About Puerto Rico (view map) Population: 4 million Languages: Spanish, English Main religions: Roman Catholic (85%), Other (15%) About Puerto Ricans Local population: About 6,500 Why they came here: Unlike most other ethnic groups in the area, Puerto Ricans did not immigrate to the U.S. -- they were already citizens, as of 1917. Most Puerto Ricans moved to the contiguous United States in the 1950s to escape overcrowding and a lack of jobs back home. When they came: 1950s More resources: "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings — An Anthology," by Roberto Santiago "The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives," by Carmen Teresa Whalen and Victor Vazquez-Hernandez David Gomez, 19, of Utica, hangs a flag of Puerto Rico during Proctor International Night at Proctor High School in 2009. Credit: Michael LaPolla/Observer-Dispatch

Utica resident Milagros Colon, originally from Puerto Rico, fries empanadas at the 4th annual Hispanic Heritage Festival in Hanna Park in 2010. Credit: Courtney Potts/Observer-Dispatch feed widget