But I see increasing diversity as a very positive force in this society. One area increasingly hard-pressed is the state's education system, because the proportion of children is far higher among minorities. For non-Hispanic Whites, the figure is 21 percent. Statewide, the 1.5 million people who became new residents of Arizona during the 1990s represented a growth rate of 40 percent. The state now has 5.1 million people, 20th largest in the nation.
Longtime residents are right about feeling increasingly crowded.
If all Arizonans were spread evenly throughout the state's 113,508 square miles of land, there would be 45 per square mile, up from 32 a decade ago.