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{{short description|Americans of Chilean birth or descent}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
|group = Chilean American(s)<br> <small>''Chileno-estadounidense(s)'', <br>''Chileno-norteamericano(s)''
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
|image = <div style="white-space:nowrap;">]]]<br>]]]
{{Infobox ethnic group
|caption = <small>] • ] • ]<br>
| native_name = <small>''Chilean-American''</small>{{·}}<small>''Chilenoamericanos''</small>
] • ] • ] </small>
| population = '''172,062''' (2018)<ref name=ACS-B03001-2018>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=B03001%3A%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO%20ORIGIN%20BY%20SPECIFIC%20ORIGIN&g=&lastDisplayedRow=30&table=B03001&tid=ACSDT1Y2018.B03001&hidePreview=true|title=B03001 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN - United States - 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|date=July 1, 2018 |publisher=] |access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref><br>0.05% of the U.S. population (2018)<ref name=ACS-B03001-2018>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=B03001%3A%20HISPANIC%20OR%20LATINO%20ORIGIN%20BY%20SPECIFIC%20ORIGIN&g=&lastDisplayedRow=30&table=B03001&tid=ACSDT1Y2018.B03001&hidePreview=true|title=B03001 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN - United States - 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|date=July 1, 2018 |publisher=] |access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref>
|poptime = '''Chilean'''<br/>'''68,849 Americans'''
| popplace = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
|-
| langs = ], ]
|popplace = ]{{·}}]{{·}}]{{·}}]{{·}}]
|langs = ]{{·}}] | rels = ], ]
| related = ], ],<br/>]
|rels = {{·}}] (Predominantly){{·}}]{{·}}]{{·}}] {{·}} ] {{·}} ]
}}
|related = ]{{·}}]{{·}}]{{·}}]{{·}}others}}
{{Hispanic and Latino Americans|right}} {{Hispanic and Latino Americans|right}}


'''Chilean Americans''' ({{langx|es|'''chileno-americanos'''}}, '''''chileno-estadounidenses''''', {{lang|es|'''norteamericanos de origen chileno'''}} or {{lang|es|'''estadounidenses de origen chileno'''}}) are ] who have full or partial origin from ].
'''Chilean Americans''' are ] of ]an descent. They number in 68,849, of whom close to 14,000 live in the states of ] and ], while around 16,330 live in the states of ], ], ] and other ] states combined.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C16000US0660620&_street=&_county=richmond%2C+contra+costa&_cityTown=richmond%2C+contra+costa&_state=04000US06&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=040&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=416&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1160&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1160%3A416&_keyword=&_industry= |title=United States - Select a Race, Ethnic, or Ancestry Group - American FactFinder}}</ref>


According to the 2010 ], the population of Chilean ancestry was 126,810. Chilean Americans are the fourth smallest ] group from South America, and the fifth smallest overall. Most Chileans migrating to the United States settle in metropolitan areas. Chilean Americans live mainly in the ], ], ], ] and the ] metropolitan areas. There are significant communities found in ] in ]; ]; ]; and ]. After the 1960s, Chileans began to immigrate more for economic or academic rather than political reasons, and that continues into the modern day.
==Motives of emigration==
Most Chilean immigration to the U.S. has occurred largely within the last 25 years.<ref name="Chilean Americans"></ref> For the most part, Chileans left as either ] and ]s during the ] of ], or for economic reasons. Also, there have been others that have emigrated to seek higher education and career development opportunities.


== History ==
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 transferrable skills.<ref name="Chilean Americans"/>
Chileans and other South Americans have been present in the state of ] since the ]. Not all Chileans made it to the gold fields. Some remained in ], ], ], and ] 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 majority of the population of ]. Chileans frequently worked their mines as group efforts. When the placer gold ran out around Sonora the Chileans were amongst the first miners in California to extract gold from quartz.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inn-california.com/Articles/history/chileancalifornia.html|title=Chileans in California|website=Inn-california.com|access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref> Historical remnants of those settlements influenced the names of locations such as ] in ], ] in ] and ] in ] 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://chileabroad.gov.cl/san-francisco/en/ |title=Consulado General de Chile en San Francisco |access-date=2013-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105112642/http://chileabroad.gov.cl/san-francisco/en |archive-date=2013-11-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://raftwet.com/American-river-rafting.html|title=American River Rafting – Information, Descriptions, Resources and Conservation W.E.T. River Trips|website=Raftweb.com|access-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823193054/http://raftwet.com/American-river-rafting.html|archive-date=2007-08-23|url-status=dead}}</ref>


