St. Louis County Raises Latin American Flags as Hispanic Population Surges

By Hoodline St. Louis

St. Louis County marked the start of Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday, with flags representing Latin American nations installed Tuesday at Memorial Park behind the Lawrence K. Roos Administration Building in Clayton, where they are on display. The observance, which runs from September 15 to October 15, commemorates the independence days of several Latin American nations and comes as officials say the region's Hispanic community keeps growing year after year.

The timing of the county's flag-raising is more than symbolic. According to First Alert 4, county officials tied the ceremony to a community that continues to expand across the St. Louis area. That growth shows up clearly in Census Bureau population estimates: the St. Louis metropolitan area's Latino population grew 14.4%, from 96,470 residents in 2022 to 110,391 in 2023, according to analysis reported by St. Louis Public Radio, ranking fourth highest in percentage growth among the 30 largest U.S. metro areas. Please read more here.