Nuyorican is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsPuerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or currently living 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 ...

). This term is sometimes used for Puerto Ricans living in other areas in the Northeastern US Mainland outside

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

as well. The term is also used by Islander Puerto Ricans (Puerto Ricans from Puerto Rico) to differentiate those of Puerto Rican descent from the Puerto Rico-born. The term ''Nuyorican'' is also sometimes used to refer to the Spanish spoken by New York Puerto Ricans. An estimated 1,800,000 Nuyoricans are said to live in New York City, the largest Puerto Rican community outside Puerto Rico. Nuyoricans are not considered Puerto Ricans by some island Puerto Ricans due to cultural differences, which remains a point of controversy among both groups of Puerto Ricans. Nuyorican has a broad meaning; originally it meant Puerto Ricans, both island-born and mainland-born, living in New York, but many island-born Puerto Ricans use the term to describe assimilated Americans of Puerto Rican descent, living in any US state, or very assimilated or "Afro-Americanized" people of Puerto Rican ancestry, who largely lost touch with traditional Puerto Rican culture, and grew up culturally Afro-American, though still identify with Puerto Rico.

Ethnic enclaves In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

centered on Puerto Ricans include

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fi ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

; Williamsburg,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

;

Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Pa ...

, Brooklyn; and the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris. In the early 1900s, the South Bronx was orig ...

. Although Florida has received some dispersal of the population, there has been a resurgence in Puerto Rican migration to New York and

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 Delawa ...

, primarily for economic and cultural considerations, topped by another surge of arrivals after

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect ...

devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017 – consequently, the New York City metropolitan area has witnessed a significant increase in its Nuyorican population, individuals in the region of Puerto Rican descent, increasing from 1,177,430 in 2010 to a Census-estimated 1,494,670 in 2016, maintaining New York's status by a significant margin as the most important cultural and demographic center for Puerto Ricans outside

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Etymology

The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' cites this word as evolving slowly through roughly the last third of the 20th century, with the first cited reference being poet Jaime Carrero using ''neorriqueño'' in 1964 as a

Spanish-language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Am ...

adjective combining ''neoyorquino'' and ''puertorriqueño''. Many other variants developed along the way, including ''neoricano'', ''neorican'' (also written as ''Neo-Rican'' and ''Neorican''), and ''newyorican'' (also written as ''New Yorrican''). ''Nuyorican'' itself dates at least from 1975, the date of the first public sessions of the

Nuyorican Poets Café The Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe is a nonprofit organization in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip ...

. Some of the best known "Nuyoricans" who have written and performed their experiences of being a Puerto Rican in New York are: Miguel Piñero, Miguel Algarín,

Piri Thomas Piri Thomas (born Juan Pedro Tomas; September 30, 1928 – October 17, 2011) was a Puerto Rican- Cuban writer and poet whose memoir ''Down These Mean Streets'' became a best-seller. Early years Thomas was born to a Puerto Rican mother and Cuba ...

Sandra María Esteves Sandra María Esteves (born May 10, 1948) is a Latina poet and graphic artist. She was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, and is one of the founders of the Nuyorican poetry movement. She has published collections of poetry and has conduct ...

, Willie Colón,

Pedro Pietri Pedro Pietri (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2004) was a Nuyorican poet and playwright and one of the co-founders of the Nuyorican Movement. He was considered by some as the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement. Early years Pietri was born i ...

, and Giannina Braschi. Some of the newer poets include Willie Perdomo, Flaco Navaja,

Nancy Mercado Nancy Mercado Ph.D. (Born December 1959) is an American writer, editor, educator and activist; her work focuses on issues of injustice, the environment, and the Puerto Rican and Latino experience in the United States. She forms part of the Nu ...

Emanuel Xavier Emanuel Xavier (born May 3, 1970), is an American poet, spoken word artist, author, editor, and LGBTQ activist born and raised in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. Associated with the East Village, Manhattan arts scene in New York City, he emerged f ...

, Edwin Torres, J.L. Torres,

Caridad de la Luz Caridad de la Luz (born January 21, 1977), a.k.a. "La Bruja" (''The "Good" Witch''), is a Nuyorican (a New York-born Puerto Rican) poet, playwright, actress and activist. She is considered one of the leading spoken word poets in the world. In 200 ...

aka La Bruja, Lemon Andersen, and Bonafide Rojas. Historically, the term has been used as a derogatory term by native Puerto Ricans when describing a person that has Puerto Rican ancestry but is born outside of Puerto Rico. It also can sometimes include those born in Puerto Rico who now live elsewhere in the United States (other than New York). This changed from the original meaning with the increase in travel back and forth to different parts of the United States and the globe. The definition includes those born in New York who have moved to Puerto Rico as well. The term is used by some members of this community to identify their history and cultural affiliation to a common ancestry while being separated from the island, both physically and through language and cultural shifts. This distance created a dual identity that, while still somewhat identifying with the island, recognizes the influences both geography and cultural assimilation have had. Puerto Ricans in other cities have coined similar terms, including "Philly Rican" for Puerto Ricans in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, and "Chi-Town Rican" for Puerto Ricans in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

