Chilean American
Encyclopedia
Chilean Americans are United States
citizens or residents of Chile
an origin. They number about 124,116 in 2009.
In 2000, close to 14,000 lived in the states of Florida
and California
, while around 16,330 lived in the states of New York
, New Jersey
, Connecticut
and other New England
states combined.
s during the dictatorship
of Augusto Pinochet
, or for economic reasons. Also, there have been others that have emigrated to seek higher education and career development opportunities.
There are two major reasons why many Chileans have come to the United States
during the last 25 years. The first group, small in number, emigrated because of the political repression of the Pinochet regime. Many of these immigrants are of middle or upper class origin. A significant proportion of them arrived with advanced educations and well-developed skills. They had contacts with other Chilean exiles and a sense of identity from their shared commitment to a democratic Chile. After a period of adjustment, many of them were able to pursue skilled jobs or professions. Unfortunately, others, who lacked skills or whose professional certifications were not recognized in the United States, were forced to take low-level jobs in which they were unable to use their skills. Some had been politically active students or union leaders in Chile who did not enter the United States with easily transferable skills.
The second major arrival into the United States was mainly for economic or academic opportunities. Yet, in general, acquiring a U.S. Visa requires the applicant to have a stable economic background, so most Chileans emigrating to the United States since 1990 have done so mostly for study purposes or to further their academic backgrounds.
Of the 857,781 Chilean expatriates around the globe 13.3% (114,084) live in the United States, 50.1% reside in Argentina, 8.8% in Brazil, 4.9% in Sweden, and around 2% in Australia, with the remaining 20% being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe, particularly the countries of the European Union
.
Most Chileans who come to the United States settle in or around cities. They come from a highly urbanized country and find it compatible to settle in a metropolitan area. Cities provide the jobs they need and the opportunity to interact with other Chileans. They especially gravitate toward California
, New York
, and Florida
because of the large Spanish-speaking population in these areas. Other states with larger number of Chileans include New Jersey
and Texas
. Many Chileans have also settled in North American neighbor Canada
, especially in the cosmopolitan centers of Toronto
and French speaking Montreal
. During the Pinochet regime the Canadian government allowed them special entry visas for humanitarian reasons.
Today, it is for economic or academic rather than political reasons that Chileans emigrate.
Chilean Americans are categorized as Hispanics which are a classified ethnic group that may belong to any race. Included in the group are White Hispanics, mainly Mexican Americans, who comprise a plurality of 48% of U.S. Hispanics. Many Chilean Americans self report their ancestry as white. It follows Chile's own ethnography
, where White
s of European
ancestry form a large group along with Mestizos. Chile, like the United States, is a melting pot of different nationalities. However, unlike Americans, Chileans strictly identify themselves by place of birth and the use of hyphenated national origin is non-existent.
Chile is "far away and does not share borders with the United States, immigrants cannot simply cross a border to enter the country. They must save money and work hard to get here," creating a situation where those who can afford to leave their countries may belong to the upper and upper-middle classes or at least have the legal means to access a visa
into the United States, which requires a stable economic background.
since the 1850s gold rush
. Not all Chileans made it to the gold fields. Some remained in San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton
where they frequently worked as bricklayers, bakers, or seamen. Some with capital established themselves in various businesses, particularly the importation of flour and mining equipment from Chile. In the cities most tended to congregate and live in specific areas in the poorer sections of town. In the gold fields they lived in separate camp sites. In the summer of 1849 Chileans constituted the major element in the population of Sonora
. Chileans frequently worked their mines as group efforts. When the placer gold ran out around Sonora the Chileans were some of the first miners in California to extract gold from quartz.