After ] was overthrown and a military regime was established in 1973, a large exodus of Chileans took place. Most fled to European countries, but a small group did emigrate to the United States. The U.S. government took these Chileans as refugees under a program for "political parolees."
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.<ref name="Chilean Americans"/>


Many of San Francisco's 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 ]. Juan Evangelista Reyes was a Sacramento pioneer as were the Luco brothers. Luis Felipe Ramírez was one of the City Fathers in ]. The Leiva family owned at one time, much of the land in Marin County, including ]. In 1975, Chilean exiles of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship established ] in ], which is to this day the largest Chilean cultural center in the United States.
Of the 857,781 Chilean ] 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 ].<ref>{{es icon}} http://www.gobiernodechile.cl/chilenos_exterior/registro_chilenos_exterior.pdf</ref><ref></ref><ref>{{es icon}} http://www.lanacion.cl/prontus_noticias/site/artic/20050816/pags/20050816125322.html</ref>


Chilean Americans have achieved many skills as entrepreneurs, judges, musicians, and others.
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 ], ], and ] because of the large Spanish-speaking population in these areas. Other states with larger number of Chileans include ] and ]. Many Chileans have also settled in North American neighbor ], especially in the cosmopolitan centers of ] and French speaking ]. During the Pinochet regime the Canadian government allowed them special entry visas for humanitarian reasons.<ref name="Chilean Americans"/>


As of 2022, no Chilean American has yet been elected to the United States Congress.
Today, it is for academic rather than political reasons that Chileans emigrate.<ref></ref>


==Motives of immigration==
==Chilean American population profile==
], ], within the ], is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Chilean immigrants to the United States since the ].]]
In the ] Chilean Americans are categorized as ] which are a classified ethnic group that may belong to any race. ]s comprise a plurality of 48% of U.S. Hispanics.<ref>http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/cenbr01-1.pdf U.S. Census</ref> The proportion of Whites among Chilean Americans is connected to those who report ancestry from the people of Spanish-speaking Latin America and who self identify themselves as white. This runs in contrast to ], where people of racially mixed origins, elsewhere known as ], but of a predominantely white ancestry, are the population majority.
Most Chilean immigration to the U.S. has occurred largely since the 1990s.<ref name="Chilean Americans">{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Chilean-Americans.html|title=Chilean Americans - History, Significant immigration waves, Settlement patterns, Acculturation and Assimilation|website=Everyculture.com|access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref> For the most part, Chileans left as either ] and ]s first during the presidency of the Marxist ] or for ]; the involvement of the United States in Salvador Allende's overthrow in 1973 and supporting the ] of ], led to more political exiles fleeing from Chile to the U.S., as well as other countries.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Heredia|first=Juanita|date=2012|title=South American Latino/a Writers in the United States|journal=The Routledge Companion to Latino/A Literature|pages=436–444}}</ref>


Also, there have been others that have emigrated to seek ] and career development opportunities. Since the ] and with ], many Chileans have pursued economic opportunities in the United States, with ], ], representing an increasingly common destination.
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.


Many of the Pinochet-era immigrants were 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.<ref name="Chilean Americans"/>
There are emigrants from Chile belonging to the upper and upper-middle classes. 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,"<ref name="Chilean Americans"/> 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 ] into the United States, which requires a stable economic background.


