From 1970 to 1990, Amarillo's Hispanic population nearly tripled, said Vicki Covey, assistant director of community services for the city of Amarillo. Covey was involved in working on The Community Report, a compilation of detailed information about Amarillo and Canyon that includes population statistics. Hispanics made up 14.7 percent of the city's population in 1990, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Officials expect a trend of continued growth.
In 1995, the city made population projections through the year 2010 that show the Hispanic population growing from an estimated 19.24 percent in 1995 to 24.63 percent by the year 2000. By 2010, it is expected to reach 37.56 percent. Laurie Thomas, chief planner for the city, said the statistics are based on Amarillo Independent School District enrollment data by race for 1990 and 1995. The city report uses school district data and makes similar projections in five-year intervals. The projections were recorded in an in-house document that was not used for anything official, Thomas said.