Monthly Archives: December 2020

Denver, known as the “Mile High City” because of its elevation of 5,280 feet, is the capital of Colorado and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  The Denver Metropolitan area is the 19th most populous metro area in the U.S. and has a population approaching 3 million people.  The region’s growing and diverse economy—along with its proximity to Rocky Mountain ski resorts—make Denver an attractive destination for people seeking a more active and balanced lifestyle.  The Denver Metropolitan area includes the towns of Arvada, Aurora, Castle Rock, Centennial, Lakewood, Littleton, Thornton, and Westminster.  There are over 2,000 Liberian immigrants living in Denver and about 3,000 throughout the state of Colorado.  Many of these immigrants came to the area as refugees, including Naquetta Ricks, who has recently become the first Liberian-American elected to a U.S. state assembly.  Colorado was the home of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—former president of Liberia (and first female head of state in Africa)—while she attended the University of Colorado Boulder and earned a degree in economics. 

San Diego is America’s 17th-most populous city and is the third-most populous urban area in the state of California.  This metropolis of 3.3 million residents shares a 15-mile border with Mexico, where just to the other side sits Tijuana—Mexico’s sixth-most populous city.  About 200,000 people cross the border each day, making this one of the busiest land borders in the world.  San Diego is well known for its mild Mediterranean climate that attracts over 35 million visitors each year.  This is a beach city that has nearly year-round perfect weather, plenty of scenic vistas, and miles of spectacular beaches including La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Coronado Beach, and Imperial Beach.  The San Diego metropolitan area includes cities such as Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, San Marcos, Santee, La Mesa, National City, Oceanside, Vista, and Encinitas.  There are a few hundred Liberian immigrants living in the San Diego metropolitan area and the city is home to the Liberian Association of San Diego.  The city is also home to Naval Base San Diego, where many Liberian-Americans have served their adopted country in the United States Navy. 

Charlotte is the 23rd-most populous city in the United States and is the most populous city in the state of North Carolina.  Known as the Queen City, this metropolis of 2.6 million people has been one of the country’s fastest-growing cities the past two decades.  Charlotte’s youthful population, low cost of living, and geographical location in America’s Sun Belt, have made it an attractive destination for business investment.  The Charlotte metropolitan area is a sixteen-county region that stretches into the state of South Carolina and includes the towns of Concord, Gastonia, Huntersville, Kannapolis, Indian Trail, Mooresville, Monroe, Salisbury, Matthews, Cornelius, Mint Hill, Statesville, Shelby, Rock Hill (SC), and Fort Mill (SC).  Although the Charlotte area does not have a large population of immigrants from Sierra Leone, this is a city that is considered part of the “New South”, a region of the country that continues its transition both socially and economically to provide more opportunities to local people and newcomers alike.  Charlotte is just a few hours drive to the Atlantic coast and the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a designated area that preserves the history and traditions of the descendants of West African slaves, many of whom came from Sierra Leone.     

The city of Tampa, located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, is one of the three principal cities (the other two being St. Petersburg and Clearwater) that make up the Tampa Bay Area.  The Tampa Bay Area is the 18th-largest metropolis in the United States and has a population of 3.1 million people.  The metro area includes the counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, and Manatee, along with the towns of Brandon, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Largo, Tarpon Springs, and Bradenton.  Although not officially part of the Tampa Bay Area, nearby Sarasota is a popular destination for international visitors thanks to the area’s beautiful beaches.  The Sierra Leone immigrant community in Tampa is small but it is home to the Tampa Bay Associations of Sierra Leoneans, which promotes Sierra Leone culture and hosts local events.  Historically, Florida is an important site of Black American culture as it is home to Fort Mose, which was the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in Colonial America.  Over the years, many African slaves fled the rice plantations of coastal South Carolina and Georgia seeking refuge in Florida, the majority of which were Gullah people who originally came from Sierra Leone.  They would later become known as “Black Seminoles” and established their own settlements like Peliklakaha, near the present-day town of Center Hill, northeast of Tampa. 

The city of Dallas and the surrounding metropolitan area is the most populous metropolis in the southern United States and fourth-most populous in the country.  The Dallas metropolitan area—known as the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, or DFW by local residents—has a population of 7.6 million people and includes the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Irving, Garland, Richardson, Frisco, Mesquite, Denton, Grand Prairie, and McKinney.  The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, located in North Texas, is one of the fastest growing regions in the country thanks to the low cost of living, low taxes, abundance of resources, and ease of doing business.  There are over 5,000 Liberian immigrants living in Dallas and as many as 10,000 scattered throughout the North Texas region.  The area is home to the Liberian Community Association of Dallas Fort-Worth and has several African churches led by Liberian pastors.  North Texas is also home to several nonprofit organizations that provide education programs, medical services, and mission trips to support the people of Liberia. 