The second major arrival into the United States was mainly for economic or academic opportunities. Yet, in general, acquiring a ] 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.<ref name="Chilean Americans"/>
==Chilean American history==
Chileans and other South Americans had long been present in the state of ] since the 1850s ]. Not all Chileans made it to the gold fields. Some remained in San Francisco, Sacramento and ] 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 ]. 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.<ref></ref>


== Identity ==
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 ]. Juan Evangelista Reyes was a Sacramento pioneer as were the Luco brothers. Luis Felipe Ramírez was one of the City Fathers in ]. The Leiva family owned at one time, much of the land in Marin County, including ]. 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.<ref></ref>
Chileans are mostly diverse, their ancestry can be fully Southern or Western European as well as mixed with Indigenous and other European heritage. They commonly identify themselves as both Latino and white.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Gomez|first=Luís|chapter=Chilean Americans: A Micro Cultural Latinx Group |date=2018|title=Latinx Immigrants|journal=Latinx Immigrants, International and Cultural Psychology|pages=33–52|via=Springer Nature Switzerland AG|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-95738-8_3|isbn=978-3-319-95737-1|series=International and Cultural Psychology}}</ref> Some Chilean-owned stores and restaurants advertise as French and Italian.<ref name=":0" /> Many often prefer living in suburban areas near major cities in the U.S., and have a strong sense of family.<ref name=":0" />


== Demographics ==
Every mining town had its own Chilecito or little Chile. Historical remnants of those settlements influenced the names of locations such as ] in ], ] in ] and ] in ] 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.<ref></ref><ref></ref>


===Population by state===
It is disputed that famous ] or Spanish/Mexican Californian bandit ] may have been born in Chile, and his mother was of ] Indian ancestry whose family settled in Chile in the late 18th century.<ref></ref> Chilean poet ] 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 ].<ref></ref> Another source claims that Murieta's national origin was changed from Mexican to Chilean after various transcontinental and translated reprints.<ref></ref>
The 10 U.S. states with the largest population of Chilean Americans are:
# ] – 24,006
# ] – 23,549
# ] – 15,050
# ] – 8,100
# ] – 6,282
# ] – 4,195
# ] – 4,146
# ] – 3,364
# ] – 3,045
# ] – 2,753


===Population by urban agglomeration===
Because of their geographic location pertaining to the settlements associated with the ] Chileans played an integral part in the foundation of cities such as Belmont, San Carlos, and Menlo Park (]) in the 1800s. ]'s landmark ] neighborhood was previously the "Little Santiago" neighborhood.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}Other cities like ], ], ] (]), ], ] and ] (]) have small but prevalent Chilean-American communities.
The largest populations of Chilean Americans are situated in the following urban areas:
# ] – 20,688
# ] – 17,161
# ] – 10,471
# ] – 6,963
# ] – 4,000
# ] – 2,622
# ] – 2,570
# ] – 2,454
# ] – 2,066
# ] – 1,884
# ] – 1,779
# ] – 1,776
# ] – 1,730
# ] – 1,686
# ] – 1,505
# ] – 1,463
# ] – 1,397
# ] – 1,376
# ] – 1,215
# ] – 1,211


===Population by city proper===
== US communities with high percentages of people of Chilean ancestry ==
# ], ] – 7,026
The top 101 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Chilean ancestry (and/or born in Chile) are:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/top2/h154.html |title=Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Chile (population 500+) |publisher=city-data.com |accessdate=2008-08-16}}</ref>
# ], ] – 4,112
# ], ] – 1,427
# ], ] – 934
# ], ] and ], ] – 876
# ], ] – 754
# ], ] – 739
# ] – 697
# ] – 632
# ] – 622
# ] – 613
# ] – 602
# ] – 564
# ] – 558
# ] – 549
# ] – 542
# ] – 469
# ], ] – 467
# ], ] – 405
# ], ] – 374
# ] – 372
# ] – 368
# ], ] – 357
# ] – 342
# ] and ] – 340


