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Posted on Fri, Aug. 12, 2005


It’s ‘the future,’ Latino leader says
Hispanic population skyrockets in KC area


By MATT CAMPBELL and MARY SANCHEZ
The Kansas City Star

Nearly a third of the recent population growth in the Kansas City area is among the Hispanic population.

And that is according to U.S. Census Bureau data that almost everyone concedes undercount Hispanics.

The bureau on Thursday released population estimates for July 2004 showing that Hispanic growth in the six-county Kansas City area was nearly 28 percent since the 2000 census. That is more than five times the growth rate of almost 5 percent for the total area population.

The six-county Kansas City area grew by 79,694 people between 2000 and July 2004, the census statistics show. Of that number, 24,639, or 30.9 percent, were Hispanic.

Although Hispanics officially number about 114,000 in a metropolitan area of 1.68 million, according to the bureau, their population growth greatly outpaced that of other ethnic groups.

“It’s not just a trend,� said CiCi Rojas, president of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce who is soon to become vice president of the national Hispanic chamber. “This is the future.�

Other community leaders agreed, noting that the growth rate of Latinos neither surprised them nor seemed to be subsiding.

In fact, the actual number of Latinos in the six-county area could conservatively be placed at least at 150,000, said Ian B. Bautista, president and chief executive of El Centro, a social service agency based in Kansas City, Kan., that works with new immigrants in the area.

“Nobody knows the exact number, but I think the census number is an undercount,� Bautista said.

Language barriers, the migratory nature of some Latino workers and a reluctance to fill out census forms contribute to undercounts.

El Centro is getting ready to conduct a fifth survey of its own, an assessment that has mirrored the census trends. Many of the immigrants El Centro has queried in past years have reported that they are new to the Kansas City area.

The number of Latinos may be unknown, but the rapid growth is indisputable.

“I’ve been here for nine years,� said Albano Galindo, owner of Charrito’s Taqueria on Independence Avenue, “and I see more and more customers every day. … People come here looking for a new future.�

Some said the demographic shift may cause concern among non-Hispanics, especially as more political attention is paid to immigration issues.

Bautista pointed out that one reason some Hispanic workers ended up staying in this area and bringing their relatives to join them was that they could find services that catered to their needs, such as Spanish-language Masses and agencies that help immigrant populations.

Another big draw is this area’s affordability compared with other sections of the country.

Efrain Araiza, who moved with his family to Kansas City from Chihuahua, Mexico, about three years ago, said the cost of living was a factor.

“It’s easier to live here,� he said.

Araiza said he quickly found jobs here. He works at Don Clemente Inc., a calendar company in North Kansas City, and runs Taqueria La Mona out of a truck on Independence Avenue

Galindo, who had previously lived in Mexico City, Houston and Los Angeles, said Kansas City was also safer.

“This city is relaxing. There’s not a lot of criminality,� he said.

Bautista said many of the new arrivals to the area were foreign-born but had lived in such areas as California or Texas before jobs drew them to the Midwest.

Meatpacking plants in particular are attracting Hispanic workers, said Katy Haas, coordinator of Alianzas, a program of the University of Missouri Extension. Alianzas is housed at the Institute for Human Development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The rate of Hispanic growth in the Kansas City area far outstripped the national rate of 17 percent.

According to the census figures, the counties in the region with the largest percentage increases in Hispanic population were Platte and Cass at more than 41 percent, although the actual number of Hispanic people living there remains relatively small.

“Raymore and Belton are definitely high-growth areas for Hispanic businesses,� Rojas said.

Johnson County’s Hispanic growth was close behind at almost 37 percent, from 17,957 to 24,561.

The Hispanic population in Jackson County grew 23 percent, to 43,268.

In Wyandotte County, the overall population dropped slightly while the Hispanic population rose by nearly 26 percent.

Dale Mooney, who works with Hispanic ministries for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, said the growth rate reflected not only immigration but also a higher birthrate.

“We’re not only the fastest-growing population, but we’re also the youngest,� Rojas said. “That’s why the Hispanic teen market is so hot. One in four children entering grade school nationally is Hispanic.�

Rojas said area cities need to be more proactive in providing services for Hispanics, many of whom are immigrants who don’t know English and feel alienated in a different culture.

She said Overland Park has joined with El Centro to try to get ahead of the demographic surge. She said Kansas City had made progress in trying to recruit Spanish-speaking employees in the ranks of its emergency services and in the Action Center.

Mooney said the church has started a new Spanish ministry north of the Missouri River, increased the number of Spanish-speaking ministers in the Northeast area of Kansas City and added Spanish-speaking personnel in Belton.

Those who fear the change need to exercise tolerance, Haas said.

“How do you tell people to be open and accept each other for who they are?� Haas asked. “It’s important not just to expect people to assimilate into your culture but to try to reach out and understand theirs.�

Locally, the rate of Hispanic growth surpassed the black population growth of 3.7 percent.

But according to the census, the black population of the six-county area is 225,360 and the Hispanic population is 113,634.

Hispanics already outnumber African-Americans to make up the nation’s largest minority, with more than 41 million people.