Who's the minority now?
Whites outnumbered in 1 in 10 US counties, straining race relations
WASHINGTON — Fuelled by immigration, higher birth rates among blacks and Hispanics and an explosion of jobs attracting immigrants to the nation's suburbs, the American ethnic landscape now features whites as a minority in nearly one in 10 counties in the United States.
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And this increased diversity is straining race relations and sparking a backlash against immigrants in many communities.
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"There's some culture shock," said Mr Mark Mather from the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington-based research agency. "But the momentum is building and it's going to continue."
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Many of the nation's biggest counties have long had large minority populations. But that diversity is now spreading to the suburbs and beyond, causing resentment in some areas.
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Whites, excluding Hispanics, now make up less than half the population in 303 of the 3,141 counties in the US, according to figures the Census Bureau released yesterday. Whites were a minority in 262 counties in 2000, up from 183 in 1990.
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The Census Bureau's report has population estimates by race and ethnicity for every county in the nation. They are the first such national estimates since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, scattering hundreds of thousands of people.
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The biggest changes were in Orleans Parish county, home to New Orleans. The share of non-Hispanic whites in Orleans Parish grew from 27 per cent in 2005 to 34 per cent last year, while the share of blacks dropped from about 68 per cent to 59 per cent.
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Many Latinos say they are experiencing a growing resentment against them, especially in the debate over illegal immigration.
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For example, in northern Virginia, Ms Teresita Jacinto said she feels less welcome today than when she first arrived 30 years ago, when she was one of few Hispanics in the area.
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"Not only are we feeling less welcome, we're feeling threatened," said Ms Jacinto, a teacher in Woodbridge, which is part of Prince William County. "I don't think Latinos or any other minority group is seeking to make white people a minority."
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"It's just a reality," she added.
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Prince William County has seen its Hispanic population more than double since 2000 to nearly 70,000 last year.
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Non-Hispanic whites account for a little more than half the population, down from about two-thirds in 2000.
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Woodbridge, located about 32km southwest of Washington, recently passed a resolution seeking to deny public services to illegal immigrants. Similar measures have been approved or considered in dozens of communities across the nation. In all, state lawmakers have introduced more than 1,400 measures related to immigration this year, the National Conference of State Legislatures says.
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Supporters say local laws are necessary because Congress has failed to crack down on the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the US. But many legal Hispanics say they feel targeted, too. — AP
Whites outnumbered in 1 in 10 US counties, straining race relations