In one of the first of its kind studies in the South, a research social scientist with the Forest Service Southern Research Station recently examined Latino access to local public lands in Hall County, Ga.
Census-track-based information from studies like this can help municipal and county planners develop strategies to address public land access by minority communities.
Researcher Cassandra Johnson Gaither found that since 1990, Latinos have migrated or immigrated to nontraditional areas of the South—basically states other than Florida—at unprecedented rates. The Latino populations in some southern states have increased by 300 to 400 percent. This growth places demands on these areas from a pure numbers standpoint, but the associated cultural shift can’t be ignored.
