Politics & Government

New London Leads the State in Hispanic Population Boom

Connecticut's Hispanic population has climbed above 500,000.

The state’s Hispanic population has climbed above 500,000 and is growing at a rate 12 times faster than the general population.

New London County, and New London in particular, are leading the state in the rapid rise in the Latino population. In New London County the Hispanic  population climbed 8 percent between 2010 and 2012, the Hartford Courant reports, citing census data released this week.

"I think this is something to be welcomed and not something to be feared," the newspaper quotes New London Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio.

He said the Latino community now accounts for more than 25 percent of New London's population and 56 percent of New London's students are of Latino descent.

"I think this has been a strength of our community," he told the Courant.

Find out what's happening in New Londonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Finizio said he's undertaken several initiatives to reach out to the Latino community, including making it clear to police not to ask Latinos about their immigration status during routine stops and to help the Hispanic population feel comfortable reporting crimes.

Connecticut’s Hispanic population for the first time hit the half million mark in 2012, with 510,645 Latinos living in the state, the Courant reports.

In 2011 there were 496,644 Latinos living in Connecticut. Middlesex County saw the biggest increase in the Hispanic population boom, with a 9.79 percent increase in 2012, the newspaper reports.






Find out what's happening in New Londonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here