Areas in the US that are not majority English-speaking

[Jordanes]

I speak primarily American, myself. Unless I'm looking for the Loo

It's inside the Huntington Metro station. I've used it a few times. 

[Jordanes]

There are isolated cities on the Great Plains where they process cattle where the majority of people are presumably Spanish speaking. The two cities I knew about in Nebraska are Schuyler and Lexington. In Iowa, Denison is headed in that direction. A good chunk of South Omaha is primarily Spanish speaking.

I discovered that the first time I went to the Lexington Wal-Mart; I was like "why are all the signs in here bilingual English/Spanish...I'm in the middle of Nebraska?!".

[kphoger]

There are isolated cities on the Great Plains where they process cattle where the majority of people are presumably Spanish speaking. The two cities I knew about in Nebraska are Schuyler and Lexington. In Iowa, Denison is headed in that direction. A good chunk of South Omaha is primarily Spanish speaking.

I discovered that the first time I went to the Lexington Wal-Mart; I was like "why are all the signs in here bilingual English/Spanish...I'm in the middle of Nebraska?!".

Yes, finding meat-packing plants is a good way to find large immigrant populations.  Dodge City and Liberal (KS) are both more than 60% Hispanic.

Of those mentioned...
Both Schuyler and Lexington (NE) are also more than 60% Hispanic, while Denison (IA) is just a hair under 50%.

[ftballfan]

There are isolated cities on the Great Plains where they process cattle where the majority of people are presumably Spanish speaking. The two cities I knew about in Nebraska are Schuyler and Lexington. In Iowa, Denison is headed in that direction. A good chunk of South Omaha is primarily Spanish speaking.

I discovered that the first time I went to the Lexington Wal-Mart; I was like "why are all the signs in here bilingual English/Spanish...I'm in the middle of Nebraska?!".

Yes, finding meat-packing plants is a good way to find large immigrant populations.  Dodge City and Liberal (KS) are both more than 60% Hispanic.

Of those mentioned...
Both Schuyler and Lexington (NE) are also more than 60% Hispanic, while Denison (IA) is just a hair under 50%.

Schuyler's cable system has four Spanish cable channels in the low channels!
Source: http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?method=decideFwdForLineup&zipcode=68661&setMyPreference=false&lineupId=NE66575:X

[inkyatari]

I believe there are some neighborhoods in Chicago that speak primarily Polish.

[kphoger]

I believe there are some neighborhoods in Chicago that speak primarily Polish.

"Primarily Polish" might be stretching it, but there is certainly a large Polish population there. Chicago is the only city outside Poland where I've said "Przepraszam" to get past someone on a platform.

[inkyatari]

I believe there are some neighborhoods in Chicago that speak primarily Polish.

"Primarily Polish" might be stretching it, but there is certainly a large Polish population there. Chicago is the only city outside Poland where I've said "Przepraszam" to get past someone on a platform.

2nd largest Polish city in the world, outside Warsaw.

I believe there used to be a Polish language TV station in town as well.

[Desert Man]

CA is where the largest proportion of late 20th century Mexican immigration occurred, now the wave has declined in the last decade, due to improved economic situation in Mexico and other US states like Texas. The wave started around 1975 and was reported in US media, including National Geographic magazine article on Los Angeles (Jan 1979) described the phenomena as "another Quebec" - where a portion of Anglo-America is not English speaking majority, the article said it started as a trickle in 1970 (the peak of the 19-year Chicano movement by Mexican-Americans calling for civil rights, cultural expression, and improved representation) to become a tremendous demographic change, even to predict "over half of LA's population will be Latino" by 2000. In the 1980s and 90s, Central Americans from El Salvador and Guatemala moved to LA, in fact they're the nation's largest immigrant group in the 2010s after China (and from what I heard, Syrian refugees). Today, 46% of LA county's population, 44% of LA city and 39% of CA's population are now Latino (including partial Latino), compared to 11-15% each in 1967 which was half a century ago. LA is the largest Spanish-speaking city in the US, but I'm certain San Antonio TX, Miami FL (Cuban exiles and then Venezuelans) and New York City (Dominicans and longer-residing Puerto Ricans - their island is an US territory) have a higher number, as well percentage of city population, of Spanish-speakers, of all 23 of 24 Latin American countries - note Brazil speaks Portuguese and formerly British Belize also speaks English.

[dvferyance]

I would say all of southern California is becoming that.

