Wy no big Dominican population in Philadelphia area???

wanderer34 · #1 05-19-2006, 01:01 PM

I still don't understand why there's no big Dominican population in certain areas of PA, specifically in the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton), and Reading, but specifically Philadelphia, Trenton, Camden, and Wilmington. While the NYC PMSA has about 600,000, the Boston and Lawrence PMSA adds up to 66,000, Miami-Ft Laudredale-W Palm Beach adds up to 76,000, in comparison to the rest of the NE and Florida, the Delaware Valley is relatively low, especially since Philadelphia is actually closer to NYC than Boston. Even the DC/MD/VA cluster is poised to pass the state of PA in the number of Dominicans. Here's the document for more information.

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/...can_Pop_US.pdf

The reason why this worries me is that PA isn't doing anything or is doing very little to attract immigrants. Part of it can be attributed to the large manufacturing base that made a big part of PA's economy, but the eastern part of the state is more financial and service oriented, especially in Phila's case. The real estate in PA is much cheaper than in NY, CT, MA, RI, and around the DC area, yet I don't see any change whatsoever. If there was some effort to get immigrants to come into PA, it would have much higher results than what I saw in this document. Tell me what's so great about Boston that makes Philadelphia look bad.

deelt · #2 05-19-2006, 01:37 PM

In Philly, the economic level of many Dominicans there is very low. There are many Dominicans there they are just not out. Like in VA/DC/MD there are two levels of those Dominicans at the bottom and those at the top and not much in between. Give it time and things are changing.

With Allentown are the issue is the edge city down fall. Manufacturing is in a downward spiral. They need immigrants to rejuvinate the economy, but they are also scared to attract the unknown. There is an active Dominican community there but it is a small one. Until the economic base and it's residents no longer feel threatened by newcomers then they won't come.

Mirador · #3 05-19-2006, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deelt

.... Until the economic base and it's residents no longer feel threatened by newcomers then they won't come.

I read somewhere that Philly's economic base is brown sugar. Is that so?...

...

wanderer34 · #4 05-19-2006, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deelt

In Philly, the economic level of many Dominicans there is very low. There are many Dominicans there they are just not out. Like in VA/DC/MD there are two levels of those Dominicans at the bottom and those at the top and not much in between. Give it time and things are changing.

With Allentown are the issue is the edge city down fall. Manufacturing is in a downward spiral. They need immigrants to rejuvinate the economy, but they are also scared to attract the unknown. There is an active Dominican community there but it is a small one. Until the economic base and it's residents no longer feel threatened by newcomers then they won't come.

I always figured that with a huge Hispanic population (mostly Puerto Rican), that the Lehigh Valley would have a lot of success in attracting other Hispanic immigrants in large numbers (Dominicans, Colombians, Mexicans, Ecuadorians, etc.) due to it's proximity to NYC thirty minutes away, with Dominicans being the secong largest Hispanic group in that region. For PA, it's either do or die, and that means changing the current thoughts about other immigrants (West Indians and Africans) and other Hispanics, not just Mexicans alone.

deelt · #5 05-19-2006, 02:00 PM

Hey Mirador,
I don't know about brown sugar, but I do know that U Penn and local hospitals are big players. They have urban plans in place that can really change within the 10 years.

The econ base of the surrounding towns are industrial manufacturing facilities...steel. China is a main competitor. So the issues affecting these small towns are global. I think the analyst within DOWS people can speak to these issues a bit more.

-D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mirador

I read somewhere that Philly's economic base is brown sugar. Is that so?...

...

aegap · #6 05-19-2006, 05:32 PM

Miguel lives in Penn. (I'm afraid of mispelling the name)

Miguel what are your estimations on the Dominican population of PA?

Hipocrito Mejia · #7 05-19-2006, 06:17 PM

"States with Dominican populations under 20,000 in 2000 that experienced rapid growth include Pennsylvania"

From what I've seen and experienced, there has been tremendous growth in the Dominican population in PA as compared to what existed in the late 80s and early 90s when I went to college and lived in Bethlehem, PA for 4 years.

I think that in the case of PA, perception differs from reality, because unlike places like NY, where the Dominican population for the most part is confined to one general location, the Dominican population in PA is distributed among several locations, thus giving the appearance of it being less than what it actually is. In PA, you will find pockets of Dominican nationals in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, the ABE (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton) area, Reading, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

Petaka · #8 05-19-2006, 06:21 PM

Why do you think it would be advantageous for dominicans to have a big pupulation in those areas?

There are Dominicans in Philly but not in great numbers. As a matter of fact there was a mocano running a restaurant in center city for a while. At the begining the food was good but then he tried to americanize it. Looks like it did not work. Last time I went there it had gone belly up.

Petaka
-Intercourse, PA

suarezn · #9 05-19-2006, 06:28 PM

There are many Dominicans in Philly. Actually this is where most of the Dominicans from the Cotui area live (North Philly). A few years back they were all concentrated in one main area (around Hunting park), but as with any migrant group they have now moved away and started to blend into the fabric, so it's not so obvious anymore. Just from my town alone I would say there are at least a few hundreds who live around there (including my sister and Mom).

Last time I was there, I noticed there are quite a few new arrivals from Bani and Sabana Iglesias area.

Personally I don't care for Philly and would never live over there. I can't put a finger on what it is, but there's something that rubs me the wrong way about that city and the people's attitude...but that's just me. Some people find it charming

aegap · #10 05-19-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petaka

Petaka
-Intercourse, PA

Howdy! fellow Amish?