===Population by percentage===
#] 3.7%
U.S. communities with the highest percentages of Chileans as a percent of total population: (Source: Census 2010)
#] 2.7%
# ] – 3.73%
# 2.5%
#] 2.3% # ] – 3.57%
#] 2.2% # ] – 2.67%
#] 2.0% # ] – 1.63%
#] 1.9% # ] – 1.55%
#] 1.8% # ] – 1.50%
#] 1.8% # ] – 1.48%
#] 1.8% # ] – 1.40%
#] 1.8% # ] – 1.36%
#] 1.8% # ] – 1.32%
#] 1.8% # ] – 1.27%
#] 1.7% # ] – 1.18%
#] 1.7% # ] – 1.11%
#] 1.6% # ] – 1.10%
#] 1.5% # ] – 1.01%
#] 1.4%
#] 1.3%
#] 1.3%
#] 1.2%
# 1.2%
#] 1.2%
#] 1.2%
#] 1.2%
#] 1.1%
#] 1.1%
#] 1.1%
#] 1.0%
#] 1.0%
#] 1.0%
#] 1.0%
#] 1.0%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.9%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
# 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.8%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.7%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
# 0.6%
# 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.6%
#] 0.5%
#] 0.5%
#] 0.5%
#] 0.5%


Chileans are more than 1% of the entire population in only fifteen communities in the United States. These communities are mostly located in ], ], and ].
==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
*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
*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 people ''born'' in Chile in Utah, thus excluding everyone there born in the United States with Chilean ancestry.<ref></ref>)
*Virginia: 2,040
*Washington: 1,229
*Wisconsin: 444
*District of Columbia: estimated at 1,000.


== Traditions and customs ==
==Notable Chilean Americans==
Most Chileans have customs that blend well into the American lifestyle. The Chilean workday is similar to the American workday, with the regular businessperson working 45 hours a week<ref>Harris Gomez Group, </ref> from 8:30&nbsp;am to 6:30&nbsp;pm with a lunch break, as well as possibly staying behind at work for a few hours to work overtime. However, many Chileans outside Santiago are used to going home for lunch, something not as common in the U.S. and with Chilean Americans.
*]

*], pianist
Unlike the "normal" American diet, Chileans are used to having four meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, tea (or '']'') at about five o'clock, and a late dinner. Many people actually have ''onces'' during the early evening hours and skip dinner. Surprisingly, Chile is one of the only Latin countries where tea is a more popular drink than coffee, differing from American consumption trends as well.

==Notable people==
*], Chilean American rock band
*], Poet, essayist, fiction writer, activist, and professor.
*], Stanford professor
*], American video installation artist
*], Chilean writer *], Chilean writer
*], Jockey
*The members of the Chilean band ] whose song "Get on the Floor" was included in the EA Sports videogame ].
* ], land owner and politician in Los Angeles, California.<ref name=Biographies> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706073304/http://www.lagenealogy.com/Biographies/biosA.htm |date=2010-07-06 }}</ref><ref>," ''],'' July 13, 1954, page B-1</ref>
*Actress ]
*], Musician
*Singer ]
*], Pianist
*Comedian ] of the comedy program '']''.
*], U.S. Navy hero
*Comedian ].
*], Singer and beauty pageant
*Director ].
*], Soccer player
*Boxer ]
*], Poet and translator
*'']'' actor ].
*], actor
*'']'' actor ].
*], Actress
*Academic ].
*], Musician
*Actress ]
*], Singer
*Educator, activist, and author ].
*], Former model, actress and TV presenter
*], Chilean American rock band from ]
*], Boxer
*Academic and Economist ]
*], actor
*Academic ]
*], actress
*Stanford professor ].
*], television host
*] of the popular ] band, ]
*], Jockey
*] of the group ] was born in Chile.
*], Educator, activist, and author
*] AKA, Don Francisco, of US Latino TV fame
*], Artist
*], writer and film director
*], laser physicist and author
*], Designer
*], Inventor
*], Academic and economist
*], Plus size fashion model
*], Biologist
*], Comedian
*], Writer and film director
*], Mistress of King Edward VIII
*], Actor
*], Actor
*], tennis player
*], Sportscaster and actress
*], Skateboarder, company owner, and musician
*], Television director, producer, art director, and production designer.
*], Architect and the first woman graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
*], Fusion guitarist
*], Artist, architect, and filmmaker
*], Composer and recording artist
*], Musician
*], Child psychiatrist and professor
*], member of the Chilean Senate, son of ]
*], Voice actor
*], MMA fighter
*], Screenwriter and actor
*], Singer
*], Singer
*], Surreal painter
*], Artist
*], Novelist and filmmaker
*], poet
*], Actress
*], Diplomat, society figure, and actor
*], politician
*], Engineer and scientist
*], Actress, singer, and model
*], actor
*], Reality TV personality
*], Musician
*], Cardiologist
*], Comedian, ]
*], Musician
*], Soccer player
*], Writer
*], Classical pianist and conservationist, born in ] to a ] father and an American mother
*], operatic tenor
*], Soccer player and model
*], Journalist, entrepreneur, and co-founder, CEO and president of Integrity Ministries
*], Chilean writer and Rice University professor *], Chilean writer and Rice University professor
*], Professor
*], cinematographer
*], Chilean poet, singer, songwriter,& pianist. *], Chilean poet and musician
*], actress and model
*], Economist and professor
*], Director
*], actor and martial artist
{{Americans}}

