Lancaster County in Pennsylvania no longer appears to be the land of the Amish but rather the Latino, with its population surging past the Amish.
The U.S. census data is showing that this southern central Pennsylvania region will have a decidedly Latino flavor with over 45,000 Latinos living in the area. The Hispanic population grew over 68 percent in the last 10 years and surpassed the 30,000 Amish that have long called the region their home.
Now it is common to see Mexican diners with horse-and-buggys parked outside. There are two Spanish-language radio stations, Latino city council members, Hispanics on the school district board and home to the only officially Latino-designated Catholic parish.
It is important to note that many of the Latinos are not recent arrivals but can trace their family roots back for generations in Lancaster. Studies have found Latinos coming to the area since the mid-20th century with their numbers quietly passing that of the Amish just recently.
