Sep 5, 2:28 PM EDT

Bakersfield leads nation in new citizens sworn

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) -- Bakersfield is the nation's leader in the number of new naturalized citizens per capita.

Federal immigration officials say the Central Valley city reported a 90 percent increase between 2006 and 2007 to be top in the country. That's 2,576 people taking the citizenship oath in 2007, compared to 1,357 in 2006.

Most new citizens in Bakersfield came from Mexico, followed by India, the Philippines and El Salvador.

And Bakersfield isn't alone. Other cities helped make California the leading state with the percentage of new citizens in 2007 at 28 percent. New York was a distant second at 11 percent.
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Information from: The Bakersfield Californian, http://www.bakersfield.com

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