Nicaraguan Americans
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A Nicaraguan American ( es, nicaragüense-americano, ''nicaragüense-estadounidense'', or ) is an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
of
Nicaraguan Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
descent. They are also referred to as "nica" or "nicoya". The Nicaraguan American population at the 2010 Census was 348,202. Nicaraguans are the eleventh largest Hispanic group in the United States and the fourth largest
Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n population. More than two-thirds of the Nicaraguan population in the US resides in California or Florida. In
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, Nicaraguans are more dominant in the
Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
and
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. Large populations also reside in the
Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...
and the cities of
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
,
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, and San Jose. In
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, 90% of Nicaraguans reside in the
Miami Metropolitan Area The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world with a ...
.
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
is home to 30% of Nicaraguans residing in the US.


Immigrational history

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
ns have immigrated to the United States in small groups since the early 1900s, but their presence was especially felt over the last three decades of the 20th century. The Nicaraguan community is mainly concentrated in three major urban areas: Metropolitan Miami,
Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
, and
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. A more affluent group of Nicaraguan Americans reside in the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
. According to Immigration and Naturalization Service figures, 23,261 Nicaraguans were admitted as permanent residents between 1976 and 1985; 75,264 were admitted between 1986 and 1993; and 94,582 between 1994 and 2002, with a total of 193,107 Nicaraguan immigrants being granted legal status since 1976. The earliest documents of immigration from
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
to the United States was combined in total with those of other
Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n countries. However, according to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
some 7,500 Nicaraguans legally
immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
from 1967 to 1976. An estimated 28,620 Nicaraguans were living in the U.S. in 1970, 90% of which self-reported as ''
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
'' on the 1970
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
. Most Nicaraguan immigrants during the late 1960s were women: there were only 60 male Nicaraguan immigrants for every 100 female immigrants during this period. Most Central Americans were denied refugee asylum status during the 1980s. While the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 wanted to favor U.S. foreign policy to help political asylum seekers it mostly favored only
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
or Communist nations or countries in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. "Asylum decisions with respect to Salvadorans and Guatemalans reflected U.S foreign policy, which supported their governments" such as US involvement in regime change in Latin America. Many Nicaraguans were rejected despite the
Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...
’s stance on helping political refugees. “During the early 1980s, approximately 10 percent of Nicaraguan applicants, compared to 2 to 3 percent of those from El Salvador and Guatemala, received asylum.” Over 62 percent of the total documented immigration from 1979 to 1988 occurred after 1984. In 1998 more than two million Nicaraguans were left homeless due to
hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motion ...
, as a result many Nicaraguans received permanent residence or temporary protected status (TPS) in the late 1990s. According to the 1990 U.S. Census 168,659 of the total 202,658 documented Nicaraguans in the U.S. were born in Nicaragua. In 1992 approximately 10–12% of the Nicaraguan population had
emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
d. These emigrants tended to be disproportionately of working age, better educated, and more often
white-collar workers White collar may refer to: * White-collar worker, a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales-coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor ...
than non-migrants. In addition, emigrants were more likely to come from larger premigration households and higher
income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. For ...
households.


