County tops in Hispanic population growth

Area Hispanics are observing a milestone with the arrival of National Hispanic Heritage Week next week: Luzerne County tops the nation for Hispanic population growth over the past year.

Among counties with Hispanic populations higher than 10,000, Luzerne County saw the greatest percentage increase in Hispanics between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hispanic population here leapt 15 percent – from 12,083 to 13,912. As for actual growth in population size, the county ranks in the nation’s top 6 percent with an increase of 1,829 Hispanics.

Los Angeles County saw the largest spike in Hispanics, with an increase from 4.6 million to 4.7 million, which represents a 1.5-percent increase.

Linda Trompetter, director of both the Luzerne County Diversity Commission and the Diversity Institute at Misericordia University, said she “absolutely” noticed the growth in Hispanics.

“From my perspective … it’s a great thing for the region. It’s nice that we’re not behind the times, as we so often are in other ways, and we’re mirroring what is happening all across the nation,” Trompetter said.

She said she spends a lot of time working with the growing Latino population, and much of it is in Hazleton. Officials there have estimated that Hispanics make up about one-third of the city’s total population, which they estimate at about 30,000.

Amilcar Arroyo, a Peruvian immigrant who is founder and editor of Hazleton-based El Mensajero Spanish-language newspaper, said he’s surprised by the county’s ranking, but not by the growth itself.

“People are leaving the big cities in New York and New Jersey (where Hispanic population traditionally has been high) because in those cities, homes are expensive, rent is high, it’s hard to find a well-paying job. People are concerned for the safety of their children. Here, crime is low, housing is incredibly affordable and the school systems are very good,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo said news of the quality of life in Luzerne County is spread by word of mouth from Hispanics living here to their friends and family members in New York and New Jersey. He predicts the migration will continue for several more years.

Trompetter said county commissioners created the diversity commission a few years ago because “the face of our community has been changing. We need a lot more education and working together to deal with the issues that arise because of it,” such as the need for increased English as a Second Language instruction in schools, healthcare services and issues of tolerance.

Trompetter said she receives many requests for cultural competency training – an education program that teaches people how to “interact effectively with any group of people whose culture is different than our own.”

She said the majority of Hispanics in the Hazleton area are of Dominican descent. In the Wyoming Valley, there’s more of a mix of people of Dominican, Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage. And each ethnicity has some unique cultural attributes.

“I’ve received a lot of calls from cities and school districts who want to be sure their employees understand the differences between Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, (and) from hospitals, to make sure their medical people are knowledgeable about the various cultures and what to respect,” Trompetter said.

Business owners have also sought help recruiting Hispanic employees to better serve their Spanish-speaking customers, and advice on marketing to Hispanic business owners and their employees. “It’s a bottom line issue for many businesses now,” Trompetter said.

Rodrigo Gerada, acting director of the Peace and Justice Center of Wilkes-Barre, said one of the things he’s most excited about is increased attendance at Hispanic cultural events.

“In past years, one felt obligated to go and it was always the same six or seven people showing up to offer support. Now, it’s a whole different story. It’s pretty much standing room only,” said Gerada, who is of Mexican descent and moved to the area from El Paso, Texas, in the mid-1980s after meeting his current wife – a Wyoming Valley native – at the University of Houston.

Clear 34°

News

Much of growth is in Hazleton, where Hispanics make up about one-third of city’s population.

Place Quick Ads