Filadelfia Latina
The recent 2000 census confirmed that Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in Philadelphia, as in the nation, with over 129,000 residing in the city alone. These numbers, however, tell only one part of the story. The increasing population is also increasingly diverse, as the U.S. witnesses a surge in new immigration and migration from Latin America, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico. The predominance of Puerto Ricans in the Philadelphia area, for instance, is giving way to the growing presence of Dominicans, Columbians, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Peruvians, Mexicans and others. Although they share a common language, each community is culturally unique, and internally diverse by gender, generation, class and race. Diverse Latinos also have diverse settlement experiences, ranging from those who migrate temporarily for work, to those who immigrate permanently for educational or professional opportunities, to those who flee regimes of terror as refugees.
The history of Latinos in Philadelphia stretches back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when merchants traded with Cuba and Puerto Rico, and Latin American political exiles sought refuge in the city. Since then, Philadelphia has been a destination for migrants and immigrants from Puerto Rico Mexico, and Cuba. The largest population is Puerto Rican, and this community has played an important role in building up the community institutions and organizations that comprise visible Latino life in the city.
Here you will find information on the history and experience of diverse Latinos in the Greater Philadelphia area.
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