Motives for Immigration

The
Sandinista revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution ( es, Revolución Nicaragüense or Revolución Popular Sandinista, link=no) encompassed the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Fr ...
that started in the mid-1970s and the
Contra war The Nicaraguan Revolution ( es, Revolución Nicaragüense or Revolución Popular Sandinista, link=no) encompassed the rising opposition to the Somoza family, Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista Nationa ...
that followed brought the first large waves of Nicaraguan
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s into the U.S. As a result of the de-privatization reforms under the
Sandinista National Liberation Front The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
(FSLN)'s rule (from 1979 to 1990), the first wave of approximately 120,000 Nicaraguans left Nicaragua and entered the United States.Konczal, Lisa. ''Nicaraguan Immigrants''. In Multicultural America: An Encyclopedia of the Newest Americans edited by Ron Baylor. Greenwood Press, 2011, p. 1566. They consisted mainly of large landholders, industrialists, and managers of North American enterprises. Many Nicaraguan upper-class exiles had economic roots in the United States and in Miami before the upheaval. This phase of upper-class arrivals included exiled dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle and his family, who owned homes in Miami and were among the richest people in Florida (ibid). Another major wave of Nicaraguans to the United States, consisting primarily of blue collar workers, peaked in the dramatic exodus of early 1989. Again, their motivation for migration was to escape from both political and economic torment in their homeland. By the late 1980s, the war,
Hurricane Joan Hurricane Joan was a long lived and powerful tropical cyclone that caused death and destruction in over a dozen countries in the Caribbean and Central America. Moving on a due west course for nearly two weeks in October 1988, Hurricane Joan caus ...
in 1988, and a severe drought in 1989 left the country in economic ruins. Many of these Nicaraguan immigrants settled in poor and deteriorated sections of Miami, where struggling Cubans who came during the
Mariel boatlift The Mariel boatlift () was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between 15 April and 31 October 1980. The term "" (plural "Marielitos") is used to refer to these refugees in both Spanish and En ...
exodus of 1980 had previously lived. Many Nicaraguans who immigrated did so to escape poverty. In
Santa Clara County, California Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...
, the Nicaraguan public benefits recipients reported that in their families, 43% have one
self-employed Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than an employer. Tax authorities will generally view a person as self-employed if the person chooses to be recognised as such or if the person is generating income for which a tax return n ...
person or
business owner A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
, and 14% of the families have two such persons. However, nearly all of the estimated 200,000 Nicaraguans who fled to the U.S. (and other nearby Central American countries) between 1978 and 1979 returned after the victory of the
Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
s in 1979. Similarly to their Cuban counterparts in Miami, two-thirds of Nicaraguan-Americans align themselves with conservatism and the republican party. The liberal party in Nicaragua is center-right and not left like in the developed world and hasn't been since the 1930s and the influence President Roosevelt had on Anastasio Somoza. The conservative wing of the Catholic church has had a particularly strong effect on the nation's anti-left population for half a century.


Cultural

Nicaraguan Americans are Spanish-speaking and predominately
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. They celebrate the patron saints of the Roman Catholic Church with festivals and processions, which also provide a context for artistic and cultural expressions of the local identity. The most important patronal festivals for communities in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
include ''Santa Ana, San Sebastian, La Purisima, San Jeronimo'' and ''La Griteria''.Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, And Society In The United States, Book 3 Nicaragua is one of the most traditionalist countries in the Americas and so the majority of Nicaraguans define themselves as socially conservatives regardless of party affiliations or place of residence within the United States.


Demographics

Outside of California and Florida, Nicaraguans can also be found in New York City,
New Orleans Metro The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (french: Grande Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Gran Nueva Orleans), is a me ...
, and the
Washington Metropolitan Area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...
. Cities with noticeable Nicaraguan populations also include
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
,
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
and
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
. The Amigos de las Americas program set in motion by John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s promoted the sisterhood between states of the US and third world countries. Wisconsin is the original sister State to Nicaragua. Employment and Student exchange programs in the past were the main reason for the first Nicaraguan to arrive and settle in that Midwest State.


States

The 10 states with the largest population of Nicaraguans (Source: 2010 Census): #
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
- 135,143 #
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
- 100,790 #
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
- 19,817 #
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
- 13,006 #
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
- 8,222 #
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
- 8,196 #
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
- 7,388 #
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
- 6,390 #
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
- 4,964 #
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
- 4,787


