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Doubling of Hispanics spurs Oklahoma's growth 03/18/2001 By Kelly Kurt / Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY – The state's Hispanic population doubled in the 1990s, contributing to a revival in some rural towns and adding to overall growth in Oklahoma's urban centers, the 2000 census found.
Growth in and around Oklahoma's two largest cities, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, accounted for nearly three-quarters of the state's overall population gain in the 1990s, according to new census figures. The state population grew by 305,069, or 9.6 percent, to 3.4 million residents.
The number of Hispanics jumped from 86,160 in 1990 to 179,304 last year, an increase of 108 percent. Nationally, the Hispanic population grew by 58 percent over the last decade.
Robert Dauffenbach, director of the Center for Economic and Management Research in Oklahoma City, said the increase in Hispanic population is good for the state.
"Studies have shown migrants are frequently better qualified and more ambitious," he said. "This bodes well for economic growth."
The influx of Hispanic immigrants has completely altered the complexions of some rural Oklahoma towns, such as Heavener and Guymon, where jobs in chicken or hog processing are a major draw.
The Oklahoma Panhandle's Texas County, which includes Guymon, saw its population increase 22 percent to 20,107, including 6,003 Hispanics, compared with 1,634 in 1990.
Heavener, a southeastern Oklahoma community that saw many of its businesses close in the 1980s, is being reborn with Mexican restaurants, a bakery and churches opening in long-vacant buildings.
Thirty percent of children in grades three and under are Hispanic and many don't speak English, district officials said. The Hispanic population increased fourfold to 1,849 in Le Flore County, which includes Heavener, though local officials say many Hispanics didn't participate in the census.
"The town has changed so much," said Jane Fleig, manager of Heavener's Salvation Army thrift store that often is a first stop for new arrivals. "We have a bigger tax base. We have persons of all colors living here in town now. I think it's a better place to live."
Hispanic issues have grown in prominence. An initiative drive last year sought a statewide vote on whether to require the use of English-only in public institutions. The Oklahoma Supreme Court is considering the measure.
Many Hispanics seek out-of-state driver's licenses or drive without one because Oklahoma no longer offers a driver's test in Spanish. Legislation is pending to allow alternative driver's license tests.
While many immigrants here plan to return to their home countries, Fernando Cardenas, who works at the busy Mexican grocery in downtown Heavener, plans to stay for good.
"This country has done a lot for me," said Mr. Cardenas, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen who joined the Marines to help pay for college.
Retirement communities in eastern Oklahoma's lake country also picked up population. Twenty counties, mostly in rural western Oklahoma, lost population as people left in pursuit of jobs and education. This continues a trend of rural-to-urban migration tied to the state's oil bust and the abandonment of family farms.
For young people like Watonga High School senior Tabatha Boden, higher education and urban opportunities are too powerful a draw.
"I'm so ready," Ms. Boden said. "I just want to get out of this town."
Because the state's growth lagged behind that of other states, Oklahoma will lose one of its six congressional seats. The census numbers are used primarily to redraw congressional and legislative boundaries. They are also used to divvy up federal funding. |
