History of Mexican Americans in Dallas–Fort Worth

Sol Villasana, the author of Dallas's Little Mexico, wrote that "Mexicans have been part of Dallas since its beginning."[2] In the 1870s the first significant groups of Mexicans came to Dallas as railroad lines were constructed. Additional Mexicans settled Dallas as a result of the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910.[2]

According to the 1920 U.S. Census, 3,378 Mexicans lived in Dallas.[3] In the early 20th century, wealthier Mexicans lived in Little Mexico and in the historical red-light area of Dallas north of Downtown, while less wealthy immigrants lived along railroad yards.[2] Caroline B. Brettell, author of '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis,' wrote that as of 1920 the majority of Dallas's Mexicans "were living in atrocious conditions."[3]

After World War II Little Mexico began to disintegrate.[4]

The Murder of Santos Rodriguez occurred in 1973.

In 2009 the City of Dallas began pursuing an EB-5 investment program, attracting wealthier Mexicans. By 2012 there was a wave of wealthy Mexican immigration, due to the program, the proximity and access of Mexico to North Texas, and the violence of the Mexican drug war.[5]

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 71% of the foreign-born residents of Dallas originated in Mexico, as were 64% of the foreign-born residents of McKinney, and 22% of the foreign-born residents of Plano.[6] 25% Of Foreign Born residents of Carrollton

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 63% of the ethnic Mexicans in Dallas County resided in the Dallas city limits. Many Mexicans in Dallas live in lower income housing, especially in South Dallas.[6] As of 2002 the Mexican population lived in various parts of the DFW area, with concentrations in West Dallas, Oak Cliff, and Arlington.[1]

As of 2000 there was a large group of ethnic Mexicans living north of Arlington in an area south of Interstate 30, and a smaller group in the cities between Dallas and Fort Worth south of U.S. Highway 183.[6]

As of 2012 there are about 20 daily flights between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Mexico.[5]

El Fenix, a Tex-Mex restaurant chain, was established by Mike Martinez, a Mexican American. It was established on September 15, 1918. Christina Rosales of The Dallas Morning News wrote that it "has been credited with starting the Tex-Mex craze in the U.S."[8]

Pizza Patrón, headquartered in Dallas, markets itself to Mexican American families.[9] It was established by Antonio Swad, a person not of Mexican origins.

• Selena Gomez (actress & singer)[10] - Raised in Grand Prairie,[11] lived in Fort Worth[12]
• Demi Lovato (singer & actress) - Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico; raised in Dallas[13]
• Omar Gonzalez (soccer player)
• Roberto Marroquin (boxer)
• Fernando Rodríguez (boxer)
• Santos Rodriguez (murder victim)

• Latino Cultural Center
• Demographics of Dallas-Fort Worth

• Brettell, Caroline B. '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis' (Chapter 3). In: Singer, Audrey, Susan Wiley Hardwick, and Caroline Brettell. Twenty-First Century Gateways: Immigrant Incorporation in Suburban America (James A. Johnson metro series). Brookings Institution Press, 2009. ISBN 9780815779285. Start p. 53.
• Villasana, Sol. Dallas's Little Mexico (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9780738579795.

• Adler, Rachel H. Yucatecans in Dallas, Texas: Breaching the Border, Bridging the Distance. Routledge (Second edition: July 10, 2007 - ISBN 978-0205521029)
• Cordell, Dennis D. (Southern Methodist University) and Manuel Garcia y Griego (University of Texas at Arlington). "THE INTEGRATION OF NIGERIAN AND MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS IN DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS" (Archive) - International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) XXV International Population Conference, 2005. Working paper.
• Watson, Walter T. "Mexicans in Dallas." Southwest Review 22 (1937): p. 406.
• Cloer, Katherine. Advisor: Roberto R. Calderon. "A champion for the Chicano community: Anita N. Martínez and her contributions to the city of Dallas, 1969–1973 (master's degree thesis)." ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2011. Information page

• Cuellar, Carlos Eliseo. "Stories from the barrios: A history of Mexican Fort Worth" (PhD dissertation, Texas Christian University; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1998. 9832809).

• "Mexican Migration: Families Fuel Population Boom." The Dallas Morning News.
• "The Mexican Invasion". D Magazine. February 2007.
• Hardwik, Reginald (2012-09-20). "DFW Ranks Sixth For U.S. Hispanic Population". NBC DFW.
• "'Mexicans Are Everywhere!'". 29 August 2011.

• Dallas Mexican American Historical League (DMAHL)
• Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (DHBA)