Areas

The largest population of Nicaraguans are situated in the following areas (Source: Census 2010): #
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL MSA The Miami metropolitan area (also known as Greater Miami, the Tri-County Area, South Florida, or the Gold Coast) is the ninth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world with a ...
- 118,768 #
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
- 40,607 #
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
- 30,807 #
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...
- 17,987 #
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgi ...
- 14,187 #
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities ...
- 9,793 #
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...
- 9,496 #
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA MSA The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (french: Grande Nouvelle-Orléans, ...
- 5,310 #
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gover ...
- 4,540 #
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, Central Florida as well as for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the ...
- 4,083 # Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA - 3,964 # Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA - 3,719 # Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA - 3,587 #
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, CA MSA The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...
- 3,269 #
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the List of United States cities by population, sixth most populous city in the nation ...
- 3,163 #
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...
- 2,928 #
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the United S ...
- 2,589 #
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest United States metropolitan area, metropolitan area in the Southwestern Uni ...
- 2,169 #
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...
- 2,025 #
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC MSA The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North Carolina, North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte. The metropolitan ...
- 1,912 # Vallejo-Fairfield, CA MSA - 1,750 #
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area, metropolitan statistical area (or Greater Austin) is a five-county United States metropolitan area, metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of ...
- 1,714 #
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding satellites and suburbs. It contains the three most populous counties in the state—King, Snohomish, and Pierce ...
- 1,635 # San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA - 1,547 #
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
- 1,438


US communities with largest population of people of Nicaraguan ancestry

The top 25 US communities with the highest populations of Nicaraguans (Source: Census 2010) #
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
- 28,618 #
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
- 15,572 #
Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area ...
- 10,410 #
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
- 7,604 #
Fontainebleau, Florida Fontainebleau (also spelled Fountainebleau) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The population was 59,870 during the 2020 census. Geography Fontainebleau is located at (25.770144, -80.345917). According to the U. ...
- 6,738 #
Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
- 4,226 #
Kendale Lakes, Florida Kendale Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) and a suburb of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 55,646 at the 2020 census. History Kendale Lakes (and all of West Kendall) once had a large Miami Jewish pop ...
- 3,560 #
Tamiami, Florida Tamiami is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 55,271 at the 2010 census. Name The name ''Tamiami'' is a portmanteau of the phrase "Tampa to Miami". The Tamiami Trail, a roadway that ...
- 3,476 # Sweetwater, Florida - 3,102 #
San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
- 2,917 #
Kendall, Florida Kendall is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida. At the 2020 census, the area had a population of 80,241. While the US Census Bureau has set definite boundaries for Kendall as a CDP, the community has a highly ambiguous local ...
- 2,629 #
The Hammocks, Florida The Hammocks is an unincorporated census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 51,003 at the 2010 census. Name origin The name of the CDP originates from a planned community called, "The Hammocks". The ...
- 2,391 #
Kendall West, Florida Kendall West is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Miami-Dade County, Florida, west of the Florida Turnpike. The population was 36,536 at the 2020 census. Geography Kendall West is located west-southwest of downtown Miami a ...
- 2,265 #
Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its west ...
- 2,134 #
West Little River, Florida West Little River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 34,699 at the 2010 census. Most of West Little River was originally a neighborhood of the City of Miami when it was annexed int ...
- 2,112 #
Richmond West, Florida Richmond West is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 35,884 at the 2020 census, up from 31,973 at the 2010 census. History Richmond West has its origins as an early 1900s settlement ...
- 2,039 #
Miami Lakes, Florida Miami Lakes is a suburb of Miami, an incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. US Census, 31,628 people live in Miami Lakes. History The development was constructed by Sengra (now the ...
- 1,772 #
Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...
- 1,745 #
Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which is home to approximately six million people. History Miramar wa ...
- 1,691 #
South San Francisco, California South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is colloquially known as "South City". The population was 66,105 at the 2020 census. ...
- 1,639 #
South Miami Heights, Florida South Miami Heights is a census-designated place (CDP), originally known as Eureka, in Miami-Dade County, within the U.S. state of Florida. The population was 35,696 as of the 2010 census. Geography South Miami Heights is located at (25.588784, ...
- 1,585 #
Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...
- 1,462 #
Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...
- 1,423 #
Homestead, Florida Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. The population was 80,737 as of the 2020 census. Homestead is primarily a Miami sub ...
- 1,354 #
Hialeah Gardens Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,297 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 21,744, with a population density of 6690.1 per mi2, made up ...
and
Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...
- 1,321


