The arrival of citizens of Hispanic origin to the United States has made it one of the countries with the largest presence of this community. According to the report of the Cervantes Institute, “Spanish, a living language”, the U.S. has 62.5 million Spanish speakers, which represents 18.9% of the total population. In addition, around 67.6% of them use Spanish as their habitual language at home.
In this context, it should be noted that there is a city that has become the epicenter of this phenomenon. The relevance of Latino communities is especially evident in states such as Texas, California and Florida. In these places, there is a significant cultural and demographic impact of this population. But which city leads in the proportion of Spanish speakers and stands as an example of diversity?
The U.S. city whose official language is Spanish
There is a city in Florida that has established itself as a symbol of the predominance of Spanish speakers. We are talking about Hialeah, located in Miami-Dade County. This place not only stands out for its predominantly Hispanic population, but also for being the city in the United States with the highest percentage of inhabitants who use Spanish as their main language.
Hialeah is a city located about 20 kilometers northwest of Miami. With a population of 224,669 inhabitants, according to the 2010 census, it stands out as the fifth largest city in Florida. It is also one of the least diverse in terms of language and ethnicity. Approximately 96% of its residents identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Cubans predominate, with a 75% representation. Some key data are as follows:
- Spanish language predominates: 93.1% of the inhabitants of this U.S. city use Spanish as their primary language at home.
- Culture in every corner: in the streets of Hialeah, Spanish is not only spoken, but lived. Cafeterias, taquerias and travel agencies promoting routes to Cuba are part of the urban landscape.
- A unique character: some media have described Hialeah as “the least diverse city in the country. This is due to the ethnic homogeneity of its population. However, this sociological context presents a common paradigm inversion in the United States: what is a minority elsewhere is the norm here.
What is the historical role of Cubans in this city?
The massive arrival of Cubans after the 1959 Revolution marked a before and after in Hialeah’s history. This enclave became a refuge for thousands of exiles, who sought economic opportunities and better living conditions in the United States.
According to Guillermo Grenier, a sociologist at Florida International University and expert on the Cuban-American community, Hialeah reflects a unique sociological phenomenon: while in other parts of the United States Latinos tend to be isolated, in this city they are at the center of everything and even use Spanish as their main language.
Likewise, the consolidation of this Cuban community has transmitted and kept alive cultural and linguistic traditions. This particularity has also turned Hialeah into a point of interest for studies on the integration and cultural dynamics of Latinos in the United States.
Why this city differs from other Spanish-speaking cities
Although there are other cities such as Laredo, Texas, which also have a large Hispanic presence, Hialeah stands out for the extent of Spanish language use. While in Laredo 90% of the residents speak Spanish, in Hialeah this percentage is higher, reaching figures of around 93%.
According to the Wallethub portal, Hialeah is the U.S. city with the lowest percentage of residents identified as “non-Hispanic white”. This group only makes up 2.75% of the total population. It also reinforces its identity as a unique enclave in the country.
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