County Hispanic population up 12 percent

When Mexican-born Ra-miro Villanueva moved to Boundary County 20 years ago, he was among the area’s token Hispanics.

That’s changed.

In 2007, Boundary County’s Hispanic population grew 12 percent over 2006, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Since 2000, the Hispanic population in the county has grown 27.8 percent. Today, the county has 428 Hispanic residents, who make up 3.9 percent of the total population.

Villanueva, who operates machinery for Trees R Us north of Bonners Ferry, doesn’t blame his fellow Hispanics for making Boundary County their home.

“It’s beautiful and the people are so nice,” said Villanueva, who came from Mexico City.

“In Mexico City, there are a lot of people with no jobs,” the 41-year-old said. “Here, I can raise the kids better than in Mexico because of all the drugs (there).”

Boundary County’s tree nurseries and hops farms bring in Hispanic migrant workers.

“A lot them have started to remain in the area on a year-round basis and have established citizenship,” said Dave Darrow, manager for the Idaho Department of Labor in Bonners Ferry. “Some have gotten permanent visas and various things to remain and not be required to be so migratory.”

Some work in management and supervisory roles at nurseries and farms, while others have gotten into retail, banking, construction and more.

Hispanics who are bilingual have advantages.

“The population in general is growing,” Darrow said. “Some banks are looking for somebody who is bilingual. Those individuals are perfect to fill those positions because they are bilingual.”

Darrow expects the Hispanic population to continue to grow in Boundary County.

“We’re dealing with generations of migrant workers,” he said. “Their kids are in the Untied States, were born here and live here. They set roots down and a number of them are going onto college.”

Statewide, the Hispanic population jumped another 6 percent from 2006 to over 147,000, or nearly 10 percent of the total population. Of those additional 8,300 Hispanics, 2,700 were in Canyon County, where the Hispanic population rose 7.7 percent from 2006, and 2,000 in Ada County, where the yearly increase was 8.9 percent.

At the same time, however, 2007 marked the first year since the 2000 census that the increase in Idaho’s Hispanic population fell below the year-earlier number. The 8,300 increase in the Hispanic population in 2007 compared to an 8,900 increase in 2006.