Inland Empire had nation's largest influx of Latinos in last decade, study finds

A new study has found that the Inland Empire had the largest increase in Latino population of any metropolitan region in the nation during the last decade.

The Brookings Institute study is the latest to underscore the dramatic demographic trends occurring in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, which saw significant growth in the last decade.

An examination of census data last year found that the construction boom of the early 2000s helped fuel the increase in Latino population. As hundreds of thousands of immigrants chased construction and service jobs and the chance to own a home in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the region's Latino population soared. Latinos were one-quarter of Riverside County's population in the 1990 census, for example, and 43% by 2007.

The Brookings study found that between 2000 to 2008, more than 630,000 new Latino residents were added to the two counties. The region also saw a significant loss of white residents during the same period, the study found.

Alan Berube, research director of Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program told the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which first reported the study, that the demographic shift was creating a "cultural generation gap." 

From 2000 to 2007, the number of immigrants in San Bernardino and Riverside counties grew 55%, from 490,946 to 761,629, a Public Policy Institute study found. Despite being far larger at 3.5 million, the immigrant population in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area grew by just 161,000, or 4.6%, in the same period.

The studies didn't fully consider the more recent economic downturn in the region.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: A subdivision in San Bernardino. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Herberts]

Gee, ya think the influx might have something to do with the State of Mexico setting up shop in downtown San Bernardino with a Mexican Consulate? Or, the Catholic Church's primary 'inland empire' headquarters in the city of San Bernardino?

[american pearl]

Helloooooo. Not just in the Inland Empire. They are rapidly moving in all over the US, illegaly of course.

[Warren]

Where are all the white people going? To AZ?

[John Schneiter]

The inland empire also had one the largest influxes of violent crime. Illegal immigrants, drugs, violent crime, I see a pattern of everywhere they go so goes the crime and violence. Just like Mexico, why don't you?

[Ozzy]

they are taking over!! get the illegals out of here and the numbers wont lie.

[Randy L.]

And watch what these neighborhoods become in the next twenty years.

[El Vergudo]

Yeay! We're everywhere!

[peter wolf]

Hmmm. I think that explains a great deal.

[Captainmorganman]

The Inland Empire also experienced the biggest decline in quality of life due to the influx of hispanics.

[Aztlan Guy]

John, John Schneiter is your name? If I'm not mistaken, Schneiter is a German surname. Why do you not go back to Germany if you don't like Latinos of indigenous American ancestry?

[Nova yos Galen]

I'm appalled by all the racist hysteria I'm reading in the comments here. I'm white and live in a middle class Riverside County community that is comprised mostly of Blacks and hispanics. My neighbors are nice, decent hard-working people. I commute to Los Angeles and leave my house in the morning at 4:30 a.m. We like the house that we were able to buy in Moreno Valley so put up with the awful commute. So does my neighbor who lives across the street, but he leaves the house at 3:30 a.m. He's hispanic, but obviously he works at least as hard as we do to support his family. Yes, there's crime in the IE. But it's just as likely to be white supremicists than any other racial group. I find many of the comments are not based on any reality I'm aware of, and wish the nation would wake up from this anti-immigrant hysteria we seem to be in.

[cameron]

I'm sorry but the only Indigenous people in this country are called native americains And they belong to tribes on their own land called reservations. Oh and by the way, they live there legally. Ithink the title of this article should have read "Reconquista,should we be concerned about our southern border?

[Stubby]

I have grown up and lived my entire life in California. I always had friends of all ethnicities and religious backgrounds, never giving it a second thought. When I saw the waiving of the Mexican flag, the commitment to "take our land back" on banners and T-shirts, and demands for rights for illegals, I started seeing hispanics through wary eyes. How can one tell a seditionist from a patriot? Why aren't we taking action against those inciting civil misconduct and rebellion?

Arizona looks better and better to me and with the bonus of legally carrying a concealed weapon for all its citizens, the appeal increases.

It feels as though California has been taken down by the invasion of third world illegal aliens. With sanctuary cities, entitlement family plans and anchor babies, it's all over but the shouting.

If you want to get anything for your property, the sooner you sell and leave, the better. Don't even consider renting to these criminals. They will use every trick in the book to avoid rent, while destroying your property and forcing you to go to court.

[Joe]

They come here illegally. They don't learn english. They don't learn or appreciate American laws. They demand rights they don't have. They flaunt the mexican flag in our face. My wife had to stand in line and respectfully did so. She learned english and studied the American constitution. We are a proud Mexican-American family and are appalled by the nerve of these people. We fully support the state of Arizona.

[Mike]

This is for John Schneiter and Ozzy. You guys better check your numbers, Immigrants commit 43% fewer crimes than people that are actually born here. Instead of using flawed arguments, just say you're a racist.

[John]

This is the reason that Arizona is making it a priority for law enforcement in the state to check a persons imigration status! Since the Federal Government wont do it, the states need to enforce immigration! The illegals are taking over everywhere in this country. The money they are making is not going back into the local economy but being sent to family in Mexico! Why do you think Mexico is making such a big deal over Arizona's new law? Because it will take away hundreds of thousands of American dollars that is being shipped there monthly by illegals in the states working and taking away jobs from US Citizens!
Ship them all back home and our economy will grow again.

[MissAlice]

That's pitiful. I have a friend who Lebanon who can't even get his brother here to live. He said there's a long waiting list of three years.

[Kris Kristofferson]

How wet are their backs though?

[Kris Kristofferson]

How wet are their backs though?

[Paul R.]

Well the Inland Empire was a dump and laughing stock in the 90s and its still a dump and laughing stock in the 2000s. Also its got to be one of the ugliest looking views when flying into Ontario airport.

[catman]

@herberts, Catholic church really. can you be any more ignorant. do you mean the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, let me guess you are an aetheist. Mexicans are like any other minority coming into the country the majority are leagal and there will be some illegal. no one made a fuss in the late 90's when waves of russian illegals entered the country. what is the difference, i mean besides the obvious color.

[Mark]

It must really be difficult for the white supremacists in Southern California. Maybe they can move to Idaho.

[James Jackson]

AztlanGuy: You said nothing relating to John Schneiter's comment and know nothing of his ancestry by his name alone, just as one would know little of yours by your Hispanic name. Why don't you address the phenomenon of crime increases proportionate to the the influx of Latino illegals that John mentioned? Comments such as yours are especially inane since everyone's ancestors migrated from somewhere. Only a few groups remain in their indigenous areas, in Africa. In your case, you probably have ancestors from Spain and Asia, and those ancestors' ancestors migrated from elsewhere.

[exit2enter]

Latinos are indigenous to Central and South America. Since when were Latinos Native Americans in North America?

[Shevelsheshe]

I don't understand why people move to America for a better life, then turn their neighborhoods into areas that look like third-world countries - the countries they fled for a better life. Go figure! You can take the people out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of people!