DECATUR - The city's population might have declined over the past 15 years, but its small Hispanic community is growing steadily.

Situated in Central Illinois with its cheaper cost of living, Decatur is being seen as the newest place for opportunity for Hispanics. It's hard not to notice the growing number of Mexican restaurants in Decatur, which now has about 10.

David Fuentes thought it was suitable to name his restaurant after the city he is from, Guadalajara, the second-largest city in Mexico.

The Guadalajara Restaurante Mexicano Bar & Grill opened in March in South Shores Shopping Center. Fuentes also owns Mi Pueblito Mexican Bar & Grill in Fairview Plaza Shopping Center.

Felipe Hernandez is planning to open Las Cabanas at 22nd and Wood streets this week.

Then there are people like Lydia Ortega, who moved from the Chicago area to Decatur, seeking a better place to live for herself and her family.

A Growing Population

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Hispanics living in Decatur was estimated to be 1,191 in 2005 - 1.3 percent of a total population of 71,437. That is a 22 percent jump, compared to the number in 2000, and well more than double the 447 counted in 1990.

Decatur's Hispanic community also is a young one, apparently made up of young families with young children. In 2000, their median age was 23.7 years, and by last year, it was 23.5 years. The median age of the total Decatur population grew older, going from 37.2 to 39.5.

Hispanics numbered 1.5 million or 12.3 percent of the state's population in 2000, which rose to 1.8 million or 14.5 percent of the state's population in 2005, according to the bureau.

With the influx of Hispanic families spreading throughout the state, Decatur is keeping up with a changing dynamic.

Al Luchetti, director and counselor with the Illinois Small Business Development Center with the University of Illinois Extension Office in Decatur, said there weren't any Mexican restaurants when he first came to Decatur in 1985.

Two years ago, there was an attempt to open a Mexican food store in the shopping center at Mound Road and Woodford Street, but it didn't succeed, Luchetti said.

"I think (the Hispanic immigrants) feel they already have the resources and assets needed; therefore, they don't avail themselves of our services," he said. "And historically, most immigrants who come to a community will use each other as a support system."

Fuentes said that when he first came to Decatur in 1997, it wasn't easy adjusting to a new place and learning how to speak English. He worked at a restaurant waiting tables; eventually, he saved enough money to open up his first restaurant, Mi Pueblito.

"I was worried at first, because sometimes you have to be in business for a long time before trying to open another one," Fuentes said. "I looked at how good business was for me at Mi Pueblito, and that's why I opened another one. I am happy with both locations."

Hernandez arrived in Decatur in 1994 because of his job working for a construction company that subcontracts with Archer Daniels Midland Co.

The native of Guanajuato, Mexico, Hernandez speaks his native language and understands only some English.

He plans to have several of his family members working with him at the new restaurant, Las Cabanas.

"I am going to see what happens," Hernandez said in Spanish as his daughter, Silvia, translated in English. "And I hope that customers leave happy because they liked the food and service."

The menu will include Mexican-American offerings and some authentic dishes from Mexico.

Worshipping Together

Lydia Ortega was born in California to a family from Texas by way of Mexico.

Ortega moved from Chicago to Decatur a year ago.

"When I first got here, I didn't see any Hispanics, and it freaked me out," said Ortega, who is a waitress at Guadalajara. "I know the jobs aren't the greatest here compared to other places, but there are opportunities here in Decatur.

"And I don't have to worry about my kids walking down the street and being chased because they are Latino and considered to be in some kind of gang," she said.

The Rev. Rick Weltin said nearly 200 Hispanic families come to worship during the Spanish Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Decatur's north side.

Weltin said December is an exciting time, when the church draws at least 300 families who celebrate the Spanish Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

"I do see our Hispanic membership growing," he said. "But a few families who worked for Caterpillar have left and transferred back to the plant in Monterey, Mexico."

For the most part, Weltin reads the Mass in Spanish every Sunday. He said he still has difficulty conversing in Spanish.

Sisters Maria Concepcion and Angelica Tabia from the Catholic Diocese of Springfield headquarters drive to Decatur every week to conduct Bible study with families at Our Lady of Lourdes.

Last week, the nuns prayed and went over chapters in the Bible with several Hispanic women and their young children.

A rosary followed, with meditation and invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.

"A lot of people don't read the Bible that is in English, and by using the Spanish version of the Bible, it helps them to keep up with the language," said Concepcion, who understands English but has a hard time saying certain words.

Adriana Gillespey is originally from Colombia and attends Bible study regularly at the church. She has lived in Decatur for about four years because her husband is from here.

"It is important to learn English in this country in order to communicate," she said.

Gillespey said her bilingual 10-year old daughter has on occasion translated for her with teachers at school.

Liz Cabrera fled the war-torn country of El Salvador in South America years ago. Her husband is an associate professor of Spanish at Millikin University.

"Several children lose their (native) language once they start going to school," said Cabrera, who works with the Even Start program for Decatur public schools and teaches parents how to speak English.

"We try to teach the parents not to let this happen because the best place to maintain their language is in the home."

Cabrera said many Hispanic families living in Decatur are mostly from Mexico, but others come from Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

"You find a lot of professionals living and working here in Decatur. And it's not just for the money, but they have other reasons for coming here," Cabrera said.

Gillespey remembered her first months in Decatur and smiled through the thick accent: "I did learn the (English) language from my husband, and I learned to cook American food because the culture is very different here."

Sheila Smith can be reached at sheilas@herald-review.com or 421-7963.