North Carolina s numbers are expected to come at the end of the month. This summer, the Census Bureau will release more detailed information. For Western North Carolina residents, the 2000 Census will offer the most detailed portrait yet of local communities and their populations. In the region s 17 counties, the number of Hispanics grew 147 percent, from 3,885 to 9,590 people, according to Census Bureau estimates. The 2000 Census shows that nationally, the number of Americans who described themselves as Hispanic grew by nearly 60 percent and now total 35.3 million.
Older residents continue to stream into the region.
North Carolina has been one of the nation s fastest growing states, with about a 21 percent population increase. According to the Census Bureau, that growth qualifies the state for a 13th member of the U.S. House, although Utah has challenged that decision. For WNC, the growth will mean a change in district lines for the 11th Congressional District, as well as new state House and Senate district boundaries. For 2000 Census watchers, the impending release of North Carolina s numbers will have an immediate impact. But the detailed look is also good for everybody, Campos said.