Dominican American - History

History

Immigration records of Dominicans in the United States date from the late 16th century, and New York City has had a Dominican community since the 1930s. The first immigrant to New York City has been identified by scholars at City University — and politicians at City Hall have already named a swath of upper Broadway in his honor.

Sailor-turned-merchant Juan Rodriguez arrived downtown in 1613 from his home on the island now known as the Dominican Republic, making him the first visitor to spend a night in Manhattan, researchers say.

He also became the first non-Indian to settle permanently in the city, the first Dominican resident, the first Latino and the first settler with African blood, according to the City University of New York’s Dominican Studies Institute. From the 1960s onward, after the fall of the dictatorship of General Rafael Trujillo, large waves of emigrants have thoroughly transnationalized the Dominican Republic, metaphorically blurring its frontier with the United States. With increased emigration, Dominican diaspora communities have sprouted in New York, New Jersey, Miami, Philadelphia, Providence, and Boston. Smaller waves of emigrants have settled in the metropolitan areas of Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Houston; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; Kansas City; Orlando; Buffalo; and New Orleans. Dominican emigrant communities have similar settlement patterns to that of the Puerto Rican population.