Town
develops growing Hispanic flavor
Businesses take notice.
Increasing population having an impact on stores, schools,
employment.
Monday, March 27, 206 • BY LYNN
OLANOFF • The Express-Times
HACKETTSTOWN | Diego Marin doesn't mind
the 20-mile commute to work.
That's because the Dover resident says
his business stands a better chance of thriving here, where
the Hispanic population is becoming more
noticeable.
"Here in this town, there's no Spanish
store, so we decided to put it here," said Marin, who two
weeks ago opened the Fruitimex grocery store. "A lot of
people are coming -- a lot of Spanish and a lot of American
people."
Marin is not the only person noticing the
town's significant Hispanic population. At least six stores
have opened catering to Hispanics. And at least four local
churches are offering services or programs in
Spanish.
Hispanic enrollment in the school
district's English as a Second Language program has
increased annually for about 10 years. Advertisements on
Main Street for targetas de llamadas far outnumber those for
calling cards, their equivalent in English.
The police department in 2002 hired a
Spanish-speaking patrol officer to reach out to local
Hispanics.
"At that time, you could see there was an
increase in the Hispanic community and you can see it's
increased past the population in 2002," town Administrator
Bill Kuster said. "It's certainly a changing
community."
Numbers prove increase
Statistics back Kuster's observations.
The 2000 U.S. Census shows 8 percent of Hackettstown's
population was Hispanic at that time, the largest rate in
Warren County. More recent statistics from the Hackettstown
School District suggest a likely increased Hispanic
population. In 2004-05, the district reported 12.9 percent
of its high school students and 11.9 percent of its students
at Hatchery Hill School spoke primarily Spanish in their
homes.
The Hispanic residents are coming to
Hackettstown from a variety of countries and for a variety
of reasons, said Martha Prisk, a 12-year ESL teacher in the
local school district.
"They can live here because the housing
is affordable and they can get on the train and go where
they have to for work," she said. "There's also jobs in town
(such as) commercial landscaping."
Hispanics draw Hispanics
Maria Vargas, a 20-year-old who moved to
the area in September 2004 from Costa Rica, said the town's
significant Hispanic population attracts more
Hispanics.
"The towns around here, there's not too
many Spanish things, so that's why people come here," she
said. "Not too many people talk English, so they need
Spanish people."
Vargas, who works at Lucy's Variedades, a
Main Street store that sells Hispanic music and clothes as
well as wires money, said many of the town's Hispanic
residents she knows are from Costa Rica, Ecuador and
Guatemala.
Significant changes in N.J.
An influx of Hispanics is not unique to
Hackettstown. It's happening all over western New Jersey,
especially in older towns such as Hackettstown, said James
Hughes, dean of the Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of
Planning and Public Policy.
"Basically we've had a suburbanization of
the Latino/Hispanic population," he said. "It reflects the
following of economic opportunity."
Hispanics are benefiting from those
opportunities in Hackettstown, said Bill Harper, owner of
four Main Street apartments, all rented to
Hispanics.
In the five years he's noticed a
significant Hispanic population in town, Harper said he's
seen members of the community thrive. Many are moving out of
Main Street apartments and buying houses, he
said.
"They were riding bicycles, now they're
driving cars and trucks," Harper said.
Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by
e-mail at lolanoff@express-times.com.
© 2006 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
|