Hispanic Population Booms in Unlikely Pennsylvania Location

Lehigh Valley, PA, which includes Allentown and Bethlehem, seems an unlikely place to find an exploding Hispanic population. Caitlin Dewey explains why Latinos have taken to this part of the Rust Belt.

1 minute read

September 12, 2011, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Dewey says that the attractive factors include jobs, cost of living, and:

"The phenomenon that gave America Chinatown and Little Italy also explains why so many Hispanics choose the Lehigh Valley. 'If you're a new immigrant and you're coming to a new country, where are you going to go?' says Allentown Mayor Ed Pawloski. "You're going to go where you know somebody. My parents and grandparents did." While the Lehigh Valley's first generation of Hispanics came for work, many later immigrants came solely because they knew friends or family in the area."

FULL STORY: Why Latinos Choose the Lehigh Valley

Sunday, September 11, 2011 in NEWS21

Social / Demographics United States Hispanics Bethelem Lehigh Valley Allentown View More

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