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By Al Donley · Published · Updated
Why did so many Salvadorans end up in the Washington, D.C. area? Salvadorans had been coming to Washington since the late 1800s. Diplomats, government employees, and international organizations brought Salvadoran women to the area for domestic and childcare work.[1]
Once they arrived, neighborhoods like Mount Pleasant, Adams Morgan, and Columbia Heights offered something important: relatively affordable housing, immigrant services, and easy access to jobs.[1]
Then, in the 1980s, El Salvador's civil war dramatically accelerated migration. For Salvadorans, there was already a community here and a network that helped establish newcomers.[1]
That helped turn neighborhoods in D.C. into centers of Salvadoran life, where you can see their influence in music, art, and food.[1]
