My family moved to MT Vernon in 1962, my parents had 12 children and 9 still live in the area with their families. when I lived there, the farmers had migrant camps for the seasonal workers (strawberry pickers, etc.). The migrant workers were just that, they went back to Mexico when the season was over. But all the kids of MT Vernon also worked in the fields alongside these migrants and we thought it was a priviledge to earn some extra money for ourselves. Now the migrant camps are gone, the politicians passed child labor laws so the local kids don't get the work ethic, and the migrants found housing in Burlington and around 6th to 2nd Sts in MV. Now I hear that Burlington is almost all Hispanic and MV has a HUGE Hispanic population. My niece just looked at a house to buy all the way up on 27th and all the neighbors were Hispanic. we used to think that was where the rich people lived.
Burlington (where I live) is not so bad yet, also Burlington-Edison High School is ok, MT Vernon has a 40% hispanic population now. Again, I don't mind the people, I don't like the once that break the law :)