==Chileans abroad==
Of the 857,781 Chilean ] around the globe, 13.3% (114,084) live in the United States, 50.1% reside in ], 4.9% in ], and around 2% each in ] and ], with the remaining 18% being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe, particularly the countries of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gobiernodechile.cl/chilenos_exterior/registro_chilenos_exterior.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213213457/http://www.gobiernodechile.cl/chilenos_exterior/registro_chilenos_exterior.pdf |archive-date=2006-02-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chile.com/tpl/articulo/detalle/ver.tpl?cod_articulo=68730|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622010408/http://www.chile.com/tpl/articulo/detalle/ver.tpl?cod_articulo=68730|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 June 2008|title=Chile.com.Radiografía a los Chilenos en el Mundo|date=22 June 2008|access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lanacion.cl/prontus_noticias/site/artic/20050816/pags/20050816125322.html |title=Chilenos en el extranjero son cerca de un millón |access-date=2008-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416055506/http://www.lanacion.cl/prontus_noticias/site/artic/20050816/pags/20050816125322.html |archive-date=2009-04-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Chile|United States|Hispanic and Latino Americans}}
*] *]
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==Notes==
{{Reflist}}


==References== ==References==
*
{{reflist}}
* by Ariel Dorfman '']'' 10/24/06
*

* by Ariel Dorfman ] 10/24/06
==Further reading==
* Burson, Phyllis J. "Chilean Americans." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp.&nbsp;479–490.
* Pike, F. B. ''Chile and the United States: 1880–1962'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 1963).
* Gomez, L.A. (2018). "Chilean Americans: A micro cultural Latinx group." In ] (Ed.), Latinx immigrants: Transcending acculturation and xenophobia (pp.&nbsp;33–52). Springer.


==External links== ==External links==
* History of Chileans and the California Gold Rush * History of Chileans and the California Gold Rush
* PBS American Experience the Gold Rush * PBS American Experience the Gold Rush
** {{es icon}} ** {{in lang|es}}
* Chilean American Chamber of Commerce * Chilean American Chamber of Commerce
** {{en icon}} ** {{in lang|en}}
* Chilean Diplomacy * Chilean Diplomacy
* a major Chilean community and political activism center in ]. * a major Chilean community and political activism center in ]


{{Chilean diaspora}}
{{Hispanics/Latinos}} {{Hispanics/Latinos}}
{{Demographics of the United States}}


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Latest revision as of 16:44, 3 January 2025

Americans of Chilean birth or descent

Ethnic group
Chilean Americans
Chilean-American · Chilenoamericanos
Total population
172,062 (2018)
0.05% of the U.S. population (2018)
Regions with significant populations
Miami metropolitan area, San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Los Angeles, New York metropolitan area, Washington Metro Area, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas Valley
Languages
Chilean Spanish, American English
Religion
Evangelicalism, Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Chileans, Indigenous Chileans,
European Americans
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Latino Americans
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Chilean Americans (Spanish: chileno-americanos, chileno-estadounidenses, norteamericanos de origen chileno or estadounidenses de origen chileno) are Americans who have full or partial origin from Chile.

