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Laotian immigrants in Minnesota
The best-known Laotian group is the Hmong, the fighters from northern Laos who helped the United States during the Vietnam War. In return for their service, Hmong families were given priority for resettlement to the United States after 1975, when Communists took over Laos and began to persecute the Hmong. Other Laotian groups that fled Laos include the Lao Loum or "lowland Lao," Phengta Phetsarath's ethnic group, and the Lao Tin, La Hu and Lao Theung. In most of the United States, the Hmong outnumber other Lao ethnic groups. This is not the case in Rochester, however. Today there are 740 Laotians and 445 Hmong living in the city, according to the Rochester Olmsted Planning Department. Rochester has more non-Hmong Lao because in the early 1980s, large numbers of Lao Tin and other Lao groups settled in Rochester, along with Hmong. In the 1990s, many Hmong in Rochester moved to St. Paul, while the Lao Tin and others remained. St. Paul has the highest Hmong population in the United States, about 25,000. The Hmong in Minnesota arrived in two main waves. The first was the decade after 1975. The second wave came in the 1990s, when thousands of Hmong moved to Minnesota from California. Minnesota's receptive social climate and strong economy in the 1990s attracted Hmong who were better educated and used fewer state and county services than those who arrived had arrived earlier, state officials say. The second wave doubled the number of Hmong in the state, from 16,833 in 1990 to 41,800 today. Hmong is now the second-most spoken language in the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts. About 1,5000 Hmong families are on welfare in Minnesota, a higher rate than for other Asian immigrants groups, but less than for blacks or American Indians. Thirty-four percent of Hmongs living in Minnesota have at least a high school education, according to a study by the Wilder Research Center. Comparing Laos to Minnesota Size of Laos: 236,800 square kilometers
Population of Laos: 5.6 million
Laos life expectancy: 53 years
Architectural highlight in Vientiane, capitol of Laos: That Luang Buddhist shrine, built in 1566.
Laos climate: Rainy season (May to November), dry season (December to April).
Current environmental issues in Laos: Unexploded bombs and landmines; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water.
Sources: The U.S. Census Bureau 2000 U.S. Census; Rochester Olmsted Planning Department; Minnesota Planning Land Management Information Center; Amherst H. Wilder Foundation; Center for Immigration Studies; Minnesota State Demographic Center. |
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