History

Many Nuyoricans are second- and third-generation Puerto Rican Americans whose parents or grandparents arrived in the

during the ''Gran Migración'' (Great Migration). Puerto Ricans began to arrive in New York City in the nineteenth century but especially following the passage of the Jones-Shafroth Act on March 2, 1917, which granted U.S. citizenship to virtually all Puerto Ricans.Jones-Shafroth Act
, U.S. Library of Congress, accessed May 25, 2010. The ''Gran Migración'' accelerated migration from Puerto Rico to New York during the 1940s and 1950s, but such large-scale emigration began to slow by the late 1960s.The ''Gran Migración''
, Maura Isabel Toro-Morn, Marixsa Alicea, Migration and Immigration: A Global View. In 2000, the Puerto Rican population of New York was over 1,050,000. As of the 2010 census, Puerto Ricans represented 8.9 percent of New York City alone (32% of the city's Hispanic community), and 5.5% of New York State as a whole. Of over a million Puerto Ricans in the state, about 70% are present in New York City, with the remaining portion spreading increasingly within the city's suburbs and other major cities throughout New York State. Although Florida has received some dispersal of the population, there has been a resurgence in Puerto Rican migration to New York and

, primarily for economic and cultural considerations, topped by another surge of arrivals after

devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017 – consequently, the

New York City 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 landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan are ...

has witnessed a significant increase in its Nuyorican population, individuals in the region of Puerto Rican descent, increasing from 1,177,430 in 2010 to a Census-estimated 1,494,670 in 2016. Historically, Nuyoricans resided in the predominantly

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

/ Latino section of Upper Manhattan known as

, and around the

Loisaida Alphabet City is a neighborhood located within the East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its name comes from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan to have single-letter names. It is bounded by Houston S ...

section of the East Village, but later spread across the city into newly created Puerto Rican/Nuyorican enclaves in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, and the

. Today, there are fewer island-born Puerto Ricans than mainland-born Puerto Ricans in New York City. Prominent figures of the Nuyorican movement include poets and novelists

and Giannina Braschi, while Miguel Algarín, Miguel Piñero, and

co-founded the

, a performance space for Nuyorican poets and musicians.

Notable Nuyoricans

File:Marc Anthony 2010.jpg,

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A three-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Gr ...

File:Herman_Badillo.JPG, Herman Badillo File:Robert Garcia.jpg, Robert Garcia File:Lisa_Lisa,_American_singer.jpg,

Lisa Lisa Lisa Velez (born January 15, 1967), better known by her stage name Lisa Lisa, is an American singer. She rose to fame in the 1980s as one-third of the band Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. Early life According to ''Spin'' magazine, Velez was born in ...

File:TIFF 2019 jlo (1 of 1)-2 (48696671561) (cropped).jpg,

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...

File:Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito (6217502867) (cropped).jpg,

Melissa Mark-Viverito Melissa Mark-Viverito (born April 1, 1969) is an American Democratic politician and former speaker of the New York City Council from 2014 to 2017, as well as councilmember for the 8th district from 2006 to 2017, representing Concourse, Concour ...

File:Rosie Mendez 2011 CROPPED.png, Rosie Méndez File:Lin-Manuel Miranda by Gage Skidmore.jpg,

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and '' In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animat ...

File:Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Official Portrait.jpg,

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...

File:MJ Rodriguez.png, Mj Rodriguez File:Princess_Nokia_-_Press_Photo_One.jpg, Princess Nokia File:Josieserrano.jpeg,

José E. Serrano José Enrique Serrano (born October 24, 1943) is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990 until his retirement in 2021. Serrano, a Democrat from New York, represented a district that is one of the sm ...

File:Sonia Sotomayor in SCOTUS robe.jpg,

Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, ; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since ...

File:Ritchie Torres 117th U.S Congress.jpg,

Ritchie Torres Ritchie John Torres (born March 12, 1988) is an American politician from New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Torres is the U.S. representative for New York's 15th congressional district. The district covers most of the South Bronx. It is ...

File:Neil deGrasse Tyson in June 2017 (cropped).jpg,

Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University. From 1991 to 1994, he was a p ...

Nuyoricans have made breakthrough contributions in government, science, law, culture, and the humanities, including those who have broken records, significantly impacted U.S.

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ...

, won landmark cases that changed laws, or have been recognized by national awards. *

Eugenio Alvarez Eugenio A. Alvarez (July 21, 1918 – February 12, 1976) was an American lawyer and U.S. Representative from New York. Life He was born on July 21, 1918, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The family moved to New York City. There he attended Public Scho ...

