Editorial: 300 million and growing

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

While experts say America's 300 millionth person may actually have been born or entered the United States months ago, U.S. Census figures say he arrived at 4:46 a.m. Tuesday.

The population milestone passed rather quietly Tuesday compared to 1967, when the U.S. population hit the 200 million mark. President Lyndon B. Johnson conducted a Commerce Department news conference celebrating the nation's accomplishments and looking toward the future. Then, the son of a Chinese immigrant born in Atlanta was heralded as the 200 millionth American.

Statistically, odds are that the 300 millionth American also is male, but he likely is white and of Hispanic origin. Hispanics account for half of the U.S. population growth. If he was born Tuesday, it likely was in the Southwest, rather than the Southeast. But he also could have immigrated from Mexico, crossing the border on his own two feet.

A demographer from the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, told the Associated Press that federal officials and politicians "don't want to make a big deal out of it" because immigration reform legislation remains a contentious topic three weeks before the nation's midterm elections.

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez denied that he and other Bush administration officials were downplaying the milestone because of the controversy over immigration. The Census Bureau, which Gutierrez oversees, celebrated with punch and cake Tuesday afternoon, the AP reports.

No matter where No. 300 million is from, chances are that plenty of those who follow him will end up in Nevada. Nevada State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle released projections Monday that show the state's population growth will continue to outpace national trends. The Silver State is expected to grow by more than 1.8 million over the next 20 years - by 74 percent compared to the nation's projections of 19 percent. And 1.5 million of them will move into, or be born in, Clark and Nye counties.

While the demographics of these new residents will remain a game of statistical projections, it is clear that they will need more of what we already are challenged to provide, such as classrooms, teachers, water, affordable housing and health care.

But growth also brings cultural and economic opportunities that can aid in creatively facing the challenges that lie ahead - for us and for those residents who haven't arrived yet.