Population update

Regarding the article ``Population Shifts Remake National Map,'' Jan. 11: That certainly is true here in Wausau, Wis. Unfortunately, the author must have laid hands on some fairly old population data for Wausau.

As of 1990, Wausau's population stood at 37,060. The Hmong (Laotian) population was 3,927. A local official told me that they are the only portion of the population that is growing. The immigration of the Hmong refugees started here some ten years ago. Wausau, though a small city, has the largest number of Hmong students in the state. You can perhaps imagine the effects of the influx of a large number of non-English speaking students on the school system. That's a story in itself.

Wausau also has some other minority residents - Blacks, Latinos, and other Asians. So, certainly Wausau now stands at something well under 90 percent white, rather than the 98.5 percent cited in the article. Mary Sanford, Wausau, Wis.

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