Hispanic Population Growth

Well, it's been all over the news this week that Hispanics are now 1/7th of the population in the US.

I doubt that it comes as much of a surprise. I grew up in Sarasota, Florida, and when I was in high school about (wow) 10-14 years ago, I knew ONE girl that was Colombian. ONE. That was the whole Hispanic population that I was familiar with. Sarasota is on the Gulf of Mexico, the opposite coast from Miami...and it was very different then. Now, on my recent trip home, I would go to the bank, Wal-mart, etc. and I was definitely hearing more Spanish spoken than English. Sarasota even has its own tortilleria now.

Things have changed. And from what I'm seeing, most people are embracing this change. That is great news!

So what does this big change in the US population mean? Well, it seems to me that we are really seeing the "Melting Pot" come to life again, as it did when my grandparents were growing up. I, an American, am married to a Mexican. I never thought of ourselves as an "interracial couple" but I guess we are. As some people and articles are saying the "face" of America is changing.

One thing I hadn't thought about until I was reading it this week, without this population burst from Hispanics, which is based partially on immigration and partially on child births, we would be a very "old" country right now. Our baby boomers are getting older, and without this growth in population, we would really have a different economic outlook on our hands - too many retirees and not enough young blood to support them. 73% of Hispanics are under the age of 40.

I'm looking forward to see what's in store for the US in the next generation or so. I expect a lot of changes, but I believe they will be for the better. Plus, it's always fun to see multiple cultures combine, hopefully drawing on the best aspects of each.

Technorati tags:Hispanic, Latino, Population

In personal news, I am planning to move soon from Mexico to Miami, but will definitely be planning on keeping up with this blog. I also am now a contributing author for another trend site PSFK. Check it out.