The face of Utah is changing fast

It is taco-cart central, and a sign of changing times and culture in Utah.

Five outdoor taco carts are within a block of the corner of State Street and 800 South in Salt Lake City, and each enjoys long mid-afternoon lines waiting for sizzling, aromatic tacos made not only of beef or pork, but also tongue or tripe. A few years ago, no carts, exotic meats or lines were here.

"About 70 percent of our customers are Hispanic," says Rafael Rosas, manager of a Tacos El Pais cart.

With that clientele, he's not surprised that new Census estimates released Thursday show that minorities have grown three times as fast as white, non-Hispanics in Utah since 2000. In Salt Lake County, one of every four residents is now a minority.

Rosas says, in Spanish, the growing numbers are making life easier for Hispanics. "More stores offer Spanish because more people speak it. And it's not just those stores that are specifically for Hispanics, but also other big stores and services." He says that helps, and attracts, older folk who struggle to learn English.

Marina Hernandez, working at a cart across the street, adds in Spanish that because of such changes, "It wasn't really that hard to adjust here" when she came from Mexico.

New Census estimates show that minority populations in Utah (the fastest-growing state in the nation in 2008) grew by a whopping 55 percent between 2000 and 2008. That was three times faster than the 17 percent growth among non-Hispanic whites in the same time.

The new Census estimates show some big changes in Utah's diversity that have come in a short time, including:

 Statewide, 18 percent of Utah residents are now minorities. That is up from 14 percent in 2000; 9 percent in 1990; and just 2 percent in 1960.

 The percentage of minorities increased in every county in the state between 2000 and 2008.

 While only a third of the total statewide population growth since 2000 came from minorities, some counties actually saw a majority of their growth come from such groups. That includes: Beaver, Carbon, Emery, Garfield, Millard and Piute counties.

 About 67 percent of Utah's minorities are Hispanics, or 329,069 people. Beyond that, 10 percent are Asians; 6 percent are American Indian or Alaska natives; 5 percent are black; 4 percent are native Hawaiian or other Pacific islanders; and 8 percent are other non-white groups.