Hispanics go mainstream faster than expected
Thursday, May 11, 2006 at 10:17AM ARTICLE: “Analysis finds boom in Hispanics’ home buying: Low interest rates, flexible loan rules contribute to spike,” by Haya El Nasser, USA Today, 11 May 2006, p. 3A.
Top names for home owners in 2000 are Smith, Johnson, Brown, Williams and Miller. In 2005, Rodriguez replaces Brown (don’t go too far with that one …) and Garcia subs for Miller (take that, Sam Huntington!).
Previous articles on the mid-decade estimates of census pointed out that the bulk of Hispanic growth is coming from babies being born here, not immigration, and yet past articles have pointed out that kids-per-Hispanic-family are plummeting as incomes rise.
Now we see what also happens as income rises: they buy houses. Now, four Hispanic names are in the top-ten of homeowner registries, compared to just two in 2000.
Hispanics are also expected to make up 40% (!) of first-time homebuyers over the next 20 years.
So how long before the Hispanics start becoming a huge force in national politics? How soon til that first Hispanic president or VP?
A lot sooner than you think.
Reader Comments (1)
Actually, I wouldn't be throwing "it" back in Huntington’s face quite yet. You are making a bit of a jump from home ownership to assimilation.
My mom was a public school teacher in Houston for nine years '96-'05 ("content flowed" to Norway with my Dad searching for more hidden treasures under deepwater in the North Sea)...I remember her telling dinner stories about her Latino school children who would not stand during the pledge of allegiance. I wonder if they were home owners or renters?
I agree home ownership is a positive step for the Rodriguez and Garcia’s...but I would caution the "problem" of "Hispanics going mainstream" is not nearly solved with an address down the street from William's and the Browns.
We need smart immigration policy that increases the positive "content flows"--money, people, goods, but improves security along the border against negative "content flows"--drugs, narco-terrorists, leftist/socialist politics.