U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 4

WASHINGTON, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SUNDAY, MAY 4: CINCO DE MAYO

Profile America - Sunday, May 4th. While Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, May 5th, many events celebrating this important date on the Hispanic cultural calendar have been held this weekend. One of the biggest festivals is on the waterfront in Portland, Oregon. By the time the four-day event winds up today, some 300,000 people are expected to have enjoyed entertainment, dancing and ethnic foods. The origin of the observance goes back to 1862, when outnumbered Mexican troops defeated the invading French forces of Napoleon III at the battle of Puebla. There are more than 28 million people of Mexican descent in the U.S., some 9 percent of the total population. Nearly 11 million of these live in California. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/ (look under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at +1-301-763-2812, fax at +1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812

Web Site: http://www.census.gov/

2008-05-04 08:02:59 0351898 PRNEWSWIRE