In Hampton, Latino boom forces change – Iowa

“Latinos have been arriving in Hampton, a city of about 4,300, in increasing numbers the last several years. Theyve used the town as something of a bedroom community, the majority traveling 25 miles or more to work in the pork or poultry industry. Juan Bello and his wife, Georgina Calles, converted an old auto shop into the Veracruz Bakery because they grew tired of the daily 30-minute commute to a meat processing job in Iowa Falls.

The 2000 U.S. Census estimated Hampton’s Hispanic population at 11 percent, though city leaders say that number has grown steadily since then, especially in the last three years. Hampton-Dumont district enrollment figures show the number of Hispanic students has risen 104 percent since the 2000-01 school year to 19 percent this year. Latinos have opened six new businesses since a University of Northern Iowa survey found three immigrant small businesses in operation three years ago.”

Comments are closed.