According to the 2010 U.S. census, the population of Chilean ancestry was 126,810. Chilean Americans are the fourth smallest Latino group from South America, and the fifth smallest overall. Most Chileans migrating to the United States settle in metropolitan areas. Chilean Americans live mainly in the New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Washington D.C. metropolitan areas. There are significant communities found in Queens in New York City; Northern New Jersey; Miami, Florida; and Nassau County, New York. After the 1960s, Chileans began to immigrate more for economic or academic rather than political reasons, and that continues into the modern day.

History

Chileans and other South Americans have been present in the state of California since the 1850s gold rush. Not all Chileans made it to the gold fields. Some remained in San Francisco, San Jose, 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 majority of the population of Sonora. Chileans frequently worked their mines as group efforts. When the placer gold ran out around Sonora the Chileans were amongst the first miners in California to extract gold from quartz. 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.

After Allende was overthrown and a military regime was established in 1973, a large exodus of Chileans took place. Most fled to European countries, but a small group did emigrate to the United States. The U.S. government took these Chileans as refugees under a program for "political parolees."

Many of San Francisco's 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. In 1975, Chilean exiles of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship established La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, California, which is to this day the largest Chilean cultural center in the United States.

Chilean Americans have achieved many skills as entrepreneurs, judges, musicians, and others.

As of 2022, no Chilean American has yet been elected to the United States Congress.

Motives of immigration

Paterson, New Jersey, within the New York City Metropolitan Area, is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Chilean immigrants to the United States since the 2010 Chile earthquake.

Most Chilean immigration to the U.S. has occurred largely since the 1990s. For the most part, Chileans left as either political asylees and refugees first during the presidency of the Marxist Salvador Allende or for economic reasons; the involvement of the United States in Salvador Allende's overthrow in 1973 and supporting the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, led to more political exiles fleeing from Chile to the U.S., as well as other countries.

Also, there have been others that have emigrated to seek higher education and career development opportunities. Since the 1960 Valdivia earthquake and with 2010 Chile earthquake, many Chileans have pursued economic opportunities in the United States, with Paterson, New Jersey, representing an increasingly common destination.

Many of the Pinochet-era immigrants were 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.

Identity

Chileans are mostly diverse, their ancestry can be fully Southern or Western European as well as mixed with Indigenous and other European heritage. They commonly identify themselves as both Latino and white. Some Chilean-owned stores and restaurants advertise as French and Italian. Many often prefer living in suburban areas near major cities in the U.S., and have a strong sense of family.

Demographics

Population by state

The 10 U.S. states with the largest population of Chilean Americans are:

  1. California – 24,006
  2. Florida – 23,549
  3. New York – 15,050
  4. New Jersey – 8,100
  5. Texas – 6,282
  6. Virginia – 4,195
  7. Maryland – 4,146
  8. Utah – 3,364
  9. Massachusetts – 3,045
  10. Illinois – 2,753

Population by urban agglomeration

The largest populations of Chilean Americans are situated in the following urban areas:

  1. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA – 20,688
  2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA – 17,161
  3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA – 10,471
  4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA – 6,963
  5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA – 4,000
  6. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA – 2,622
  7. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA – 2,570
  8. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA – 2,454
  9. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA – 2,066
  10. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 1,884
  11. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 1,779
  12. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA – 1,776
  13. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA – 1,730
  14. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA – 1,686
  15. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA – 1,505
  16. Salt Lake City, UT MSA – 1,463
  17. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA – 1,397
  18. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA – 1,376
  19. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 1,215
  20. Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA – 1,211

Population by city proper

  1. New York City, New York – 7,026
  2. Los Angeles, California – 4,112
  3. Miami, Florida – 1,427
  4. Houston, Texas – 934
  5. San Diego, California and Chicago, Illinois – 876
  6. San Francisco, California – 754
  7. Miami Beach, Florida – 739
  8. Washington, DC – 697
  9. San Jose, California – 632
  10. Doral, Florida – 622
  11. Kendall, Florida – 613
  12. Hialeah, Florida – 602
  13. The Hammocks, Florida – 564
  14. Pembroke Pines, Florida – 558
  15. Fontainebleau, Florida – 549
  16. Hollywood, Florida – 542
  17. Kendale Lakes, Florida – 469
  18. Las Vegas, Nevada – 467
  19. Boston, Massachusetts – 405
  20. San Antonio, Texas – 374
  21. Union City, New Jersey – 372
  22. Charlotte, North Carolina – 368
  23. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 357
  24. Coral Springs, Florida – 342
  25. Miramar, Florida and Austin, Texas – 340

