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Jose Argueta always dreamed about opening a restaurant that served up authentic Tex-Mex cuisine.

Argueta, a native of El Salvador, had spent years traveling the country eating at different restaurants while working as a contractor. Settling in northern Virginia in the 1990s, he moved to Oxon Hill in 2005, where he saw a growing Hispanic population and that lacked businesses to serve their needs. He said Oxon Hill's proximity to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge made it a desirable location.

"When I wanted to eat Hispanic food, I had to cross the bridge into Virginia," said Argueta, owner of La Hacienda Mexican Grill in Oxon Hill that opened last month near the intersection of Oxon Hill and Livingston Road. "To me, this was the best spot to put a Hispanic restaurant."

Argueta represents a wave of Hispanics who originally settled in Northern Virginia and are now moving in to Prince George's and Montgomery counties due to lower housing cost and more immigrant-friendly communities. Often times, they bring a diverse culture and new businesses with them.

"Diversity is obviously a good thing," said Bonnie Bick, an Oxon Hill resident and local activist who advocates economic development in the community. "Providing services to our new and welcomed community members will do nothing but increase the competiveness of Oxon Hill."

Manny Hidalgo, executive director of the Latin Economic Development Corporation in Wheaton, which assists homeowners and businesses, said the growth in Hispanic-owned businesses has been obvious. "We're definitely seeing an increase of [Hispanic] businesses."

Hidalgo said an increased Hispanic population throughout Maryland has created a "niche market" for Hispanic consumers.

Between 1990 and 2006, the Hispanic population within the county doubled to nearly 100,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The increase represents a growth from about 7 percent of the county's population in 2000 to nearly 12 percent in 2006.

"The influx of Latino-owned businesses is a sign of our healthy and growing economy," said James Dula, president and CEO of the Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce. "When people come to Prince George's, they are doing so with hope and opportunity in mind."

Though areas in the northern part of the county like Bladensburg or Langley Park have had significant Hispanic populations for years, the increase in southern Prince George's county has been less pronounced until recently. More than 500 Hispanics lived in Oxon Hill in 2000, according to the most recent census data.

"I didn't know there were that many Hispanics in the area," said Erika Carranza, manager of Chuy's Latin Market, a small grocery store that opened in the same shopping center as La Hacienda a year ago.

Like Argueta, Carranza and her father, Lorenzo Carranza, who owns the store, are Hispanics who came from Northern Virginia to open a store in Oxon Hill. Carranza said the competition for Hispanics customers in Alexandria, Va., was so tough that Lorenzo decided to cross the Potomac River.

Carranza said she and her father were surprised to see black residents come into the store but quickly adapted to include African and Jamaican foods to broaden the store's appeal. She and her father have found success in their store and hope to expand the business to include a salon that caters to Hispanics.

Doris Dixon, a Fort Washington resident, and her husband, Marion, who are both black, stopped by La Hacienda on Monday for lunch.

Doris Dixon said the couple has always had to travel into Waldorf in Charles County for Hispanic food. When they saw that a Mexican restaurant was opening closer to home, they had to stop by.

"We're just looking for a place where we can sit down and eat authentic Mexican food," she said.

When the Dixons entered the restaurant, they were promptly greeted and served by Argueta. They ordered burritos and while waiting for their food noted how clean the store was. If the food was good, they said, it's likely that they will return because the store is close to home and adds something different to the community.

"It's a melting pot," Marion Dixon said. "It brings diversity to the neighborhood."

E-mail Joshua Garner at jgarner@gazette.net.