– Late U.S. representative from

. *

– Record holder in the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for best-selling

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

artist and the most number-one albums on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' Tropical Albums charts. * Amanda Ayala - Singer/Songwriter * Herman Badillo – Late U.S. representative from New York State *

Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside ...

– Artist, whose painting '' Untitled'' (1982) sold for $110.5 million in 2017, a new record high for an American artist at auction. * Giannina Braschi – Writer, a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Literature Fellow, published the first

Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is m ...

novel '' Yo-Yo Boing!'' * Miguel Braschi – Attorney, won the landmark legal case '' Braschi v. Stahl Associates Co.'' in the New York State Court of Appeals, which marked the first time state law recognized a gay couple as a family. *

John Carro John Carro (born August 24, 1927) is an American judge. He served as a judge for 25 years and was involved in many high-profile cases. A New York Supreme Court Justice serving in the Appellate Division, where he served as an associate justice f ...

– was the first Nuyorican to be named a judge on the NY State Supreme Court, Appellate Division. * Luis Ferré-Sadurní is a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. * Willie Colon performing artist, musician, producer, composer, arranger * Robert Garcia – late U.S. representative from New York State * Daniel Hernandez – Rapper * Kayel – Latin freestyle singer and frontman for

TKA The group comprising a trio was prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in New York City, Chicago, and Miami. Its members originally were Tony Ortiz, Louis "Kayel" Sharpe, and Ralph "Aby" Cruz—the original lead singer. Due to te ...

La India Linda Viera Caballero (born March 9, 1969), better known as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy Awa ...

– Freestyle and Sals singer * J.I the Prince of New York – rapper *

George Lamond George Lamond (born George Garcia, February 25, 1967), sometimes styled George LaMond, is an American freestyle music and salsa music singer. LaMond has released seven albums (five via Sony Music) between 1989-2014. Best known for his 1989 #25 ...

– Freestyle singer * Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez) – Freestyle singer *

– performing artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Nuyorican Productions, made

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

list of most powerful entertainers, with annual earnings in excess of US$52 million. * Lynda Lopez –

and author * Margarita López – first openly lesbian councilwoman and female Puerto Rican elected to the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government model, the performance of ...

, serving from 1998 through 2006 *

–

Speaker of the New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government model, the performance of ...

from 2014 through 2017 * Angie Martinez – Rapper and radio host * Lisette Melendez – Freestyle singer * Rosie Méndez – former member of the New York City Council (2006-2018) *

, creator of the Broadway musical ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

'', won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. * Nicholasa Mohr – Author *

Richie Narvaez Richie Narvaez (born 1965) is an American author and professor. In 2020, he won an Agatha Award and an Anthony Awards, Anthony Award for his novel ''Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco.'' His work focuses on the Puerto Rican and Nuyorican exper ...

– Author *

– politician who serves as the U.S. representative from New York's 14th congressional district. * Antonio Pagán – late and first openly gay male and Puerto Rican elected to the New York City Council, serving from 1994 through 1998; former New York City Commissioner of Small Businesses (1998-2002) * Noel Pagán – Freestyle singer * Damian Priest – professional wrestler *

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

– musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer * Princess Nokia –

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Charles Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (, ; born June 11, 1930) is an American politician who was a U.S. representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the Ho ...

– former U.S. representative from New York *

Sylvia Rivera Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) was an American gay liberation and transgender activism, transgender rights activist September 21, 1995. Accessed July 24, 2015. who was also a noted community worker in LGBT history in New Yor ...

– Late

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

activist * Mj Rodriguez – Actress * David Rosado – former U.S. representative from New York * Sa-Fire (Wilma Cosmé) – Latin freestyle singer *

– former U.S. representative, serving multiple districts in New York State *

– the first Nuyorican lawyer to become a United States Supreme Court Justice. * Cynthia Torres – Freestyle singer * Edwin Torres – New York State Supreme Court judge and author of

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels '' Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pac ...

– Freestyle band * Judy Torres – Latin freestyle singer and radio host *

– U.S. representative for

New York's 15th congressional district New York's 15th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, State of New York. The district has been represented by Democrat Ritchie Torres since 2021. The 15th ...

– astrophysicist and television host of the PBS series '' Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey'' and '' Cosmos: Possible Worlds''. He is the first person of Puerto Rican descent to be Director of the

Hayden Planetarium The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the no ...

in New York City.

References

External links

Sofrito For Your Soul Online Magazine

Capicu Poetry & Cultural Showcase

Celebrities Desde Nueva York

The art of Santiago

Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA)

Boricuation Cultural Foundation

Soraida Martinez, New York born artist of Puerto Rican heritage known as creator of Verdadism

{{Hispanic and Latino Americans navbox Hispanic and Latino American culture in New York City Puerto Rican culture in New York (state) Puerto Rican culture in New York City

Etymology

History

Notable Nuyoricans

See also

References

External links