A present built on the past - (original Jamestown 104 English would not recognize VA now!)

WASHINGTON TIMES.COM ^ | JULY 3, 2005 | CHRISTINA BELLANTONI

[CHARLITE]

Virginia's Hispanic population was less than 1 percent of the total in 1970, according to U.S. Census data. The 2000 census pegged the Hispanic population at about 350,000, or 4.7 percent.

It is not known whether those figures include illegal aliens. There are an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 illegal aliens in Virginia, according to a June 14 study by the Pew Hispanic Center.

The recent Arlandria-Chirilagua Festival had an estimated 40,000 attendees visiting food booths and vendors from Honduras, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador and many other countries.

"The goal behind it was to unite the Latino community," said Sue Hernandez with Tenants' & Workers' Support Committee, which organized the festival. She said the idea was to unite the Mariachi traditions of Mexico with Guatemala's different musical and social customs and toss it up with the traditions of their new adopted culture.

"This part of Alexandria is the heart of the Latino population," she said. "It was all blended into one festival, mixed with native Virginians. It's a way to share our culture with other people and show them we're not just all Latino."

Other regions have also seen more immigrants.

In Harrisonburg, the Asian and Hispanic store in town recently expanded into a larger space because of high demand for ethnic products.

"Most of the people I see are immigrants," said Sandy McCafferty with the town's Immigrant Resource Center. "Harrisonburg has become very immigrant rich."

In Danville, officials recently added a Spanish version of the city bus guide to keep up with the changing demographics.

[R. Scott]

Things were much different back then – in 1607 the Spanish and English generally shot each other on sight.