Hispanic Heritage Month Kicks Off

As National Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off Thursday, some Hermosa Beach residents might not know that the celebration originated as National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968.

Then-President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed the week of Sept. 15 as an observance of Hispanic American history and culture.

Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The heritage observance expanded in 1988 when Congress authorized a monthlong celebration.

Now America continues to celebrate the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

In celebration of the month, here is an overview of the Hispanic population in America and Hermosa Beach, according to the numbers:

About 14 million people of Hispanic-origin lived in California last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and .

Last year Los Angeles County had the highest Hispanic population (4.7 million people) of any county in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

People of Hispanic origin have become the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority, according to the bureau, with about 50.5 million people identifying as Hispanic last year.

The Hispanic population is also the fastest-growing minority group, according to the bureau, as it saw a 43 percent increase between 2000 and 2010.

About 63 percent of the country's Hispanic population in 2010 identified as having a Mexican background. Another 9.2 percent were of Puerto Rican background, 3.5 percent Cuban, 3.3 percent Salvadoran and 2.8 percent Dominican, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The word "Hispanic" was used in this article because that was the term used by the U.S. Census Bureau. But a 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center found that while 36 percent of respondents preferred to use the term "Hispanic" to identify themselves, about 21 percent preferred the term "Latino," and the rest had no preference.

We'd like to hear from Hermosa Beach Patch readers of Hispanic or Latino descent, which word do you prefer and why?