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LAS VEGAS - The number of Hispanics living in Nevada's most populous county grew by 25 percent during the first three years of the millennium, adding to the community's political clout during this presidential campaign.
Census Bureau estimates released today show there were more than 385,000 Hispanics in Clark County in 2003, representing 24.4 percent of the county's population.
Statewide, Hispanics totaled 22 percent of Nevada's overall population of 2.2 million.
"Exploding. That would be an understatement of the word," said business owner Robert Gomez, referring to the rising number of Hispanics in Southern Nevada.
Gomez, owner of Magic Brite Janitorial and a member of the board of directors of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, said the growth of the Hispanic community mirrors that of the Las Vegas area.
He said Hispanics are particularly drawn to the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip because of a large number of service-oriented jobs that don't require a high school or college degree. Almost one-third of all jobs in the state are casino-related.
"Las Vegas is the place," Gomez said. "Because you have all the service jobs that are paying good money."
The Hispanic community in southern Nevada is receiving what some call unprecedented attention this election cycle. The attention is partly because of the state's battleground status in the presidential race, but also because of the group's sheer size.
Several groups are sponsoring voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives targeting the Hispanic community. Spanish-language ads are airing on television and radio stations, and both presidential campaigns have established coalitions of Hispanic supporters - "Unidos con Kerry" and "Viva Bush."
Getting Hispanics to vote in Nevada in numbers that mirror their population size has been difficult historically.
Slightly more than 11,000 Hispanics in Clark County, or 18 percent of those registered, voted in the state's most recent primary election Sept. 7, according to Andres Ramirez with Voices for Working Families, a national nonpartisan group that hopes to boost voting activities among minority groups this year.
Overall more than 27 percent of the state's nearly 1 million registered voters cast ballots in the primary.
Ramirez said his group has registered about 3,000 Hispanics in Nevada since it began its drive in May.
Census Bureau estimates released today show there were more than 385,000 Hispanics in Clark County in 2003, representing 24.4 percent of the county's population.
Statewide, Hispanics totaled 22 percent of Nevada's overall population of 2.2 million.
"Exploding. That would be an understatement of the word," said business owner Robert Gomez, referring to the rising number of Hispanics in Southern Nevada.
Gomez, owner of Magic Brite Janitorial and a member of the board of directors of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, said the growth of the Hispanic community mirrors that of the Las Vegas area.
He said Hispanics are particularly drawn to the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip because of a large number of service-oriented jobs that don't require a high school or college degree. Almost one-third of all jobs in the state are casino-related.
"Las Vegas is the place," Gomez said. "Because you have all the service jobs that are paying good money."
The Hispanic community in southern Nevada is receiving what some call unprecedented attention this election cycle. The attention is partly because of the state's battleground status in the presidential race, but also because of the group's sheer size.
Several groups are sponsoring voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives targeting the Hispanic community. Spanish-language ads are airing on television and radio stations, and both presidential campaigns have established coalitions of Hispanic supporters - "Unidos con Kerry" and "Viva Bush."
Getting Hispanics to vote in Nevada in numbers that mirror their population size has been difficult historically.
Slightly more than 11,000 Hispanics in Clark County, or 18 percent of those registered, voted in the state's most recent primary election Sept. 7, according to Andres Ramirez with Voices for Working Families, a national nonpartisan group that hopes to boost voting activities among minority groups this year.
Overall more than 27 percent of the state's nearly 1 million registered voters cast ballots in the primary.
Ramirez said his group has registered about 3,000 Hispanics in Nevada since it began its drive in May.