[kphoger]

CA is where the largest proportion of late 20th century Mexican immigration occurred, now the wave has declined in the last decade, due to improved economic situation in Mexico and other US states like Texas. The wave started around 1975 and was reported in US media, including National Geographic magazine article on Los Angeles (Jan 1979) described the phenomena as "another Quebec" - where a portion of Anglo-America is not English speaking majority, the article said it started as a trickle in 1970 (the peak of the 19-year Chicano movement by Mexican-Americans calling for civil rights, cultural expression, and improved representation) to become a tremendous demographic change, even to predict "over half of LA's population will be Latino" by 2000. In the 1980s and 90s, Central Americans from El Salvador and Guatemala moved to LA, in fact they're the nation's largest immigrant group in the 2010s after China (and from what I heard, Syrian refugees). Today, 46% of LA county's population, 44% of LA city and 39% of CA's population are now Latino (including partial Latino), compared to 11-15% each in 1967 which was half a century ago. LA is the largest Spanish-speaking city in the US, but I'm certain San Antonio TX, Miami FL (Cuban exiles and then Venezuelans) and New York City (Dominicans and longer-residing Puerto Ricans - their island is an US territory) have a higher number, as well percentage of city population, of Spanish-speakers, of all 23 of 24 Latin American countries - note Brazil speaks Portuguese and formerly British Belize also speaks English.

I would say all of southern California is becoming that.

The Los Angeles—Long Beach—Santa Ana metro area was 36.7% Spanish-speaking as of 2010, numbering 4.4 million speakers.
The Riverside—San Bernardino—Ontario metro area was 34.2% with 1.3 million speakers.

For Desert Man's comparison:
Miami—Fort Lauderdale—Pompano Beach:  39.8% with 2.1 million speakers
San Antonio—New Braunfels:  36.2% with 723k speakers
New York—Northern New Jersey—Long Island:  19.8% with 3.5 million speakers

[AlexandriaVA]

And Southern California had been majority Spanish-speaking until the railroads arrived in the late 19th century (hence the Spanish names for almost every major city in Southern and Central California). Migration patterns (westward from the Eastern US, northward from Mexico) will always change the makeup of a region.

[Desert Man]

And Southern California had been majority Spanish-speaking until the railroads arrived in the late 19th century (hence the Spanish names for almost every major city in Southern and Central California).

Yes, the Californios of Spanish, Mexican, Indigenous and other European descent. When the Chinese riots happened in the 1870s, 15% of the pueblo of L.A. were Californios and they joined Anglo mobs against the then other 15% - the Chinese. Between 1880-1920, the US census estimated Spanish-speakers or Mexican-Americans in California were a low 2-5% of the state population, way down from US annexation in 1848 (40-45%) and statehood in 1850 (20-25%) when Chileans arrived in the state during the gold rush...note this was before the opening of the Panama canal, so many European immigrants going to California had to stop by Cape Horn in the tip of South America to get to the Pacific from the Atlantic.

But parts of Southern and Northern CA have Puerto Ricans and Cubans, though smaller in number than in the East Coast (New York City, the Northeast, the South, and Florida). The definition of Latino should include Portuguese and Luso-Americans like Brazilians, and the Portuguese are a large ethnic community in both Northern and Southern CA. But, they don't speak Spanish as a native language - Hispanic means Spanish-speakers. The majority of Californios have indigenous ancestors: the Spanish colonial period brought 200 different Californian Indian tribes into Roman Catholicism between 1769-1821 when Mexico declared independence - 27 years until the US annexation after the Mexican war.   

During WW2, US sailors rioted against "zoot suiters", Mexican-Americans and other racial minorities known to wear colorful, flashy garb popular in the 1940s. California in the 1950s and 60s was more tolerant of Latinos, but like in the 1930s, between 500,000- a million Mexicans were rounded up and deported, or forced to leave the US at the time, this is known as the Great Repatriation, and a great many were naturalized US citizens, their US-born children and older generation Mexicans racially profiled by INS agents.

But we have the bracero programs brought a million Mexicans into California from 1943 (WW2) to 1965, and an earlier immigration period from 1910-1930 - started by the Mexican revolution and ended by the Great Depression, an estimated 2 million Mexicans settled in Southern California between the cities of Fresno and Salinas, and San Diego and Calexico (the Imperial valley, where you have homogeneously Hispanic/Mexican communities, but other racial, ethnic and national groups as well). And about a million Mexicans came to Northern California, esp. Sonoma, Solano and Sacramento counties, but they formed urban communities in Stockton, Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco and San Mateo. Also Central and South Americans came to San Francisco between 1910-1965.  LA is the state center of Latin American culture and the 2nd largest Mexican city in the world after Mexico City.

[Desert Man]

I would say all of southern California is becoming that.

