Latino families are opening businesses and sustaining local economies in small towns and major cities. The United States’ Latino population accounts for more than half of the country’s population growth, according to figures from PEW Research Center cited in the article. Their work and community institutions are reshaping places beyond traditional immigrant centers such as Los Angeles and New York.
Businesses and Community
In Holyoke, Massachusetts, a Puerto Rican cultural district stretches along eight blocks of Main Street. The city designated the district last January. Murals, new businesses and regular events now fill the area, which celebrates nearly 20,000 people, about 52.4% of the city’s total Boricua population.
Holyoke has the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans per capita of any U.S. city outside the Caribbean archipelago. Boricua families have made it a center since the 1950s. In 2021, residents elected Joshua A. Garcia, born and raised in Holyoke, as the city’s first Puerto Rican mayor.
Ismarie Rivera and her husband, Manuel, opened Jireh Delights Bakery & Restaurant downtown around the cultural district’s launch. The family moved from Puerto Rico to Holyoke in 2015 after their church, Fyre House, invited them. Business at the bakery and restaurant is booming, and customers come from around the state.
Rivera doesn’t speak English, so a bilingual employee shared her comments. She said Spanish-speaking neighbors and religion helped the family feel connected. “God sent me and my family here,” she said. “Kindness and cultural closeness make us feel close to home.” Rivera said Jireh means “the Lord will provide.”
In Tar Heel, North Carolina, Diego Yoel Inestroza Lara runs Inestroza’s Tree Service with his father, Cesar Inestroza. Diego said food, music, faith and family gatherings help keep their culture alive. Cesar came to the United States from Silca, Olancho, Honduras, under TPS in 1998, after Hurricane Mitch devastated his home country.
Work, Migration and Legal Status
Many Hondurans received U.S. work permits after the hurricane, the article reports. A recent Supreme Court ruling may limit the program moving forward. Diego said North Carolina gave his father a chance to rebuild the family’s life. Extended family members, including uncles, cousins and grandparents, came for work and farming opportunities they knew from Honduras. North Carolina still offers a chance to work hard and start over, he said.
North Carolina has close to 900,000 residents with Latin American ancestry, including Mexican, Salvadoran and Honduran roots. The article points to growth in Mecklenburg and Wake counties, along with Siler City in Chatham County, Robbins in Moore County and Kenansville in Duplin County.
Georgia’s Hispanic population grew rapidly between 1990 and 2000, particularly in the Atlanta region, according to the U.S. Census. Atlanta has welcomed immigrants from more than 50 countries and carries the nickname New Ellis Island. Hispanic migration in Georgia has increased by 33% since 2010. The state has nearly 900,000 Latino families, with more than half a million concentrated in Atlanta, largely because of Mexican and Puerto Rican migration.
Services and Cultural Work
Santiago Marquez, CEO of the Atlanta-based Latin American Association, leads an organization that provides immigration legal services, workforce development, family stabilization, youth services and economic empowerment. “We are committed to helping all people that come to our door to overcome barriers, access opportunities, and achieve self-sufficiency,” he said. “Atlanta’s strength comes from its diversity.”
Marquez was born in Cuba and immigrated in 1971. He said Atlanta’s economy has drawn people from across Latin America, and their stories have reached local theater, including the Alliance Theatre and Aurora Theatre. He also said Atlanta’s culinary scene has expanded over recent decades. Along Buford Highway, restaurants serve cuisine from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Argentina and other countries. Marquez said restaurants and small businesses contribute to the economy and serve as gathering places where traditions are preserved and shared.