Hispanics help revive heartland town in Iowa - TODAY.com: In 1990, just 20 Hispanics lived in Ottumwa, Iowa. Today, the heartland town has come to mirror the increased diversity around the country, as Hispanics now account for 11% of the population of the small town of nearly 25,000.
Originally drawn by blue-collar jobs and opportunities for better lives, Latino immigrants migrated to this quiet town during the 1990s and played a key role in reversing its population and economic decline.
“I think Hispanics are part of the mix of the revival of Ottumwa,” Himar Hernandez, one of the community’s first Hispanics, told TODAY's Natalie Morales in a segment that aired Friday.
“They were new so they were bringing new ideas, and new perspectives, and it got everybody energized with the thinking that there's hope for Ottumwa,” he said.
