Chilean Americans (, ''chileno-estadounidenses'', or ) are

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

who have full or partial origin from

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. According to the 2010 U.S. census, the population of Chilean ancestry was 126,810. Chilean Americans are the fourth smallest Latino group from South America, and the fifth smallest overall. Most Chileans migrating to the United States settle in metropolitan areas. Chilean Americans live mainly in the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and the

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

metropolitan areas. There are significant communities found in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

;

Northern New Jersey North Jersey, also known as Northern New Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an a ...

;

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

; and

Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a suburban County (United States), county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United St ...

. After the 1960s, Chileans began to immigrate more for economic or academic rather than political reasons, and that continues into the modern day.

History

Chileans and other South Americans have been present in the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

since the 1850s gold rush. Not all Chileans made it to the gold fields. Some remained in

, San Jose,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, and Stockton where they frequently worked as bricklayers, bakers, or seamen. Some with capital established themselves in various businesses, particularly the importation of flour and mining equipment from Chile. In the cities most tended to congregate and live in specific areas in the poorer sections of town. In the gold fields they lived in separate camp sites. In the summer of 1849 Chileans constituted the majority of the population of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

. Chileans frequently worked their mines as group efforts. When the placer gold ran out around Sonora the Chileans were amongst the first miners in California to extract gold from quartz. Historical remnants of those settlements influenced the names of locations such as Chileno Valley in

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

Chili Gulch Chili Gulch (also spelled Chile Gulch) is a gulch in Calaveras County, California. This five-mile gulch was the richest placer mining section in Calaveras County. It received its name from Chileans who worked it in 1848 and 1849, and was the scen ...

in Calaveras and Chili Bar in Placer which was named after Chilean road builders. Names of Chilean towns and places are often found in the names of streets in Northern California: Valparaiso, Santiago, and Calera. After Allende was overthrown and a military regime was established in 1973, a large exodus of Chileans took place. Most fled to European countries, but a small group did emigrate to the United States. The U.S. government took these Chileans as refugees under a program for "political parolees." Many of San Francisco's streets carry names of former residents of Chile: Atherton, Ellis, Lick, Larkin, and others. Chilean women also left their names: Mina and Clementina. Manuel Briseño, an early journalist in the mines was one of the founders of the

San Diego Union ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

. Juan Evangelista Reyes was a Sacramento pioneer as were the Luco brothers. Luis Felipe Ramírez was one of the City Fathers in Marysville. The Leiva family owned at one time, much of the land in Marin County, including

Fort Ross Fort Ross (, , Kashaya: ) is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California. Owned and operated by the Russian-American Company, it was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlemen ...

. In 1975, Chilean exiles of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship established

La Peña Cultural Center La Peña Cultural Center, or La Peña for short, is a multicultural center in the United States. It was founded in 1975 by Latin American and Californian allies in Berkeley, California in response to the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973 coup d'état ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, which is to this day the largest Chilean cultural center in the United States. Chilean Americans have achieved many skills as entrepreneurs, judges, musicians, and others. As of 2022, no Chilean American has yet been elected to the United States Congress.

Motives of immigration

Most Chilean immigration to the U.S. has occurred largely since the 1990s. For the most part, Chileans left as either political asylees and

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s first during the presidency of the Marxist

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...

or for economic reasons; the involvement of the United States in Salvador Allende's overthrow in 1973 and supporting the

dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...

, led to more political exiles fleeing from Chile to the U.S., as well as other countries. Also, there have been others that have emigrated to seek

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

and career development opportunities. Since the

1960 Valdivia earthquake The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami () or the Great Chilean earthquake (''Gran terremoto de Chile'') occurred on 22 May 1960. Most studies have placed it at 9.5–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale, while some studies have placed the magnitu ...

and with

2010 Chile earthquake The 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami () occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February at 03:34:12 local time (06:34:12 UTC), having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about ...

, many Chileans have pursued economic opportunities in the United States, with

Paterson Paterson may refer to: People *Paterson (surname) *Paterson (given name) Places Australia *Paterson, New South Wales * Paterson River, New South Wales *Division of Paterson, an electoral district in New South Wales * Paterson, Queensland, a loc ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, representing an increasingly common destination. Many of the Pinochet-era immigrants were of middle or upper class origin. A significant proportion of them arrived with advanced educations and well-developed skills. They had contacts with other Chilean exiles and a sense of identity from their shared commitment to a democratic Chile. After a period of adjustment, many of them were able to pursue skilled jobs or professions. Unfortunately, others, who lacked skills or whose professional certifications were not recognized in the United States, were forced to take low-level jobs in which they were unable to use their skills. Some had been politically active students or union leaders in Chile who did not enter the United States with easily transferable skills. The second major arrival into the United States was mainly for economic or academic opportunities. Yet, in general, acquiring a U.S. Visa requires the applicant to have a stable economic background, so most Chileans emigrating to the United States since 1990 have done so mostly for study purposes or to further their academic backgrounds.