The descendants of these Chileno Forty-Niners can not only be proud of the achievements of their forefathers but of their own: Entrepreneurs, judges, congressmen and other people who have left their tracks in the History of the State. Many of the San Francisco Streets carry names of former residents of Chile: Atherton, Ellis, Lick, Larkin and others. Chilean women also left their names: Mina and Clementina. Manuel Briseño, an early journalist in the mines was one of the founders of the San Diego Union
. Juan Evangelista Reyes was a Sacramento pioneer as were the Luco brothers. Luis Felipe Ramírez was one of the City Fathers in Marysville
. The Leiva family owned at one time, much of the land in Marin County, including Fort Ross. Chileans integrated quickly and like their "Little Chiles," they were soon absorbed by the ever-growing State of California, becoming part of the mainstream of the present population of the Golden State.
Every mining town had its own Chilecito or little Chile. Historical remnants of those settlements influenced the names of locations such as Chileno Valley
in Marin County, Chili Gulch
in Calaveras
and Chili Bar in Placer
which was named after Chilean road builders. Names of Chilean towns and places are often found in the names of streets in Northern California: Valparaiso, Santiago, and Calera.
It is disputed that famous Californio
or Spanish/Mexican Californian bandit Joaquin Murrieta
may have been born in Chile, and his mother was of Cherokee
Indian ancestry whose family settled in Chile in the late 18th century. Chilean poet Pablo Neruda
published the play Fulgor y Muerte de Joaquin Murieta and used literary license to expand on the lack of unanimity about Murieta's origins to create a martyred Chilean Robin Hood
. Another source claims that Murieta's national origin was changed from Mexican to Chilean after various transcontinental and translated reprints.
Because of their geographic location pertaining to the settlements associated with the California Gold Rush
Chileans played an integral part in the foundation of cities such as Belmont, San Carlos, and Menlo Park (San Mateo County
) in the 1800s. San Francisco's landmark North Beach neighborhood was previously the "Little Santiago" neighborhood.Other cities like Beverly Hills
, Long Beach
, Palm Desert
(Coachella Valley
), Sacramento
, San Diego and Santa Ana, California
(Orange County
) have small but prevalent Chilean-American communities.
In 1975 Chilean exiles of the Agusto Pinochet dictatorship established La Peña Cultural Center
in Berkeley, California
, which is to this day the largest Chilean cultural center in the United States.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens or residents of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an origin. They number about 124,116 in 2009.
In 2000, close to 14,000 lived in the states of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, while around 16,330 lived in the states of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and other New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states combined.
Motives of Immigration
Most Chilean immigration to the U.S. has occurred largely within the last 25 years. For the most part, Chileans left as either political asylees and refugeeRefugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s during the dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
, or for economic reasons. Also, there have been others that have emigrated to seek higher education and career development opportunities.
There are two major reasons why many Chileans have come to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the last 25 years. The first group, small in number, emigrated because of the political repression of the Pinochet regime. Many of these immigrants are of middle or upper class origin. A significant proportion of them arrived with advanced educations and well-developed skills. They had contacts with other Chilean exiles and a sense of identity from their shared commitment to a democratic Chile. After a period of adjustment, many of them were able to pursue skilled jobs or professions. Unfortunately, others, who lacked skills or whose professional certifications were not recognized in the United States, were forced to take low-level jobs in which they were unable to use their skills. Some had been politically active students or union leaders in Chile who did not enter the United States with easily transferable skills.
The second major arrival into the United States was mainly for economic or academic opportunities. Yet, in general, acquiring a U.S. Visa requires the applicant to have a stable economic background, so most Chileans emigrating to the United States since 1990 have done so mostly for study purposes or to further their academic backgrounds.
Of the 857,781 Chilean expatriates around the globe 13.3% (114,084) live in the United States, 50.1% reside in Argentina, 8.8% in Brazil, 4.9% in Sweden, and around 2% in Australia, with the remaining 20% being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe, particularly the countries of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Most Chileans who come to the United States settle in or around cities. They come from a highly urbanized country and find it compatible to settle in a metropolitan area. Cities provide the jobs they need and the opportunity to interact with other Chileans. They especially gravitate toward California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
because of the large Spanish-speaking population in these areas. Other states with larger number of Chileans include New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Many Chileans have also settled in North American neighbor Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, especially in the cosmopolitan centers of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and French speaking Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. During the Pinochet regime the Canadian government allowed them special entry visas for humanitarian reasons.
Today, it is for economic or academic rather than political reasons that Chileans emigrate.
Chilean American population profile
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Chilean Americans are categorized as Hispanics which are a classified ethnic group that may belong to any race. Included in the group are White Hispanics, mainly Mexican Americans, who comprise a plurality of 48% of U.S. Hispanics. Many Chilean Americans self report their ancestry as white. It follows Chile's own ethnography
Demographics of Chile
This article is about the demographic features of Chile, including population density, ethnicity, economic status and other aspects of the population....
, where White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
s of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
ancestry form a large group along with Mestizos. Chile, like the United States, is a melting pot of different nationalities. However, unlike Americans, Chileans strictly identify themselves by place of birth and the use of hyphenated national origin is non-existent.
Chile is "far away and does not share borders with the United States, immigrants cannot simply cross a border to enter the country. They must save money and work hard to get here," creating a situation where those who can afford to leave their countries may belong to the upper and upper-middle classes or at least have the legal means to access a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
into the United States, which requires a stable economic background.
Chilean American history
Chileans and other South Americans had long been present in the state of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
since the 1850s gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. Not all Chileans made it to the gold fields. Some remained in San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
where they frequently worked as bricklayers, bakers, or seamen. Some with capital established themselves in various businesses, particularly the importation of flour and mining equipment from Chile. In the cities most tended to congregate and live in specific areas in the poorer sections of town. In the gold fields they lived in separate camp sites. In the summer of 1849 Chileans constituted the major element in the population of Sonora
Sonora, California
Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,903, up from 4,423 at the 2000 census. Sonora is the only incorporated community in Tuolumne County.-Geography:...
. Chileans frequently worked their mines as group efforts. When the placer gold ran out around Sonora the Chileans were some of the first miners in California to extract gold from quartz.
The descendants of these Chileno Forty-Niners can not only be proud of the achievements of their forefathers but of their own: Entrepreneurs, judges, congressmen and other people who have left their tracks in the History of the State. Many of the San Francisco Streets carry names of former residents of Chile: Atherton, Ellis, Lick, Larkin and others. Chilean women also left their names: Mina and Clementina. Manuel Briseño, an early journalist in the mines was one of the founders of the San Diego Union
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
. Juan Evangelista Reyes was a Sacramento pioneer as were the Luco brothers. Luis Felipe Ramírez was one of the City Fathers in Marysville
Marysville, California
Marysville is the county seat of Yuba County, California, United States. The population was 12,072 at the 2010 census, down from 12,268 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistical Area, often referred to as the Yuba-Sutter Area after the two counties, Yuba and...
. The Leiva family owned at one time, much of the land in Marin County, including Fort Ross. Chileans integrated quickly and like their "Little Chiles," they were soon absorbed by the ever-growing State of California, becoming part of the mainstream of the present population of the Golden State.
Every mining town had its own Chilecito or little Chile. Historical remnants of those settlements influenced the names of locations such as Chileno Valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
in Marin County, Chili Gulch
Chili Gulch
Chili Gulch is a gulch in Calaveras County, California. This five-mile gulch was the richest placer mining section in Calaveras County. It received its name from Chileans who worked it in 1848 and 1849, and was the scene of the so-called Chilean War...
in Calaveras
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
and Chili Bar in Placer
Placer County, California
Placer County is a county located in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions of the U.S. state of California, in what is known as the Gold Country. It stretches from the suburbs of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. Because of the expansion of the Greater Sacramento,...
which was named after Chilean road builders. Names of Chilean towns and places are often found in the names of streets in Northern California: Valparaiso, Santiago, and Calera.
It is disputed that famous Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
or Spanish/Mexican Californian bandit Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...
may have been born in Chile, and his mother was of Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Indian ancestry whose family settled in Chile in the late 18th century. Chilean poet Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
published the play Fulgor y Muerte de Joaquin Murieta and used literary license to expand on the lack of unanimity about Murieta's origins to create a martyred Chilean Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. Another source claims that Murieta's national origin was changed from Mexican to Chilean after various transcontinental and translated reprints.
Because of their geographic location pertaining to the settlements associated with the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
Chileans played an integral part in the foundation of cities such as Belmont, San Carlos, and Menlo Park (San Mateo County
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
) in the 1800s. San Francisco's landmark North Beach neighborhood was previously the "Little Santiago" neighborhood.Other cities like Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, Palm Desert
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
(Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
), Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, San Diego and Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
(Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
) have small but prevalent Chilean-American communities.
In 1975 Chilean exiles of the Agusto Pinochet dictatorship established La Peña Cultural Center
La Peña Cultural Center
La Peña Cultural Center is the main Chilean-American culture center in the United States. It opened in 1975 and has been operated by the same two expats since in the Ashby neighborhood in Berkeley, California...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, which is to this day the largest Chilean cultural center in the United States.
US communities with high percentages of people of Chilean ancestry
The top 25 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Chilean ancestry (and/or born in Chile) are:- Sleepy Hollow, NYSleepy Hollow, New YorkSleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
3.7% - Manorhaven, NY 2.7%
- West Echols, GA 2.5%
- Oyster Bay, NY 2.3%
- Locust Valley, NY 2.2%
- Mill Neck, NYMill Neck, New YorkMill Neck is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mill Neck is located at .The highest point of Mill Neck is Mill Hill....
2.0% - Youngsville, NC 1.9%
- Mission Bay, FL 1.8%
- Doral, FL 1.8%
- Hoonah, AK 1.8%
- Beatyestown, NJ 1.8%
- Forest Home, NYForest Home, New YorkForest Home is a census-designated place in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census.The community of Forest Home is in the Town of Ithaca, northeast of the City of Ithaca and north of Cornell University....
1.8% - Victory Gardens, NJ 1.8%
- Morenci, AZ 1.7%
- South Palm Beach, FL 1.7%
- Juno Ridge, FL 1.6%
- Dover, NJ 1.5%
- Fountainbleau, FL 1.4%
- Placid Lakes, FL 1.3%
- Ellenville, NY 1.3%
- Falcon Lake Estates, TX 1.2%
- North Westside, FL 1.2%
- Briarcliff, TX 1.2%
- Scottsville, VA 1.2%
- The Crossings, FL 1.2%
Chilean American population centres
- (United States Census Bureau, 2006)
- California: 13,550 (estimates to 20,000).
- San Francisco/San José Bay Area (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma counties): 4,500-5,000 (estimated).
- Alameda County: 719
- Contra Costa County: estimated at 2,000
- Marin County: 405
- Napa County: 385
- Santa Clara County: 775
- San Francisco County: 2,473
- San Mateo County: 574
- Solano County: 500
- Sonoma County: estimated at 1,500
- Los Angeles County: 5,508
- City of Los Angeles: 2,736
- Orange County: 1,052
- Riverside County : estimated at 1,500
- Sacramento County: estimated at 1,000
- San Bernardino County: 483
- San Diego County: 867
- Santa Barbara County: 605
- Ventura County: 258
- San Francisco/San José Bay Area (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma counties): 4,500-5,000 (estimated).
- Arizona: 500
- Colorado: 740
- Connecticut: 1,264
- Florida: 13,400
- Miami-Dade County: 7,910
- City of Miami: 939
- City of Miami Beach: 623
- City of Hialeah: 611
- Miami-Dade County: 7,910
- Georgia: 872
- Illinois: 1,727
- City of Chicago: 640
- Maryland: 2,316
- Massachusetts: 1,750
- Michigan: 660
- Minnesota: 499
- Missouri: 303
- Nevada: 697
- New Jersey: 5,129
- New York: 9,937
- New York City: 5,014
- North Carolina: 924
- Ohio: 616
- Oklahoma: 500
- Oregon: 607
- Pennsylvania: 1,162
- Puerto Rico: 582
- Texas: 2,934
- Dallas County: 329
- Houston: 475
- Utah: 1,504 (This number seems too low - in 2000 there were 1,405 Chilean-born individuals living in Utah - a figure that doesn't even include American-born individuals of Chilean ancestry) .)
- Virginia: 2,040
- Washington: 1,229
- Wisconsin: 444
- District of Columbia: estimated at 1,000.
Notable Chilean Americans
- Stanford professor Fernando AlegriaFernando AlegríaFernando Alegría was a Chilean poet, writer, literary critic and scholar.-Biography:Alegría was born in Santiago, Chile and grew up in the Independencia barrio of the city. Poets from this barrio include Pablo Neruda, Violeta Parra and Volodia Teitelboim.He received an M.A. from Bowling Green...
. - Isabel AllendeIsabel AllendeIsabel Allende Llona is a Chilean writer with American citizenship. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the "magic realist" tradition, is famous for novels such as The House of the Spirits and City of the Beasts , which have been commercially successful...
, Chilean writer. - Fernando AlvarezFernando AlvarezFernando Enrique Alvarez is an Argentine macroeconomist. He is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago. He received his B.A. in Economics at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in 1989 and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1994...
, famed jockey. - Tom ArayaTom ArayaTom Araya is a Chilean musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the American thrash metal band Slayer...
of the popular thrash metalThrash metalThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band SlayerSlayerSlayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
was born in Chile. - Claudio ArrauClaudio ArrauClaudio Arrau León was a Chilean pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning from the baroque to 20th-century composers, especially Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and Debussy...
, pianist. - Felipe Bazar, US Navy hero.
- HeroesHeroes (TV series)Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
actor Santiago CabreraSantiago CabreraSantiago Cabrera is a Chilean actor, most known for his role as the character Isaac Mendez in the television series Heroes and as Lancelot in the BBC drama series Merlin...
. - Singer Beto CuevasBeto CuevasLuis Alberto "Beto" Cuevas Olmedo is the former lead singer of the now-defunct Chilean rock band, La Ley. He grew up in Montréal, Quebec, and is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. He was born in Santiago, Chile, and now resides in Los Angeles and is pursuing a solo career.-Biography:His...
- Actress Cote de PabloCote de PabloMaría José de Pablo Fernández, better known as Coté de Pablo , is a Chilean-American actress and recording artist. De Pablo has won an ALMA Award for her role as NCIS Special Agent Ziva David in the television series NCIS...
. - Boxer Patricia DemickPatricia DemickPatricia Demick is a female boxer who made history by becoming Chile's first world boxing champion ever, including male boxing....
. - Famed jockey Ruperto Donoso.
- Educator, activist, and author Ariel DorfmanAriel DorfmanVladimiro Ariel Dorfman is an Argentine-Chilean novelist, playwright, essayist, academic, and human rights activist. A citizen of the United States since 2004, he has been a professor of literature and Latin American Studies at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina since 1985.-Personal...
. - Frank J. DuarteF. J. DuarteF. J. Duarte is a laser physicist and author/editor of several well-known books on tunable lasers. He introduced the generalized multiple-prism dispersion theory and has discovered various multiple-prism grating oscillator laser configurations...
, laser physicist and author. - Academic and Economist Sebastian EdwardsSebastian EdwardsSebastian Edwards is an international economist, professor, speaker, and consultant. He is currently the Henry Ford II Professor of International Business Economics at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles...
. - Julio M. FernandezJulio M. FernandezJulio M. Fernandez is Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences Columbia University.Fernandez studied physics in Chile, then did his PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles. He did post-doctorate work in Los Angeles and Germany. In 1987 he became professor at the Department of...
, biologist. - Comedian Pablo FranciscoPablo FranciscoPablo Ridson Francisco is an American stand-up comedian of Chilean origin. He started his career doing improv in Tempe, Arizona.-Career:...
. - Alberto FuguetAlberto FuguetAlberto Fuguet de Goyeneche is a popular Chilean writer, journalist, film critic and film director who rose to critical prominence in the 1990s as part of the movement known as the New Chilean Narrative. Although he was born in Santiago, he spent his first 13 years of life in Encino, California...
, writer and film director. - LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
actor Jorge GarciaJorge GarciaJorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born...
. - Sportscaster and actress Lisa GuerreroLisa GuerreroLisa Coles Guerrero is an American sportscaster, actress, host and model. The Los Angeles Times has called Guerrero the 'hardest working sports reporter'. The Hispanic Business Journal named her one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in America. President George W...
. - Mario Kreutzberger AKA, Don Francisco, of US Latino TV fame.
- Gonzalo LiraGonzalo LiraGonzalo Lira is an American novelist, filmmaker and economic blogger born in Burbank, CaliforniaHe is the son of Gonzalo Lira Valdés and María Isabel López Hess; he is a descendant of José Miguel Carrera,. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, New York City, and Miami, as well as Guayaquil,...
, cinematographer. - Los AbandonedLos AbandonedLos Abandoned was an American alternative rock band from the Los Angeles, California area. The band's lyrics were in Spanish and English, or a combination of the two known as Spanglish...
, Chilean American rock band from Van Nuys, California - Claudio MirandaClaudio MirandaClaudio Miranda, ASC is a Chilean cinematographer best known as the director of photography on David Fincher's film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the first entirely digitally filmed movie nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and an American Society of Cinematographers...
, novelist and filmmaker. - Nicole "Snooki" PolizziNicole PolizziNicole Elizabeth "Snooki" Polizzi is an American reality television personality who appeared on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore starting in 2009.- Early life :Polizzi was born in Santiago, Chile...
, Chilean American reality television personality. - Comedian Horatio SanzHoratio SanzHoratio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
of the comedy program SNL. - Mercedes Valdivieso, Chilean writer and Rice University professor.
- Academic Arturo Valenzuela.
- Francisca ValenzuelaFrancisca ValenzuelaFrancisca Valenzuela is an American born Chilean singer, songwriter, poet, instrumentalist, and composer of Pop and Rock songs. She was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where she resided until the age of 12, before moving to Chile. She is considered to be one of the singing...
, Chilean poet, singer, songwriter, and pianist. - Actress Leonor VarelaLeonor VarelaLeonor Varela Palma is a Chilean actress, and model. She played the character Cleopatra in the 1999 film Cleopatra...
- Academic Andres VelascoAndrés VelascoAndrés Velasco Brañes is an economist and professor. He served as the Finance Minister of Chile from March 2006 to March 2010, the complete presidential period of Michelle Bachelet.- Biography :...
. - Director Alexander Witt.
See also
- Demographics of ChileDemographics of ChileThis article is about the demographic features of Chile, including population density, ethnicity, economic status and other aspects of the population....
- Chilean British
- Chilean AustralianChilean AustralianChilean Australians are Australians of Chilean descent or Chileans who have obtained Australian citizenship. In Australia, Chilean Australians are the biggest group of Latin American origin residing in the nation. The biggest Chilean Australian communities are primarily found in Sydney and Melbourne...
- List of Chileans
External links
- Historical Text Archive History of Chileans and the California Gold Rush
- Rosales and the Chilean miners in California PBS American Experience the Gold Rush
- Cámara Chileno Norteamericana de Comercio (AMCHAM) Chilean American Chamber of Commerce
- The Avalon Project (Yale Law School) Chilean Diplomacy
- La Peña Cultural Center a major Chilean community and political activism center in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
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