Growing foreign-born populations in rural and small metropolitan areas are presenting these communities with new challenges, opportunities and risks.

Immigration to the U.S. expanded dramatically in the 1990s. The growth in total immigration was accompanied by a shift from increasing geographic concentration to one of significant dispersion to regions and sub-regions that had experienced relatively little immigration in recent decades. In New York State, immigration has been an important component of population growth for several decades. During the 1990s the geographic profile of immigrant settlement continued to evolve with many counties experiencing growth of their foreign-born populations. The growth of immigrant settlement in Wisconsin essentially began during the 1990s and many rural and small metropolitan areas experienced such growth for the first time in over a century. Perceived impacts and responses in communities in these two states cover the spectrum for generally positive to negative. What has clearly emerged is a new effort in these communities to assess what is going on, what needs are being served, what demands are being generated, and what the implications of these trends are for diverse level of governance.

Our research utilizes both existing data from recent censuses and other sources and qualitative data from selected counties in New York and Wisconsin to assess recent and emerging trends and impacts. The qualitative investigations involve interviews with migrants, employers, government resprentatives, leaders of migrant organizations, and others. These data provide insights into the forces driving the migrations and the responses of local populations to the changes that accompany the growth of foreign-born populations. Current work is seeking to identify differences between areas that attract immigrants and those that propel natives and others to leave communities.

In communities where we have conducted qualitative investigations it is clear that our efforts, along with other factors, have increased awareness of the complexity of the new immigration. While farm laborers and food processors constitute a significant share of the new immigration in many communities, this remains only one part of the emerging story. The new immigrants also consist of health workers, small entrepreneurs, tourist sector workers, and a range of other types of workers and non-workers. Broader impacts will occur in the future as we get to the dissemination stage of the project.

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• Mary M. Kritz
• Lewis Lama