Identity

Chileans are mostly diverse, their ancestry can be fully Southern or Western European as well as mixed with Indigenous and other European heritage. They commonly identify themselves as both Latino and white. Some Chilean-owned stores and restaurants advertise as French and Italian. Many often prefer living in suburban areas near major cities in the U.S., and have a strong sense of family.

Demographics

Population by state

The 10 U.S. states with the largest population of Chilean Americans are: #

– 24,006 #

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

– 23,549 #

– 15,050 #

– 8,100 #

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

– 6,282 #

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

– 4,195 #

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

– 4,146 #

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

– 3,364 #

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

– 3,045 #

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

– 2,753

Population by urban agglomeration

The largest populations of Chilean Americans are situated in the following urban areas: #

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a gross metropolitan product of over US$2.6 trillion. It is also the lar ...

– 20,688 # Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA – 17,161 # Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA – 10,471 #

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washington, D.C., the fed ...

– 6,963 #

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

– 4,000 # Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA – 2,622 # Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA – 2,570 # Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA – 2,454 # Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA – 2,066 # Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 1,884 # Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 1,779 # Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA – 1,776 # San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA – 1,730 # Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA – 1,686 # Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA – 1,505 # Salt Lake City, UT MSA – 1,463 # San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA – 1,397 # Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA – 1,376 # Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 1,215 # Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ MSA – 1,211

Population by city proper

– 7,026 #

– 4,112 #

– 1,427 #

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

– 934 #

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

– 876 #

– 754 #

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

– 739 #

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

– 697 #

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

– 632 #

Doral, Florida Doral is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. One of 34 municipalities in the county, it is located west of Miami International Airport and west of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. Doral occupies bordered on the west ...

– 622 #

Kendall, Florida Kendall is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area. At the 2020 census, the area had a population of 80,241. History Much of what is now Kendall w ...

– 613 #

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in Miami-Da ...

– 602 #

The Hammocks, Florida The Hammocks is a planned community and census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 59,480 at the 2020 census, up from 51,003 in 2010. Geog ...

– 564 #

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous city in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Pembroke ...

– 558 #

Fontainebleau, Florida Fontainebleau (incorrectly spelled "Fountainebleau" in the 2000 census) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 59,870 duri ...

– 549 #

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

– 542 #

Kendale Lakes, Florida Kendale Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) and a suburb of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 55,646 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...

– 469 #

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

– 467 #

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

– 405 #

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

– 374 #

Union City, New Jersey Union City is a City (New Jersey), city in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in Ne ...

– 372 #

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

– 368 #

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

– 357 #

Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 134,394. Approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, it is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area in South ...

– 342 #

Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721, making it the fourth-largest city in Broward County, the sixth-largest cit ...

and

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

– 340

Population by percentage

U.S. communities with the highest percentages of Chileans as a percent of total population: (Source: Census 2010) #

Brookeville, Maryland Brookeville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, located north of Washington, D.C., and north of Olney. Brookeville was settled by Quakers late in the 18th century and was incorporated as a town in 1808. Historically a farming town, Broo ...

– 3.73% #

Manorhaven, New York Manorhaven is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Port Washington area, which is anchored by Port Washington. The population was 6,956 at the time of t ...

– 3.57% #

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns that make up Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is ...

– 2.67% #

Warm Springs, Virginia Warm Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Bath County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 121.Dover, New Jersey Dover is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 18,4 ...

– 1.55% #

Key Biscayne, Florida Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Located on the island of Key Biscayne, the village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 14,809 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

– 1.50% #

Sleepy Hollow, New York Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The village is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about ...

– 1.48% # Forest Home, New York – 1.40% #

– 1.36% #

Victory Gardens, New Jersey Victory Gardens is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,582, an increase of 62 (+4.1%) from the 2010 Uni ...

– 1.32% #

Wharton, New Jersey Wharton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,241, an increase of 719 (+11.0%) from the 2010 United St ...

– 1.27% #

The Crossings, Florida The Crossings is a census-designated place (CDP) and suburb of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The CDP includes the neighborhoods of The Crossings, Devon Aire, and Ca ...

