Teaching La Raza: Strategies for Community College Educators
US Census, State of California, 2010
Demographics of the Hispanic Population in California and the Napa Valley
Hispanics, mainly Mexican Americans, predominate in Southern California, especially in Los Angeles. The city itself is said to be the largest Mexican community in the United States. Latinos are the largest ethnic group in Los Angeles County at over 40 percent of the county's population. They also comprise sizable communities in Bakersfield, Fresno, Sacramento, San José, Long Beach, Anaheim, Riverside, and San Diego. In Santa Ana, they comprise 75 percent of the population.
The Imperial Valley on the U.S.-Mexican border is about 70–75% Latino; Hispanic communities are also dominant in Riverside County, especially in its eastern end and Coachella Valley. The Central Valley has many Mexican American migrant farmworkers. Latinos are the majority in Colusa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Yolo counties.
Hispanics make up over 20% of the San Francisco Bay Area. Many live in San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Clara counties, as well as in San Francisco's Mission district. The Napa Valley and Salinas Valley have predominantly Hispanic communities established by migrant farmworkers.
In Mariposa County, there is a very small community of Californios or Spanish American people as they identify themselves, that dates back before the U.S. annexation of California. The Californio culture is closely linked with Mexico and other Latin American nations.