US communities with high percentages of people of Nicaraguan ancestry

The top 25 US communities with the highest percentages of Nicaraguans as a percent of total population (Source: Census 2010) # Sweetwater, Florida - 22.98% #
Fontainebleau, Florida Fontainebleau (also spelled Fountainebleau) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The population was 59,870 during the 2020 census. Geography Fontainebleau is located at (25.770144, -80.345917). According to the U. ...
- 11.27% #
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
- 7.16% #
Richmond West, Florida Richmond West is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 35,884 at the 2020 census, up from 31,973 at the 2010 census. History Richmond West has its origins as an early 1900s settlement ...
- 6.38% #
Kendale Lakes, Florida Kendale Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) and a suburb of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 55,646 at the 2020 census. History Kendale Lakes (and all of West Kendall) once had a large Miami Jewish pop ...
- 6.34% #
Tamiami, Florida Tamiami is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 55,271 at the 2010 census. Name The name ''Tamiami'' is a portmanteau of the phrase "Tampa to Miami". The Tamiami Trail, a roadway that ...
- 6.29% #
Kendall West, Florida Kendall West is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Miami-Dade County, Florida, west of the Florida Turnpike. The population was 36,536 at the 2020 census. Geography Kendall West is located west-southwest of downtown Miami a ...
- 6.26% #
West Little River, Florida West Little River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 34,699 at the 2010 census. Most of West Little River was originally a neighborhood of the City of Miami when it was annexed int ...
- 6.09% #
Hialeah Gardens, Florida Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 19,297 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 21,744, with a population density of 6690.1 per mi2, made up ...
- 6.08% #
Brownsville, Florida Brownsville (also known as Brown Sub) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Miami metropolitan area, metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,583, up from 15,313 in 20 ...
- 5.66% #
Stock Island, Florida Stock Island is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community on an island of the same name in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The population of the CDP was 4,410 at the 2000 census. It is located on the portion of the isl ...
- 5.66% #
Medley, Florida Medley is a town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The community was named after its founder, Sylvester Medley. The town was incorporated in 1949, but Sylvester settled the current town in 1905 and farmed there until his death in 1950 ...
- 4.89% #
Princeton, Florida Princeton is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 39,208 at the 2020 census, up from 22,038 at the 2010 census. History As a small town and depot along t ...
- 4.89% #
Gladeview, Florida Gladeview is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 14,927 at the 2020 census, up from 11,535 in 2010. Gladeview was originally a neighborhood of the city of Miami when it was annexed in 1 ...
- 4.83% #
The Hammocks, Florida The Hammocks is an unincorporated census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 51,003 at the 2010 census. Name origin The name of the CDP originates from a planned community called, "The Hammocks". The ...
- 4.69% #
Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area ...
- 4.63% #
South Miami Heights, Florida South Miami Heights is a census-designated place (CDP), originally known as Eureka, in Miami-Dade County, within the U.S. state of Florida. The population was 35,696 as of the 2010 census. Geography South Miami Heights is located at (25.588784, ...
- 4.44% #
University Park, Florida University Park is a former census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It was merged into Westchester CDP for the 2020 U.S. Census. In 2010, the population was 26,995. It encompassed the Modesto A. Maidique Camp ...
- 4.32% #
Rollingwood, California Rollingwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, Rollingwood's population was 2,969. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all ...
- 4.14% #
Palmetto Estates, Florida Palmetto Estates is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,498 at the 2020 census. Geography Palmetto Estates is located southwest of downtown Miami at (25.6 ...
- 4.13% #
Colma, California Colma (Ohlone for "Springs") is a small incorporated List of municipalities in California, town in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 census. The town w ...
- 4.02% #
Miami Lakes, Florida Miami Lakes is a suburb of Miami, an incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. US Census, 31,628 people live in Miami Lakes. History The development was constructed by Sengra (now the ...
and
Country Walk, Florida Country Walk is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,951 at the 2020 census, up from 15,997 at the 2010 census. Geography Country Walk is located southwest of downtown Miami at (25 ...
- 3.90% #
The Crossings, Florida The Crossings is a census-designated place (CDP) and suburb of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,276 at the 2020 census. The CDP includes the neighborhoods of The Crossings, Devon Aire and Calusa. Geograph ...
- 3.89% # Country Club, Florida - 3.76% # Westwood Lakes, Florida - 3.72%