– 1.18% #

– 1.11% #

Inwood, New York Inwood is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 11,340 at the time of the 2020 census. It is considered part of Long Island's Five Towns area and is located wi ...

– 1.10% #

North Lynbrook, New York North Lynbrook is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. The population ...

– 1.01% Chileans are more than 1% of the entire population in only fifteen communities in the United States. These communities are mostly located in

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...

, Morris County, NJ, and

Nassau County, NY Nassau County ( ) is a suburban county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau Cou ...

Traditions and customs

Most Chileans have customs that blend well into the American lifestyle. The Chilean workday is similar to the American workday, with the regular businessperson working 45 hours a week from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm with a lunch break, as well as possibly staying behind at work for a few hours to work overtime. However, many Chileans outside Santiago are used to going home for lunch, something not as common in the U.S. and with Chilean Americans. Unlike the "normal" American diet, Chileans are used to having four meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, tea (or '' onces'') at about five o'clock, and a late dinner. Many people actually have ''onces'' during the early evening hours and skip dinner. Surprisingly, Chile is one of the only Latin countries where tea is a more popular drink than coffee, differing from American consumption trends as well.

Notable people

Los Abandoned Los Abandoned were an American alternative rock band from the Los Angeles, California area. The band's lyrics were in Spanish and English, or a combination of the two known as Spanglish. Their biggest hits were "Panic-oh!," "Van Nuys (es Very N ...

, Chilean American rock band *

Marjorie Agosín Marjorie Agosín (June 15, 1955 - March 10, 2025) was a Chilean-American writer. She won notability for her outspokenness for women's rights in Chile. The United Nations honored her for her work on human rights. The Chilean government awarded ...

, Poet, essayist, fiction writer, activist, and professor. * Gustavo Fring, Fictional Character from the Breaking Bad Universe * Fernando Alegria, Stanford professor *

Marsia Alexander-Clarke Marsia Alexander-Clarke is an American video installation artist. She is a Guggenheim Fellow. Personal life and education Marsia Alexander-Clarke was born in 1939 in Valparaíso, Chile. Her parents were missionaries from the United States. Due ...

, American video installation artist *

Isabel Allende Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (; born 2 August 1942) is a Chilean-American writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the magical realism genre, is known for novels such as '' The House of the Spirits'' (''La casa de los espír ...

, Chilean writer * Fernando Alvarez, Jockey *

Cayetano Apablasa Cayetano Apablasa Blanco (or Apablaza; 1847–1889) was a 19th-century land owner and politician in Los Angeles, California. His holdings were on the south of the central Los Angeles Plaza, later the first site of the city's Chinatown and location ...

, land owner and politician in Los Angeles, California. *

Tom Araya Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz (; born June 6, 1961) is a Chilean and American musician, best known as the vocalist and bassist of the thrash metal band Slayer. He was ranked 58th by ''Hit Parader'' on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalist ...

, Musician *

Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean and American pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque music, baroque to 20th-century classical music, 20th-century composers, especially B ...

, Pianist * Felipe Bazar, U.S. Navy hero * Natascha Bessez, Singer and beauty pageant * Nico Bodonczy, Soccer player *

Daniel Borzutzky Daniel Borzutzky (born 1974) is a Chicago-based poet and translator. His collection '' The Performance of Becoming Human'' won the 2016 National Book Award. Biography Born in 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Chilean immigrants ...

, Poet and translator *

Santiago Cabrera Santiago Cabrera (; born 5 May 1978) is a Chilean actor who has worked mainly in the UK and United States. Cabrera is best known for his roles as the character Isaac Mendez in the NBC Superhero fiction, superhero Drama (film and television), dra ...

, actor * Charissa Chamorro, Actress * Charmaine, Musician *

Beto Cuevas Luis Alberto Cuevas Olmedo (born September 12, 1967), better known as Beto Cuevas (), is a Chilean-Canadian singer, songwriter, plastic artist, painter, and actor. He is the lead singer for the Chilean band La Ley. In 2008 he launched his solo ...

, Singer * Angélica Castro, Former model, actress and TV presenter * Patricia Demick, Boxer *

Cristián de la Fuente Cristián Andrés de la Fuente Sabarots (; born March 10, 1974) is a Chilean actor, presenter, model and producer. He began his career appearing in the Chilean telenovelas before moving to United States for starring in television series ''Family ...

, actor *

Cote de Pablo María José de Pablo Fernández, known professionally as Coté de Pablo, is a Chilean-American actress and singer. Born in Santiago, Chile, she moved to the United States at the age of 10, where she studied acting. De Pablo co-hosted episode ...