Population by percentage

U.S. communities with the highest percentages of Chileans as a percent of total population: (Source: Census 2010)

  1. Brookeville, Maryland – 3.73%
  2. Manorhaven, New York – 3.57%
  3. Oyster Bay, New York – 2.67%
  4. Warm Springs, Virginia – 1.63%
  5. Dover, New Jersey – 1.55%
  6. Key Biscayne, Florida – 1.50%
  7. Sleepy Hollow, New York – 1.48%
  8. Forest Home, New York – 1.40%
  9. Doral, Florida – 1.36%
  10. Victory Gardens, New Jersey – 1.32%
  11. Wharton, New Jersey – 1.27%
  12. The Crossings, Florida – 1.18%
  13. The Hammocks, Florida – 1.11%
  14. Inwood, New York – 1.10%
  15. North Lynbrook, New York – 1.01%

Chileans are more than 1% of the entire population in only fifteen communities in the United States. These communities are mostly located in Miami-Dade County, Morris County, NJ, and Nassau County, NY.

Traditions and customs

Most Chileans have customs that blend well into the American lifestyle. The Chilean workday is similar to the American workday, with the regular businessperson working 45 hours a week from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm with a lunch break, as well as possibly staying behind at work for a few hours to work overtime. However, many Chileans outside Santiago are used to going home for lunch, something not as common in the U.S. and with Chilean Americans.

Unlike the "normal" American diet, Chileans are used to having four meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, tea (or onces) at about five o'clock, and a late dinner. Many people actually have onces during the early evening hours and skip dinner. Surprisingly, Chile is one of the only Latin countries where tea is a more popular drink than coffee, differing from American consumption trends as well.

Notable people

Lists of Americans
By US state
By ethnicity

Chileans abroad

Of the 857,781 Chilean expatriates around the globe, 13.3% (114,084) live in the United States, 50.1% reside in Argentina, 4.9% in Sweden, and around 2% each in Canada and Australia, with the remaining 18% being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe, particularly the countries of the European Union.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "B03001 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN - United States - 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. "Chileans in California". Inn-california.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  3. "Consulado General de Chile en San Francisco". Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  4. "American River Rafting – Information, Descriptions, Resources and Conservation W.E.T. River Trips". Raftweb.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  5. ^ "Chilean Americans - History, Significant immigration waves, Settlement patterns, Acculturation and Assimilation". Everyculture.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  6. Heredia, Juanita (2012). "South American Latino/a Writers in the United States". The Routledge Companion to Latino/A Literature: 436–444.
  7. ^ Gomez, Luís (2018). "Chilean Americans: A Micro Cultural Latinx Group". Latinx Immigrants. International and Cultural Psychology. pp. 33–52. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95738-8_3. ISBN 978-3-319-95737-1 – via Springer Nature Switzerland AG. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  8. Harris Gomez Group, Chilean labour law – Overtime and how it works!
  9. "Biographies of Famous Citizens," LAGenealogy.com Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "R.J. Apablasa Takes Bride," Los Angeles Times, July 13, 1954, page B-1
  11. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 13, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Chile.com.Radiografía a los Chilenos en el Mundo". June 22, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  13. "Chilenos en el extranjero son cerca de un millón". Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2008.

References

Further reading

  • Burson, Phyllis J. "Chilean Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp. 479–490. online
  • Pike, F. B. Chile and the United States: 1880–1962 (University of Notre Dame Press, 1963).
  • Gomez, L.A. (2018). "Chilean Americans: A micro cultural Latinx group." In Patricia Arredondo (Ed.), Latinx immigrants: Transcending acculturation and xenophobia (pp. 33–52). Springer.

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