Notable people

*Alex Blandino, MLB player *Marvin Benard, MLB player *Maurice Benard, actor on American soap operas All My Children and General Hospital *Bella Blue, burlesque dancer *Nastassja Bolívar, winner of Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011 and Miss Nicaragua, Miss Nicaragua 2013, and Top 16 finalist at Miss Universe 2013 *Randy Caballero, professional boxer * Barbara Carrera, actress, best known for her roles as Bond girl Fatima Blush in ''Never Say Never Again'' and as Angelica Nero on the soap opera ''Dallas (1978 TV series), Dallas'' *Oswaldo Castillo, actor *Michael Cordúa restaurateur, entrepreneur, businessman, and award winning self-taught chef *DJ Craze, only DJ in history to win 3 consecutive World DMC Champion titles *Salomón de la Selva, poet, author of ''Tropical Town and Other Poems'' *Franck de Las Mercedes, painter *Miguel D'Escoto, Roman Catholic priest and former foreign minister *Omar D'León, painter and poet *Edward'O, astrologer and co-host of 12 Corazones *Luis Enrique (singer), Luis Enrique, Salsa music, salsa singer *Bill Guerin, NHL hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins *Bianca Jagger, human rights advocate and ex-wife of Mick Jagger *Diana López (taekwondo), Diana López, Olympic bronze medalist in the sport of taekwondo *Mark López (taekwondo), Mark López, Olympic silver medalist in the sport of taekwondo *Steven López, two-time Olympic gold medalist in the sport of taekwondo *Dennis Martínez, MLB player (1976–1998) *Camilo Mejía, former Staff Sergeant of the Florida National Guard and anti-war activist *Tony Meléndez, singer, composer, writer and musician who was born with no arms *Christianne Meneses Jacobs, publisher of ''Iguana'', the United States' only Spanish-language magazine for children *Ana Navarro, Republican strategist and political commentator *David Obregón, professional boxer *Horacio Peña (author), Horacio Peña, professor, writer, and poet *Eddy Piñeiro, NFL placekicker *Claudia Poll, Nicaraguan-born swimmer *Silvia Poll, Nicaraguan-born swimmer *Hope Portocarrero, former First Lady of Nicaragua (1967–1978) *James Quesada, anthropologist and professor *Mari Ramos, weather anchor for CNN *Tammy Rivera, singer and television personality *J Smooth, bilingual hip hop and reggaeton singer *Hilda Solis, U.S. congresswoman and the 25th United States Secretary of Labor *Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero, son of former Nicaraguan president Anastasio Somoza Debayle and Hope Portocarrero *T-Bone (rapper), T-Bone, rapper *Torombolo, reggaeton singer *Eve Torres, WWE Diva, professional wrestler *Gabriel Traversari, actor, director, writer, singer, songwriter and painter *Donald Vega, jazz musician and composer *Claudio Villanueva, University of Utah professor *Eddy Pineiro, placekicker in the NFL for the Chicago Bears *Jason Gonzalez (fighter), Jason Gonzalez UFC, mixed martial arts *Shakira Barrera, actress


See also

*Nicaragua–United States relations


References


Further reading

* Cerar, K. Melissa, ed. ''Teenage Refugees from Nicaragua Speak Out'' (Rosen, 1995). * Funkhouser, Edward. “Migration from Nicaragua: Some Recent Evidence.” ''World Development'' 20, no. 8 (1992): 1209–18. * Hamilton, Nora, and Norma Stoltz Chinchilla. "Central American migration: A framework for analysis." ''Latin American Research Review'' 26.1 (1991): 75-110
online
* Lundquist, Jennifer H., and Douglas S. Massey. "Politics or economics? International migration during the Nicaraguan Contra War." ''Journal of Latin American Studies'' 37.1 (2005): 29-53
online
* Malone, Michael R. ''A Nicaraguan Family'' (Lerner Publications Co., 1998). * Smagula, Stefan. "Nicaraguan Americans." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp. 315-327
online


External links



Folklife of Miami's Nicaraguan Communities {{portal bar, Nicaragua, United States, Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino American American people of Nicaraguan descent, * Nicaraguan American,