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JACKSON HEIGHTS: WHERE THE WORLD COMES TOGETHER
If Jackson Heights is not the most diverse region in the United States,
it is certainly an ethnically-variegated community with a strikingly
high percentage of Hispanics and more Asians relative to New York City
as a whole*. 27% of NYC and 57.5% of Jackson Heights is Hispanic.
Jackson Heights has 3.5% more Asians, at 13.5%, than NYC. By contrast,
white and black non-Hispanics in Jackson Heights comprise less of the
population, at15% and 10.5%, respectively, than they do in NYC as a
whole, where they comprise 35% and 25%, respectively.
These numbers suggest that Jackson Heights is home
mostly to various members of “minority” groups, specifically Hispanics
and Asians. Further, census data show that each of these groups is
heterogeneous, broken down into subgroups based on country of origin.
With these ethnic groups living together in one
place, one question is How do they interact with one another, or What
manifestations of intercultural integration are there? Here we explore
some facets of Jackson Heights and expand on the meaning of “culture, ”
as well as “integration,” to reveal some possible answers.
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