Indio-Coachella CA is one of a few towns in CA always had a Hispanic/Latino majority - 100s of places now are, but not mentioning unincorporated East Los Angeles where it has been since WW2. In the 1940s-80s, I can name sections of Indio CA where Mexicans were a majority: Old Town Indio - a triangle surrounded by Indio Blvd, Requa Ave and Jackson St (torn down in the 1960s), Barrio Viejo - a square bordered by Bliss Ave, Fargo or Marshall St, CA SR 111 (Wilson Ave.) and Arabia or Oasis St., Sonora-Lupine Lane in former Indian reservation land, 44th Ave-Jackson St., Eastern sides of Indio along former US route 99 (Indio Blvd) and Monroe St-Hoover Ave. Indio CA was largely seasonal senior residents, but the Mexican-American community came to work: on railroads, pick the fields and in the Palm Springs area's resort industry, also similar to Banning-Beaumont CA west of Palm Springs, both Indio and Banning were the largest local year-round towns in the mid 20th century (10,000 some range in 1950s-70s). 

In the 1970s, one of the first Spanish language TV stations in the mainland US, KMEX 34 (on many cable systems, channel 3) was already on air, serving the Los Angeles area - due to its distance from Tijuana and Mexicali, part of the SIN network, predecessor of Univision. SIN in 1975 also had stations in San Antonio TX, Miami FL and New York City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK3T6Hl5cis

[ftballfan]

I believe there are some neighborhoods in Chicago that speak primarily Polish.

"Primarily Polish" might be stretching it, but there is certainly a large Polish population there. Chicago is the only city outside Poland where I've said "Przepraszam" to get past someone on a platform.

2nd largest Polish city in the world, outside Warsaw.

I believe there used to be a Polish language TV station in town as well.

There is an AM/FM pair in Chicago that is operated by the Polish National Alliance, which is basically the Polish equivalent of the Masons. In addition to those two, there are two simulcasting FMs that air Polish music during the day and evening (overnights are dance music).

[roadman65]

Chicago has a high concentration of Polish people!   

Anyway, go to the Wal Mart Neighborhood Market and Dollar Tree near my home and I often hear Spanish spoken and feel I am the only non Spanish speaking person around.

Florida, in general is getting more and more immigrants from South America and that is the reason for this.  I heard from a woman who lived in Auburndale, between Orlando and Tampa that they still have rednecks there and few Spanish there, but I am sure once Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa become one metropolis in 2030 Auburndale won't be the city it is now and the current residents will sell out to avoid being urbanized like most of Central Florida has become.

[SectorZ]

I would think Arcadian French speakers outnumbers English speakers in most of Aroostock County, ME.

As someone who handled auto insurance claims in Maine, and the company I worked for had an agency in Madawaska, I can tell you that I was on with French translators a lot with insureds and claimants in that area. Aroostock county on the whole may not have French speakers outnumbering English, but up in the far northern reaches it certainly does.

[kphoger]

I would think Arcadian French speakers outnumbers English speakers in most of Aroostock County, ME.

As someone who handled auto insurance claims in Maine, and the company I worked for had an agency in Madawaska, I can tell you that I was on with French translators a lot with insureds and claimants in that area. Aroostock county on the whole may not have French speakers outnumbering English, but up in the far northern reaches it certainly does.

13.3% of Aroostook County residents speak a European language that's neither English nor Spanish.
That works out to roughly 9000 people.

[Desert Man]

National Geographic's article on CA's Central valley (Jan 1991) made another prediction of the whole state of CA "may be majority Spanish-speaking by the end of the 20th century". Today, 38% of CA population is Latino, but may be as high as 45%. The Central valley is a babel of many languages brought by immigrants like Armenian, Assyrian, Basque, Cherokee (American "Okies" arrived in CA during the 1930s- such as my Oklahoma-born grandfather, settled in Kern county), Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Dutch, Hmong, Khmer, Punjabi, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. It's not surprising between Turlock and Delano is nicknamed "Mexifornia" from Fresno area native Victor Davis Hansen's 2002 book on the Hispanization or Latinization of Central California he noticed and observed. Also between Red Bluff and Yuba City in Nor Cal has a large Spanish-speaking plurality, esp. the town of Williams in Colusa county has one of CA's most Latino percentages (75%). And Kern county (Arvin at 85%) competes with Eastern LA county and Imperial county (which excludes Coachella) in the most Latinos in CA.

[Bluenoser]

I would think Arcadian French speakers outnumbers English speakers in most of Aroostock County, ME.

As someone who handled auto insurance claims in Maine, and the company I worked for had an agency in Madawaska, I can tell you that I was on with French translators a lot with insureds and claimants in that area. Aroostock county on the whole may not have French speakers outnumbering English, but up in the far northern reaches it certainly does.

