College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Graduation Date

6-2010

Document Type

Thesis

Department/Program Conferring Degree

International Studies

Keywords

Lation Immigrants, Suburbanization of Latinos, Mexican immigrants, Round Lake Area, Lake County

Abstract

Since the last Census of 2000, Chicago has lost population overall, while the number of Latino immigrants has increased. In some municipalities in Cook, Lake, Kane, Kendall, Will, DuPage, and McHenry Counties, Latino immigration has increased dramatically, according to the American Community Survey estimates. Round Lake Beach ranks fourth in the size of its Latino population (49.5 percent) and first in Latino population growth (75.6 percent), between 2000 and 2008 (ACS) among the municipalities in the Chicago metropolitan area with the highest Latino population. Also, 10 percent of the Latino population in Lake County lives in Round Lake Beach. A better quality of life, existing networks and safer neighborhoods in the Round Lake area are among the reasons why Latino immigrants are moving in; but for the municipalities themselves immigrant suburbanization poses great challenges. Understanding the new phenomenon of Latino suburbanization may help municipalities to better respond to the needs of the increasing number of Latino immigrants looking for supportive services and the urgent need to integrate them into mainstream society.

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