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada and is located in the Mojave Desert, sandwiched between California and Arizona.  The Las Vegas metropolitan area, known as the Las Vegas Valley, includes Clark County and the cities of North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City, as well as several other unincorporated communities and neighborhoods.  The Las Vegas Valley has a population of 2.3 million people and has been America’s fastest growing city the past decade.  Although Las Vegas ranks only as the 28th-most populous city in the United States, there could be as many as 300,000 tourists visiting the city on any given day.  Las Vegas is known as “America’s Playground” and is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 42 million visitors a year.  The popularity of Las Vegas as a tourist destination has also turned the area into a magnet for immigrants due to the abundance of service and construction jobs, however, the Liberian immigrant population is small—just a handful of refugees settled here after Liberia’s civil wars.  Africans represent less than 2% of the Las Vegas Valley’s foreign-born population and are composed mostly of immigrants from Ethiopia. 

The city of Tampa, located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, is one of the three principal cities (the other two being St. Petersburg and Clearwater) that make up the Tampa Bay Area.  The Tampa Bay Area is the 18th-largest metropolis in the United States and has a population of 3.1 million people.  The metro area includes the counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, and Manatee, along with the towns of Brandon, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Largo, Tarpon Springs, and Bradenton.  Although not officially part of the Tampa Bay Area, nearby Sarasota is a popular destination for international visitors thanks to the area’s beautiful beaches.  The Tampa Bay Area does not have a large population of Liberian immigrants, however, more West Africans will find their way to this part of the country as the Florida economy continues to expand and demand for more healthcare providers and other service workers grows. 

Boston is one of America’s oldest cities and has a rich history that attracts over 20 million tourists each year.  Known as the “intellectual capital of the United States”, Boston is a center of education that has more than 350,000 college students from around the world, making up over 7% of the metro area’s population.  Greater Boston is the eleventh-most populous metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 4.9 million people, and includes towns such as Cambridge, Brookline, Quincy, Brockton, Lynn, Newton, Waltham, and Medford.  There are at least 500 Liberian immigrants living in the Boston-area and about 1,000 living throughout the state of Massachusetts.  Boston was the home of Jefferson Krua, founder of Liberian online newspaper The Bush Chicken.  He is a great example of Liberia’s potential if more of its immigrants return ‘home’ to help revitalize the economy using the skills and knowledge they acquire from abroad in cities like Boston. 

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and is the largest city in the Mountain Time Zone.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area has a population of 4.8 million—the tenth largest metropolitan area in the United States—and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  New residents and businesses come here for the low cost of living and year-round warm weather.  Phoenix gets more sunshine than any other major city on the planet.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area, also known as the Valley, includes the cities of Casa Grande, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Maricopa, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe.  The Valley has a strong base of semiconductor, electronics, and aerospace manufacturers.  Real estate, construction, healthcare, financial services, and tourism are also major components of the Phoenix economy, which has over 200 golf courses, 500 hotels, and 40 tourist resorts.  In recent years, Phoenix has seen a growing number of immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Cuba, but the city is also home to over 1,000 immigrants from Liberia, many of them coming as refugees during the Liberian Civil War. 

Detroit is the second-largest city in the Midwest (after Chicago) and is better known by its nickname “Motor City”, or “Motown”, because of its prominence as the global center of the automotive industry.  Although the city has certainly had its share of ups and downs, Detroit remains an important and influential American city.  The Detroit metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, has a population of 4.3 million and is the fourteenth-largest metropolis in the United States.  Metro Detroit includes the towns of Dearborn, Royal Oak, Auburn Hills, Troy, Livonia, Southfield, Rochester Hills, Warren, Pontiac, Sterling Heights, and other municipalities.  There are an estimated 500 Liberian immigrants living in Metro Detroit and a few hundred more living in Western Michigan.  Detroit is home to the Liberian Association of Michigan, which promotes the cultural heritage of Liberia and provides cultural assimilation services for newly arrived immigrants.  Although the community is not huge, Liberians are making a positive impact in the state of Michigan working as engineers, teachers, health care workers, and small business owners.  There is also no shortage of native-born Michiganders volunteering their time and money to improve the lives of people in Liberia.