A demographic shift in the Five Towns

Following the ebb and flow of the past 10 years, the latest census figures demonstrate that there are significant population changes in the Five Towns and its surrounding communities.

The biggest change was in Inwood, where there was a large influx of Hispanics in the last decade. The community saw a 70 percent increase in the Latino population as numbers increased from 889 in 1990 to 2,454 in 2000 and to 4,190 in 2010.

Greg Nunn, the Inwood Community Group founder, said he’s noticed the uptick in the Hispanic population and his group has not been able to accommodate the change. “What we have seen is increased illegal housing which is dangerous for the families and firefighters,” Nunn said. “They’re good people trying to make it. “We’re glad they’re here. They’re making the area look good and we’re happy to have them but we want them to live in safe houses.”

He put the onus for illegal housing on area landlords and lapse enforcement by the Town of Hempstead. Nunn said his group has not yet addressed the issues surrounding the influx but plans do in the near future. “We want to get together with some of the landlords since most are absentee landlords,” he said.

Town of Hempstead Spokesman Michael Deery said, while the town received 40 illegal housing complaints in 2010, it does not track complaints by race or ethnicity so he was not able to comment on whether illegal housing relates to trends in population.

Felipe Plaza, a Hispanic Association member, came to Inwood in 1997 from Chile and said the Hispanic population is attracted to the community because their culture is widely represented. “They come here and don’t want to forget their roots,” he said. “Stores have products from their countries and they find other people in their culture.”

Plaza said he moved away from Inwood to Pennsylvania for four years but eventually came back. “I enjoy the people here,” he said. “People respect you here.”

Despite his devotion to the people in the community, Plaza said he would like to see different races come together. “We’re a small community and I want to find a way where all of the races can work together,” he said. “This is Inwood and we’re apart of the Five Towns and our work will only be recognized in the community if people come together more.”

Five Towns Community Center, Executive Director Bertha Pruitt, said the center has formed a Hispanic Association as well as dedicated volunteers who offer English enrichment classes, computer access, a soccer program and other events and workshops for the growing Latino population.

“The Five Towns Community Center has witnessed an increase in the Latino population and the census data validates this significant change in community demographics as well,” she said.