History of Mexican Americans in Dallas–Fort Worth
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There is a rapidly growing Mexican-American population in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
As of 2002[update] people of Mexican origins made up 80% of the Hispanics and Latinos in the DFW area.[1]
History
[edit]Sol Villasana, the author of Dallas's Little Mexico, wrote that "Mexicans have been part of Dallas since its beginning."[2] In the 1870s the first significant groups of Mexicans came to Dallas as railroad lines were constructed. Additional Mexicans settled Dallas as a result of the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910.[2]
According to the 1920 U.S. Census, 3,378 Mexicans lived in Dallas.[3] In the early 20th century, wealthier Mexicans lived in Little Mexico and in the historical red-light area of Dallas north of Downtown, while less wealthy immigrants lived along railroad yards.[2] Caroline B. Brettell, author of '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis,' wrote that as of 1920 the majority of Dallas's Mexicans "were living in atrocious conditions."[3]
After World War II Little Mexico began to disintegrate.[4]
The Murder of Santos Rodriguez occurred in 1973.
In 2009 the City of Dallas began pursuing an EB-5 investment program, attracting wealthier Mexicans. By 2012 there was a wave of wealthy Mexican immigration, due to the program, the proximity and access of Mexico to North Texas, and the violence of the Mexican drug war.[5]
Demographics
[edit]As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 71% of the foreign-born residents of Dallas originated in Mexico, as were 64% of the foreign-born residents of McKinney, and 22% of the foreign-born residents of Plano.[6] 25% Of Foreign Born residents of Carrollton
Education
[edit]Rapid growth of the Hispanic community in the last decade has now made them majority in a fair share of school districts in the DFW area. These school districts include: Dallas ISD, Fort Worth ISD, Arlington ISD, Irving ISD, Richardson ISD, Mesquite ISD, Garland ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. [7]
Geography
[edit]As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 63% of the ethnic Mexicans in Dallas County resided in the Dallas city limits. Many Mexicans in Dallas live in lower income housing, especially in South Dallas.[6] As of 2002[update] the Mexican population lived in various parts of the DFW area, with concentrations in West Dallas, Oak Cliff, and Arlington.[1]
As of 2000 there was a large group of ethnic Mexicans living north of Arlington in an area south of Interstate 30, and a smaller group in the cities between Dallas and Fort Worth south of U.S. Highway 183.[6]
Economy
[edit]As of 2012 there are about 20 daily flights between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Mexico.[5]
El Fenix, a Tex-Mex restaurant chain, was established by Mike Martinez, a Mexican American. It was established on September 15, 1918. Christina Rosales of The Dallas Morning News wrote that it "has been credited with starting the Tex-Mex craze in the U.S."[8]
Pizza Patrón, headquartered in Dallas, markets itself to Mexican American families.[9] It was established by Antonio Swad, a person not of Mexican origins.
Notable residents
[edit]- Selena Gomez (actress & singer)[10] - Raised in Grand Prairie,[11] lived in Fort Worth[12]
- Demi Lovato (singer & actress) - Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico; raised in Dallas[13]
- Omar Gonzalez (soccer player)
- Roberto Marroquin (boxer)
- Fernando Rodríguez (boxer)
- Santos Rodriguez (murder victim)
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- Brettell, Caroline B. '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis' (Chapter 3). In: Singer, Audrey, Susan Wiley Hardwick, and Caroline Brettell. Twenty-First Century Gateways: Immigrant Incorporation in Suburban America (James A. Johnson metro series). Brookings Institution Press, 2009. ISBN 9780815779285. Start p. 53.
- Villasana, Sol. Dallas's Little Mexico (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9780738579795.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Chavira, Ricardo (2002-03-31). "Mexicans making mark in new world". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 2002-08-10. Retrieved 2018-08-03. - Spanish version "Necesidad económica incita la creciente inmigración mexicana al área de Dallas"
- ^ a b c Villasana, p. 7.
- ^ a b Brettell, p. 56.
- ^ Villasana, p. 8.
- ^ a b Corchado, Alfredo. "High-end migrants from Mexico lead new wave to Dallas area" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. November 24, 2012. Updated November 25, 2012. Retrieved on September 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c Brettell, p. 61.
- ^ Entries, Random (2013-08-04). "Dallas, Texas Area School Information: 2012 School District Demographics - Dallas-Fort Worth area". Dallas, Texas Area School Information. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
- ^ Rosales, Christina. "Dallas-based El Fenix restaurants celebrate 93 years of Tex-Mex tradition." The Dallas Morning News. September 20, 2011. Updated September 21, 2011. Retrieved on September 21, 2014.
- ^ Meraji, Marisol Shereen. "Pizza Chain That Markets To Mexicans Says New Promotion Isn't Profane" (Archive). National Public Radio. March 15, 2014. Retrieved on September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Selena Gomez Wants to Learn Spanish and Is Proud of Her Mexican Heritage 'Now More Than Ever'". People. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
- ^ Ortega, Courtney (2018-01-08). "Selena Gomez makes surprise visit to childhood home in Grand Prairie". Star Telegram. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
- ^ Philpot, Robert (2018-10-12). "Selena Gomez's Fort Worth house finally sold — during a tough week for the singer". Star Telegram. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 15, 2009). "Tween Princess, Tweaked". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
Further reading
[edit]- Adler, Rachel H. Yucatecans in Dallas, Texas: Breaching the Border, Bridging the Distance. Routledge (Second edition: July 10, 2007 - ISBN 978-0205521029)
- Cordell, Dennis D. (Southern Methodist University) and Manuel Garcia y Griego (University of Texas at Arlington). "THE INTEGRATION OF NIGERIAN AND MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS IN DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS" (Archive) - International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) XXV International Population Conference, 2005. Working paper.
- Watson, Walter T. "Mexicans in Dallas." Southwest Review 22 (1937): p. 406.
- Cloer, Katherine. Advisor: Roberto R. Calderon. "A champion for the Chicano community: Anita N. Martínez and her contributions to the city of Dallas, 1969–1973 (master's degree thesis)." ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2011. Information page
- Cuellar, Carlos Eliseo. "Stories from the barrios: A history of Mexican Fort Worth" (PhD dissertation, Texas Christian University; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1998. 9832809).
- "Mexican Migration: Families Fuel Population Boom." The Dallas Morning News.
- "The Mexican Invasion". D Magazine. February 2007.
- Hardwik, Reginald (2012-09-20). "DFW Ranks Sixth For U.S. Hispanic Population". NBC DFW.
- "'Mexicans Are Everywhere!'". 29 August 2011.
External links
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