Francis E. (San Diego, CA)
Culture, Born, and Raised by Tiger Jimmy’s Tattoo

According to statistics, a massive number of 46,000 Filipino Americans (Fil-Am) within a community is located in the county of San Diego making it second to top of the places in the United States which constitutes the most number of Fil-Am. But how did the migration of these Asian Americans started? Let’s do a short recap.

The first wave of migration started way back 1973 when some Filipino seamen who were part of the Galleon Trade and located in Acapulco crossed the Gulf of Mexico to a bay in Louisiana called Barataria. These Manilamen started the establishment of a number of villages in America.

Mass migration occurred at the beginning of the 20th century when demand for laborers in Hawaii and California increased and when the US Navy recruitment started

Aside from SD, Filipino-Americans are most distinctly visible in the states of Hawaii, Washington, New York and New Jersey.