And the main cableco for the area carries TVA from Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec and SRC from Moncton, New Brunswick as well; TVA (CIMT) is on cable 11/HD 1239, SRC (CBAFT) on cable 19/HD 1238.

[Roadgeekteen]

Has nobody mentioned Puerto Rico?

[realjd]

Most of Lawrence, Massachusetts (population 76k; 7 square miles) is about 50/50 Spanish and English; it seems like Spanish is slightly more common in and near downtown, although I cannot confirm this, as it seems to be very close to 50/50. Road signs are still entirely in English. Signs displayed inside and outside businesses are often in both languages, and some of them are Spanish only. The Hispanic ethnicities are mostly from the Caribbean, with a lot of them being Dominicans.

Interestingly, there is a sharp divide at I-495; the small section of Lawrence inside* I-495 has almost no Spanish speakers. Friendly's inside I-495 is almost entirely English, while former Denny's outside I-495 and adjacent businesses are closer to 65/35 English/Spanish. Both Friendly's and former Denny's are only a few hundred feet from I-495. This sharp line does not exist to the north; crossing from Lawrence to Methuen does not make a sudden difference; it's a gradual change over several miles.

*"Inside" relative to Boston. I-495 has a curve here that makes "inside" a bit misleading in this area.

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Are there any other areas in the United States that you know of that are not majority English-speaking? It doesn't have to be a full city or town, but it needs to be more than just a city block or a few households. Is there a sharp line, or is it gradual? Is there a specific reason why this area has another language more common, but surrounding areas are not? (I don't know the answer to the last question for Lawrence, MA.)

Miami-Dade County FL is majority Hispanic.  You can live your whole life and not speak English. I have talked to people who are trying to learn English and the have to go out of their way to converse in English

Z981

Yet English only speakers can get along fine. Spanish may be primary in Miami but the younger folks are all bilingual. It’s not like it was 20 years ago.

Edit: I should add I totally don’t care. Diversity, immigration, and the melting pot of cultures is what makes our country so awesome IMO.

[jwolfer]

Most of Lawrence, Massachusetts (population 76k; 7 square miles) is about 50/50 Spanish and English; it seems like Spanish is slightly more common in and near downtown, although I cannot confirm this, as it seems to be very close to 50/50. Road signs are still entirely in English. Signs displayed inside and outside businesses are often in both languages, and some of them are Spanish only. The Hispanic ethnicities are mostly from the Caribbean, with a lot of them being Dominicans.

Interestingly, there is a sharp divide at I-495; the small section of Lawrence inside* I-495 has almost no Spanish speakers. Friendly's inside I-495 is almost entirely English, while former Denny's outside I-495 and adjacent businesses are closer to 65/35 English/Spanish. Both Friendly's and former Denny's are only a few hundred feet from I-495. This sharp line does not exist to the north; crossing from Lawrence to Methuen does not make a sudden difference; it's a gradual change over several miles.

*"Inside" relative to Boston. I-495 has a curve here that makes "inside" a bit misleading in this area.

----

Are there any other areas in the United States that you know of that are not majority English-speaking? It doesn't have to be a full city or town, but it needs to be more than just a city block or a few households. Is there a sharp line, or is it gradual? Is there a specific reason why this area has another language more common, but surrounding areas are not? (I don't know the answer to the last question for Lawrence, MA.)

Miami-Dade County FL is majority Hispanic.  You can live your whole life and not speak English. I have talked to people who are trying to learn English and the have to go out of their way to converse in English

Z981

Yet English only speakers can get along fine. Spanish may be primary in Miami but the younger folks are all bilingual. It's not like it was 20 years ago.

Edit: I should add I totally don't care. Diversity, immigration, and the melting pot of cultures is what makes our country so awesome IMO.

However jobs that involve any kind of public interaction will pass you over if you are not bilingual

Z981

[ftballfan]

Lowell, MA (not far from Lawrence) has a sizable French-speaking community. CKSH (SRC) from Sherbrooke, Quebec is on cable in Lowell.

Augusta and Auburn/Lewiston in Maine get CKSH and CHLT (TVA) on cable, both from Sherbrooke.

[bing101]

http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/monterey-park/

Monterey Park, CA is in the San Gabriel Valley and it is one out of many parts of California where the demographics are mainly from places in Asia and Latin America.

[Road Hog]

Lowell, MA (not far from Lawrence) has a sizable French-speaking community. CKSH (SRC) from Sherbrooke, Quebec is on cable in Lowell.

Augusta and Auburn/Lewiston in Maine get CKSH and CHLT (TVA) on cable, both from Sherbrooke.

Ironically, Sherbrooke is one of the few areas in Quebec with a large Anglophone population.