Sociology Immigrants And California - 2309 Words

Sociology: Immigration to California Name: Institution: Immigration California is the most populated state in the United States. It has nine regions of which Northern California is the main focus. It has very many people with very different ethnic, racial, religious and national backgrounds. Notably, the population of California stands out as one of the most varied and composite anywhere on the globe. The population has rapidly increased over the last century. By 1950, the population of California was only about 10 million people. As of 2000, the population had increased threefold to an approximation of almost 35 million people (Reyes Currie, 2001). Of specific importance, the most prominent ancestries found in California†¦show more content†¦The Asians and African Americans contributed 11 percent and 7 percent respectively (Reyes Currie, 2001). As can be seen, the diversity of California implies that for proper analysis of the issue of immigration to Northern California particularly, one or two ethnic groups must be looked. Mexican ancestry, as a result, will be the primary focus of this report. Pre-immigration of Mexicans to Northern California Up to the present time, a strong connection exists between the Mexican and American labor markets most outstandingly the workforce market of California. By the year 1980, an approximate percentage of 20 percent of the California’s population was from Mexico. In the first part of the twentieth century, there was a colossal exodus of people from Mexico. It approximates that from the year 1910 to 1930, over 1.5 million Mexicans moved to the USA with about 40 percent moving to Northern California at least temporarily. In Mexico at around this period, there were disruptions from the military revolutions and the many rebellions taking place. Such factors effectively, â€Å"pushed† the Mexicans. They were also â€Å"pulled† to the United States owing to the improving and rising standards of living, mostly in the agricultural sector (Pries, 2004). The largest proportion of the Mexican migrants was notably from the seven central states. War and rebellion predominantly characterized the central states areas.