At Home in Nueva York

By Marta Ferrer & Fang Cui
Feb. 21, 2002

Like many other New Yorkers, Maria Gonzalez doesn't speak English. But she doesn't really need to.

Gonzalez, 35, who is originally from Dominican Republic and has been living in New York for nine years, calls herself living proof that you can survive in this city — or at least in Washington Heights — by speaking only in Spanish.

According to 2000 Census Bureau data, 46.7 percent of New Yorkers over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home; about half of those speak Spanish.

PHOTO: MARTA FERRER A street vendor sells Dominican snacks in Washington Heights

Walking down the streets of Washington Heights — a mostly Dominican neighborhood in upper Manhattan — you might even forget that you are in New York. Sights, sounds and even smells of Santo Domingo are all around. Stores have names like "La Elegancia," merengue music blasting from their sidewalk speakers. The smell of pastelitos (stuffed pastries) will chase you down the street.

So people like Gonzalez have no problem feeling at home here. Most stores and businesses in the area have a bilingual staff. The public library has books and videos in Spanish; even post offices have multi-lingual signs.

"Getting around in Spanish is no problem here," says Gonzalez.

Nevertheless, she admits she would like to learn English, and has considered taking classes, but says she doesn’t have the time.

"I spend all my time in here," she says, speaking of New York Cleaners on 179th Street off St. Nicholas Avenue, where she works.

Next: Staying Local

At Home in Nueva York

Staying Local

English As A Second Language