• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • WATCH NEWS
    • WHAT’S ON FOX
  • ABOUT
    • Meet Our Team
      • Our Journalists
      • Sales & Programming
      • Job Openings
    • Contact WSFX
      • WSFX Jobs
      • Sales & Programming
  • Welcome Home
  • Go With The Pros
  • Medically Speaking
  • Wilmington Eats
  • Unsung Heroes
    • Nominate an Unsung Hero

Fox Wilmington WSFX-TV

Wilmington, NC | Local news Weather and Sports

  • Local News
    • What’s Happening Wilmington
  • Coronavirus
  • Local Weather
  • National
  • Sports
  • Politics
    • NC Voter Information
  • Health
  • MORE…
    • Boundless: Contribute to History
    • Contests
    • Entertainment
      • What’s on TV?
    • Technology
    • Science
    • Lifestyle
    • What’s Happening Wilmington

Small Iowa city sees economic boom amid immigration surge

February 5, 2020 By Bradford Betz

STORM LAKE, Iowa – There’s a remarkable shift happening in one of the most unlikely places: the small, quiet, snow-covered city of Storm Lake in Northwest Iowa.

Like the majority of the Hawkeye State, Storm Lake was predominantly Caucasian 20 years ago — but today, over 50 percent of its population of some 10,000 are immigrants, mostly Hispanic. And, while Storm Lake isn’t Ellis Island, the opportunity for jobs — especially in one of its two meatpacking plants — has drawn people recently from as far as Micronesia.

Before the turn of the century, Mayor Mike Porsch recalled his high school graduating class at Storm Lake High School as close to 100 percent Caucasian.

Now, he’s anticipating this year’s graduating class will be somewhere near 75 percent non-Caucasian, and he’s fully embracing the cultural balance of his town because he sees it as the key to survival and growth.

Storm Lake, Iowa, has seen major demographic shifts in recent years, with immigrants representing over half of the population.
(Fox News)

“If you want to grow in a rural area, you’re going to need immigration to support your businesses and the economics in your community,” Porsch said.

He added that it’s vital not just to employ immigrants, but also to incorporate and include immigration in communities to avoid the “us vs. them” mentality.

And consider this — a decade ago, Storm Lake’s unemployment hovered near 5 percent, and has since dropped just below 2 percent.

Silvino Morelos is the owner of Valentina’s Meat Market across the street from City Hall. It resembles the fully stocked bodegas that many remembered from their home countries before coming to Storm Lake — brimming with homemade foods such as tamales and hard-to-get products including Vietnamese rice paper.

THE ECONOMY UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP, BY THE NUMBERS

Morelos moved here 26 years ago from Los Angeles and said he’s hoping to retire here one day because he “loves this community” where he’s felt safe.

His wife, who’s helped him run the market, used to work down the street at one of the two plants for Tyson Foods — the main employer here.

Perhaps the biggest indicator that diversity has been thriving in this community: the number of languages spoken — 23 — in this tiny school district of less than 3,000. The languages include Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, Filipino, Arabic and range of others such as Burmese, Cebuano, Chuukese, Central Khmer and Mayan languages that can be hard to find a translator for in rural Iowa.

Storm Lake Schools Superintendent Stacey Cole said while there have been some anti-immigrant instances from outside groups or schools, the kids really have embraced each other — with the most special moments often coming at lunchtime when they get to learn about each other’s cultures and traditions.

Storm Lake Schools Superintendent Stacey Cole, seen with a high school student, says the kids in her district have welcomed each other.
(Fox News)

“We actually call ourselves America’s School, and we call ourselves that because we believe this is the story of America happening inside these walls every single day,” Cole said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

As for this year’s election, Porsch said he isn’t expecting a dramatic change overnight — and this county went heavily in favor of Donald Trump four years ago.

But, Cole noted the addition of two Hispanic board members — and says her husband, who became the police chief just this month, taught himself Spanish so he could read the morning radio traffic reports in two languages.

Filed Under: National Headlines

Primary Sidebar

 

Follow Us On Facebook



TRENDING NOW

Here’s your chance to give back on #GivingTuesday

Pender County man suing sheriff’s department hopes lawsuit saves dogs’ lives

Rand Paul rips FBI’s ‘suicide by cop’ classification of baseball park shooting: ‘Unsupported by the facts’

Black Family in Southern California Discovers a Noose Tied to Tree in Their Yard

Haley heading to Iowa in June, sparking more 2024 speculation

Kamala Harris emphasizes ‘root causes’ of border surge, says problem is ‘complex’

Footer

PUBLIC FILE INFO

Individuals with disabilities who have questions about the content of our public file or website may contact Connie Petway by phone at
(910) 343-8826 or by email at Isabella.gano@foxwilmington.com

 
 » WSFX FCC Public File
»EEO Report
»Closed Captioning

 

  • Home
  • WATCH NEWS
    • WHAT’S ON FOX
  • ABOUT
    • Meet Our Team
      • Our Journalists
      • Sales & Programming
      • Job Openings
    • Contact WSFX
      • WSFX Jobs
      • Sales & Programming
  • Welcome Home
  • Go With The Pros
  • Medically Speaking
  • Wilmington Eats
  • Unsung Heroes
    • Nominate an Unsung Hero

 

  • Local News
    • What’s Happening Wilmington
  • Coronavirus
  • Local Weather
  • National
  • Sports
  • Politics
    • NC Voter Information
  • Health
  • MORE…
    • Boundless: Contribute to History
    • Contests
    • Entertainment
      • What’s on TV?
    • Technology
    • Science
    • Lifestyle
    • What’s Happening Wilmington

Copyright © 2021 · American Spirit Media LLC · WSFX TV · Wilmington NC · Terms of Service · Privacy Policy