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Hispanic population doubles Region�s beauty, safety make migrants want to stay in the Rogue Valley By Dani Dodge Over the past decade, Jackson County�s Hispanic population nearly doubled � growing 92.7 percent. Local Hispanics working and shopping in El Gallo, a Medford grocery store specializing in products from Mexico, say it�s the jobs, the area�s beauty and the safety for their kids that draws Hispanics here. "I have five kids," said Maria Rodriguez, 38, of Medford. "That�s why I like it here. It�s safe and they go to schools I like." Statewide, the Hispanic population grew by 89 percent between 1990 and 1999 to 212,870, according to Mike Steenhout, a census spokesman. That�s more than twice the national average of 40 percent. Nationwide there were 31 million Hispanics in 1999. The estimates are unrelated to last April�s census count, the results of which officials will begin releasing in December. In the meantime, the 1999 figures show Oregon ranked 10th in the nation for overall population growth during the 1990s, while its Hispanic population growth ranked seventh. In Jackson County, the numbers grew from 5,949 in 1990 to 11,464 in 1999, Steenhout said. Of Oregon counties with Hispanic populations of more than 5,000, Jackson County was the fifth fastest growing, behind Washington (106.1 percent), Yamhill (99.9), Clackamas (95.4) and Polk (95.2). The growth has changed the faces in local stores as well as the stores themselves as more businesses open up to serve the Hispanic community, said Milo Salgado, a representative of the employment department outreach services. He noted that Medford�s Solorio�s Videos not only sells videos, but organizes dances and has become a stop for buses going to Los Angeles. Many of the local Mexican restaurants are now owned by Hispanics. Hispanic markets and bakeries are springing up like La Tapatia, El Gallo and Panaderia del Pueblo. "Look at all the taco stands," Salgado said. "Not only do Hispanics go there, but gringos ... and high school students � that�s the beautiful part, everyone goes there."Salgado said many Hispanic families originally came here from California, Washington and Mexico because of the pear harvests. They stayed because they wanted a better life."It seems like everyone is escaping from the big cities to raise a family," he said. "They went from agriculture onto doing other jobs."It�s real. We�re here." Steve Wisely, the superintendent of Medford schools, has been watching the increase in Hispanic children and has adjusted school programs to meet the needs, like expanding the English as a Second Language program and hiring bilingual teachers. In 1998, Hispanics accounted for 10 percent of students in the Medford district. Wisely said the influx of Hispanics adds to the educational opportunities at school. When he graduated from Medford High School back in 1957, all but one of the students was Caucasian. "In the summer, I�d pick pears with my Hispanic colleagues � they lived in their cars and were very hard workers," he remembered. "Then after the pear harvest they were gone. But it�s nice now that it�s not a three-month stay but they come here and stay for good and we can provide for the needs including education. "I�m pleased we can all live here together now." Uriel Castillo, 17, works behind the meat counter at El Gallo and attends South Medford High School, which he says is "cool." At the small store he sells meats that are labeled in English and Spanish. Some, like menudo (beef tripe) and colitas de rez (ox tail), are part of the Mexican culture. Others, like top sirloin (agullon), are available at any meat counter. Castillo�s family moved to Medford four years ago from San Jose, Calif. "My family came here looking for a job," he said. "They work in the store now." Rodriguez had been living in Jalisco, Mexico, before she married her Medford husband 19 years ago. A tree-planter, her husband has never been without work. They�ve had five children and become Jehovah�s Witnesses. Still, she likes to shop at El Gallo to pick up products she used to use in Mexico, like Hind�s hand soap. "We never left Medford," she said. "Because we like it here." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA