Latino Pittsburgh!
[Music Plays] We have everything in Spanish!
It is an extremely exciting time!
A time in the Pittsburgh region when finally [Speaking Spanish] We’re hearing Spanish more often.
We’re enjoying authentic Mexican food and welcoming more and more Latino neighbors.
Pittsburgh so far compared to similar sized cities, has had a next to nothing Latino population.
But that is changing the jurisdiction, says Lourdes Sanchez Ridge, a respected attorney at a large downtown firm and a board member of the Greater Pittsburgh Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
It is the only growing ethnic population.
It is the only growing population in western Pennsylvania.
What are the numbers?
Well, the last real numbers that we have is, of course, the census.
And that was the 2000 census.
At that time, there were about a little bit over 17,000 people in the metropolitan area.
Now we don’t have the numbers, but I know there has been some studies as far as the birth rate here in Allegheny County and has tripled in the past two years.
I believe it’s two years.
And lik I said, you just you just go out and you can see and hear a lot of Spanish being spoken.
So it’s just in the it’s just in the atmosphere, you know, that they’re there.
And for Sanchez, rich growing the Latino cultur and population here is personal.
She was born under the Communist grip in Cuba.
I lived there for six years.
My parents actually attempted to leave the country before I was even conceived, and I came when I was six.
We settled in Miami and there my parents worked.
From the moment they got here, we came with one suitcase for four people and that was it.
Sanchez Rich graduated from law school, got married, and she and her husband are raising a family in suburban Pittsburgh.
I’m from believer of the American dream, and now I’m an attorney.
My brother is a cardiothoracic surgeon in Connecticut, and it’s great.
I’m the most patriotic person you will ever see.
And she believes Latinos of any ethnic background can come to the Pittsburgh region to find the American dream.
And if Pittsburgh’s Beach View neighborhood is any indication, many are finding success.
Not only has beach views seen a sharp increase in Hispanic neighbors, but take a look.
There are several authentic markets here.
This is one of the first!
Including the Jimenez market, owned by Saul Franco Jimenez.
We saw all the Mexican style that you cannot find in Pittsburgh.
Jimenezs market, offers only authentic Mexican merchandise, canned goods, sauces, specialty peppers, pinatas hanging from the ceiling.
There are videos and books.
It’s all in Spanish.
So this is the bread you were talking about.
See, it’s like pastry.
Like the song called Conchas.
Called Conchas.
This is like a gun.
It’s like a cake.
Like this is like a ho ho, right?
Yeah, yeah.
What is that?
Bimbolete in Mexico.
Well, we call a native of Guerrero, Mexico he mentions has become so successful here.
He’s just started another business here in Squirrel Hill, an authentic Mexican restaurant called Mi Mexico.
He prepares what’s called a tortoise.
It’s a grilled Mexican roll filled with chorizo.
That’s spicy Mexican sausage.
It’s toppe with jalapeno, avocado and more.
And if that’s not authentic enough, take a look inside.
Cows tongue tacos.
Yeah!
This is steam goats.
Steam Goats?!
Yes!
Can you make tacos with that?
Yes!
He says when he arrived in Pittsburgh ten years ago, there were only about 50 Mexican Americans living here.
And he knew every single one of them.
Not anymore!
Do you feel it’s growing?
Oh, definitely.
How do you know?
Because every year I got new customers, and I used to know a lot of them.
And now everybody can’t.
I don’t know all of them.
And every year, it’s more new and new people.
Why do you think they’re moving to Pittsburgh?
I would say because a lot of people are moving from Columbus, Chicago because it’s too crowded back there.
It’s not many jobs.
And right here because it’s growing.
They can find job really easy.
Are Latinos finding jobs in Pittsburgh?
Yeah, they’re finding along with Beach View in the city of Pittsburgh.
The growing Latino populatio is being seen in Washington, PA, Canonsburg, Washington County, New Kensington, Westmoreland County, among other local cities and towns.
If you know the Hispanic culture we’re very driven by the family.
We’re very family based.
And once one person moves, they bring their brother and they bring their sister and they bring everybody else.
So that is how it’s been growing.
A little by little.
But actually now it’s not so little now.
Now we’re seeing every time.
I remember coming in here when I first moved here 15 years ago, you couldn’t see anybody or you can hear any Spanish being spoken anywhere.
[Speaking Spanish] And local companies like PNC are not only planning for an increased Latino population.
[Speaking Spanish] It’s Spanish speaking.
Phone center has been up and running for eight years now in an office space in the U.S.
steel tower downtown [Speaking Spanish] phone center services markets including Pittsburgh, where PNC does business.
I started working for the bank, and we realized that there was a growing Hispanic population only here in Pittsburgh, but throughout the country, and calls were coming into our call center in Spanish, and we wanted to make a department that was able to service that community.
More than 13% of the American population is Latino.
Across the state, in Philadelphia, for example, 11% more than 20% in some cities, similar in size to Pittsburgh and in the Pittsburgh region.
While it is grown, Latino population here is a little shy of 2% for the first time.
But Sanchez Ridge believes if local leaders do more to attract this population.
And while Latinos already here reach out to welcome others, a growing Latin population can become the key to turning around.
The Pittsburgh region’s overall population decline.
It will grow.
It will take a very long time, though.
We’re not going to see this be another Miami or obviously California explosion.
There won’t be an explosion.
Luckily, because we have time now to set up this framework, I believe that it will be something that that will enrich the lives of people here in this community.
And not only that, Michael, but there’s 41 million Hispanics here in the United States.
And in five years, they estimate there will be 56 million.
And right now the Hispanic population spending $700 million.
And in five years they will be spending $1 trillion.
Why can’t Pittsburgh get part of that trillion dollars?
It’s not just the Hispanics here in Pittsburgh.
We need to reach out to other Hispanics, and they’re buying power to get that money in here to it’s Pittsburgh, a good place for Latinos.
Yes, there can be a good plac if they make the right decisions and have the right choices.
[Music Plays] Jimenez says he’s finding lifelong Pittsburgh residents are embracing their new neighbors and, of course, his authentic food.
I want something authentic and I like the tacos being soft.
I like the avocado fresh.
I like being all types of meat.
Authentic!
Absolutely authentic!
Now we’re seeing a whole lot more, and I just want to raise the awareness that that it is important to have diversity.
And it’s such a rich culture!