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Hispanics in Hutchinson Kansas
The New York Times recently wrote about the uptick in the Hispanic population in rural Kansas. The article illustrates the new trend that was revealed in the 2010 Census, that Hispanics are not only concentrated in historic Hispanic centers such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York, but Georgia, North Carolina and even Kansas. The story notes that Hispanics have fanned out from the population centers of Dodge City, Garden City, and Liberal to rural communities that are more like the villages where the immigrants come from back home.
I will add that, although the Hispanic population has grown, there have always been Mexicans in the Kansas territory. My family has roots there- my maternal grandmother was born and raised in Garden City. What is new is the influx of Latinos in traditionally homogenous towns. A.G. Sulzberger reports that the reception of the newly arrived immigrants has been mixed; some bemoan the loss of the old way of life in town, whereas others believe that the new arrivals are just what these dying towns need. Many of these small rural town are facing a question of economic life or death. Welcoming the economic contributions of new Hispanic immigrants would be a natural step.
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