, although they don’t ask citizenship, they do ask legal citizens for birth certificates, shot records, etc… Lack of such is a strong indication that they are illegal and reports from local authorities put the figure at between 600-900 illegal children in Culpeper Co. schools. Nationally the CBO estimates there are over 2 mil., with another 3 mil. “anchor babies” with an estimated cost of @ $50 bil/yr. In Frederick Co. MD a recent proposal to try to assess the number of illegals in the school system was protested by Casa de Maryland as being a violation of their civil rights. What I’d like to know is, since when, and in what way is asking any question a violation of one’s civil rights? And, what about the right of Americans to know who’s using or abusing our social services (schools, hospitals, welfare)??
How nice Sandalwood. I was just in Wal Mart several times this week. I saw many people of all races and ethinc backgrounds. No doubt in my mind that you are referring to the Hispanic people. Gee, I can’t tell a legal from an illegal just by their race, color of their skin and ethnicity. Seems to me that you can.
My wife is Hispanic. She looks Hispanic. If you saw her in Wal Mart you’d assume she was illegal. She is fluent in both English and Spanish. Let me have her walk up to you so that you can tell her right to her face that she is illegal. You can’t back out of this one. You dug the hole.
Shall we just enforce laws based on your way of determining who is illegal? People like you make it difficult for the rest of us. How would you like it if you were discriminated against just because of the color of your skin by a person with an attitude like yours? The foot in your mouth surely exceeds what you can accomodate.
Sandalwood I believe you just showed your racist/prejudice side. Yes I spend time in Wal-Mart. How do you know anyone is illegal? Are they holding up signs? Are they telling you? I would say that you based your statement on the Hispanic individuals you see shopping. You put your own foot in your own mouth. Thank you for reiterating that prejudice is still alive and kicking in Culpeper. You can’t take back what you said. You are truly part of the problem and surely not the solution.
It’s sad that people like you make assumptions that just because people shopping in Wal-Mart who are Hispanic are all illegal aliens. It doesn’t work that way in our society today. I commend you for not hiding your discriminating attitude.
sandal, Now you’re being ridiculous. First you say there are 40 hispanics (and of course you can tell which ones are here legally, right?) living in a single house. But then you admit you don’t have a shred of evidence for that claim. Then you say no one can prove there isn’t a single house in Culp. with 40 illegal immigrants. That’s pretty lame. You can’t prove a negative. Why not go for 200. No I can’t prove there’s not 200 living in a single house. When you make an outrageous claim you should be able to back it up or else admit you shouldn’t have said it in the first place.
And this is not California.
One more thing. You complain about Hispanics shopping at Walmart. I assume that you are just fine with those who are here legally, yet you seem to treat all Hispanics with your same invective, no matter what their residency status. Some would call that racist.
How exactly has any Hispanic person here illegally hurt you?
As you say, I can’t prove 40 to a house anymore then you can prove there isn’t. As to the hospitals and schools not asking so we don’t know. But look at California with all it’s illegals. Look at how many hospitals and schools there that have closed because everybody wanted a free ride. That speaks for itself. California is almost bankrupted. Do you want Culpeper in the same position? Well, it’s coming. The economy is sending them back home? Have you been to WalMart on a weekend? I don’t think a single one of Culpeper’s illegals have left. And they have all their wives and anchor babies with them.
One would have to keep statistics for accurate data Sandalwood in order to have those accurate facts. The link you provide does not answer my question. If hospitals, schools, social services and such don’t ask then where do the numbers come from? Hospitals treat everyone who comes in the door. Schools don’t ask citizenship status because all children are entitled to an education from a 1982 decision of the Supreme Court known as Plyler vs. Doe.
Social services does not provide undocumented persons with services, not even food stamps. There is TANF or Temporary Assistanc for Needful Families. Those apply to the child because that child is born an American citizen.
Yes there are undocumented persons in this country here illegally. Yes they send money back to their home country. We wouldn’t have that problem if the Federal Government was doing their job at their level agree?
The economy is sending them back home. Many are leaving. Not all of them will leave. They will move to where they can find jobs. The number of day laborers in Culpeper has been decreasing from when this all came about. Go take a look for yourself.
As to 40 living in a house. Where are you seeing that? How many reports to zoning of that many people have been reported? How many have been investigated and were classified founded, complied with law or unfounded? Have you even called to get the information?
For a start .... http://immigrationcounters.com/
Yes rjma you are correct. Reports from immigration authorities are showing that many are leaving this country and heading back. The data used here in this article is from last year.
Sandlewood would you care to please provide such information on abuse of services at the local hospital? How about the food shelter? Schools? Hospitals, food shelters and schools don’t ask citizenship. My point is that you should have some true facts. I hope you don’t base it on human beings that go for services and look Hispanic or any other race or ethinc group when they go for services. That would be discrimination and prejudice based on profiling an individual by the color of their skin or ethnicity. We already have enough of that in this country.
sandal, Of course the economy is sending them away, if not home. This data ended last year and there has been a distinct downturn in the economy and building since then, although it has been going on since 2006. When you talk about 40 to a house you are losing credibility on your other examples.
Advertisement