caribbean community: where are they in this area???

[wanderer34]

I ask that question because I'm from Brooklyn, where there's a dozen of West Indians from Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago, To the smaller islands of St. Vincent and Barbados, and even Haiti. I don't really see a strong Caribbean community in this area like NY does, maybe because NY is bigger than Philly but thinking that Philly is the closest city to NY, they should have a proportionate number of Caribbean immigrants just like NY. Where are they at??? Hopefully somebody can answer this question with as much answets as possible??? :what_is_: :what_is_: :what_is_:

[eldondre]

upper darby?

[cc]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

I ask that question because I'm from Brooklyn, where there's a dozen of West Indians from Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago, To the smaller islands of St. Vincent and Barbados, and even Haiti. I don't really see a strong Caribbean community in this area like NY does, maybe because NY is bigger than Philly but thinking that Philly is the closest city to NY, they should have a proportionate number of Caribbean immigrants just like NY. Where are they at??? Hopefully somebody can answer this question with as much answets as possible??? :what_is_: :what_is_: :what_is_:

North Philly. There's a pretty strong Dominican community in Phila - not as large as NYC's but still decently sized. There's also a pretty subtantive Puerto Rican community. I don't know which exact neighborhoods they're in but they're there. Phila is pretty much unlike NYC in that the ethnic neighborhoods here are less distinct. You basically just have neighborhoods where there are more people of one ethnicity than others. Chinatown and Bella Vista are exceptions and the 5th St corridor in North Philly (becoming more and more Hispanic) may be the beginnings of another distinct neighborhood. Other than that, however, you won't find a "Little Haiti" or something like that. Thas said, if US Airways stays afloat then Philadelphia should see a steady influx of Carribean immigrants since they have made Philadelphia the No. 2 hub in the U.S. for flights to/from the Carribean (No. 1 being Miami). By the way, the decently sized Puerto Rican and Dominacan communities in Phila are evidenced by the relatively large number of non-stop flights from PHL to San Juan and Santo Domingo - not as many as NYC but definitely a lot more flights to those cities than would be justified by the tourist traffic alone.

[rlc]

Philly has done a horrible job luring new immigrants to the city (other than the sizeable Russian population in the greater northeast). Pittsburgh is actually becoming more diverse. The Puerto Rican community has been established for decades and a large concentration can be found in West Kensington (directly West of Temple's main campus). As for carribean immigrants it would be tough to say. I had a friend from Jamaica who lived out at 48th and Baltimore in W. Phila. and there seems to be some recent African immigrants who live out around 52nd and Market.

Oh well I guess this did not help much...

[Geno]

I know we have a substantial Puerto Rican population, I don't know much about the others. They may be in the same areas as the Puerto Ricans. Not only are they in the upper east side of North Philly and West Kensington, but in the last decade their community has really expanded to take in much of Feltonville, Juniata and into the lower Northeast.

[skroah]

I'll say that Puerto Rican parade this fall was something else. I was in the NE and they came swooping down from up further up there on low rider bikes and tricked out vans all waving the flag.

[wanderer34]

I was referring to the Caribbean community w/ the exception of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. Sorry if I led yall the wrong way, but I was looking for Jamaicans and Trinidadians, etc. :roll:

[starstruckwith1buck]

Have you listened to Roger Culture on WKDU [91.7 fm] weekends? He lists lots of Carribean community events on his show every weekend.

[Nneka]

I just wanted to know if there are any records or history on the West Indian Beneficial Association. The association helped newcomers from the Caribbean to settle in Philadelphia. They provided some housing until the newcomers could get their own places of residence and there was a social club meant for gatherings. I'm looking at the years 1915-1940 since I don't know which years the association was in operation.

[Dave]

Might want to check out Olney

I know people from the Caribbean live there. Not sure how many restaurants and such you might find.