, actress * Don Francisco, television host * Ruperto Donoso, Jockey *

Ariel Dorfman Vladimiro Ariel Dorfman (born May 6, 1942) is an Argentine-Chilean- American novelist, playwright, essayist, academic and human rights activist. A citizen of the United States since 2004, he has been a professor of literature and Latin American s ...

, Educator, activist, and author *

Juan Downey Juan Downey (May 11, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was a Chilean artist who was a pioneer in the fields of video art and interactive art. Early life and education Downey was born in Santiago, Chile. His father, David Downey V., was a distinguished a ...

, Artist * Frank J. Duarte, laser physicist and author *

Matias Duarte Matías is the Portuguese language, Portuguese version of Matthias. Matías is very popular in Latin America especially in Argentina. In List of territorial entities where German is an official language, German-speaking Europe it is most often writt ...

, Inventor * Sebastian Edwards, Academic and economist *

Paloma Elsesser Paloma Kai Shockley Elsesser (born April 12, 1992) is an American plus-size model and influencer. In 2023, she was the first plus-size model to win Fashion Awards for Model of the Year. She also walked for Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in late ...

, Plus size fashion model *

Julio M. Fernandez Julio M. Fernandez is Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences Columbia University. Fernandez studied physics in Chile, then did his PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles. He did post-doctorate work in Los Angeles and Germany ...

, Biologist *

Pablo Francisco Pablo Ridson Francisco (born January 4, 1974) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He started his career doing Improvisational comedy, improv in Tempe, Arizona. Career In the 1990s, he appeared on ''MADtv'' as a featured player. His stan ...

, Comedian *

Alberto Fuguet Alberto Felipe Fuguet de Goyeneche (; born 7 March 1963) is a Chilean author, journalist, film critic and film director who rose to critical prominence in the 1990s as part of the movement known as the New Chilean Narrative. Although he was bo ...

, Writer and film director *

Thelma Furness, Viscountess Furness Thelma Furness, Viscountess Furness ( Morgan, 23 August 1904 – 29 January 1970), was a mistress of King Edward VIII while he was Prince of Wales. She was supplanted in his affections by Wallis Simpson, for whose sake Edward abdicated, becoming ...

, Mistress of King Edward VIII *

Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show '' Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurl ...

, Actor *

John Gavin John Gavin (born Juan Vincent Apablasa; April 8, 1931 – February 9, 2018) was an American actor and diplomat who was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (1971–1973), and the United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981–1986). Among the fil ...

, Actor *

Alexa Guarachi Alexa Guarachi Bruner (née Guarachi (, born 17 November 1990) is an American-born Chilean former professional tennis player who specialised in doubles. She reached her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 11 in September 2021 and won five W ...

, tennis player * Lisa Guerrero, Sportscaster and actress *

Tommy Guerrero Thomas Marc Guerrero (born September 9, 1966) is an American musician, composer, and professional skateboarder. He is a former member of the Bones Brigade, a prominent skateboarding team of the 1980s that also included Tony Hawk and Steve Caba ...

, Skateboarder, company owner, and musician *

Claudio Guzmán Claudio Guzmán (August 2, 1927 – July 12, 2008) was a Chilean-American television director, producer, art director, and production designer. Biography Guzmán was born in Rancagua, Chile, in 1927. As a young man, he enrolled at the Uni ...

, Television director, producer, art director, and production designer. * Sophia Hayden, Architect and the first woman graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Fareed Haque, Fusion guitarist *

Alfredo Jaar Alfredo Jaar (; ; born 1956) is a Chilean-born artist, architect, photographer and filmmaker who lives in New York City. He is mostly known as an installation artist, often incorporating photography and covering socio-political issues and war—th ...

, Artist, architect, and filmmaker *

Nicolas Jaar Nicolas Jaar (, ; né Nicolás Jaar; born January 10, 1990) is a Chilean-American composer and musician. Among his notable works are the albums '' Space Is Only Noise'' (2011), ''Sirens'' (2016), and '' Cenizas'' (2020). He has also released th ...

, Composer and recording artist *

Alain Johannes Alain Johannes Mociulski (born May 2, 1962) is a Chilean-American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, whose primary instruments are guitar and bass. He is a founding member of several bands, including the alternative rock group Eleven, and has ...

, Musician * Paulina Kernberg, Child psychiatrist and professor * Juan Pablo Letelier, member of the Chilean Senate, son of

Orlando Letelier Marcos Orlando Letelier del Solar (13 April 1932 – 21 September 1976) was a Chilean economist, politician, and diplomat during the presidency of Salvador Allende. A refugee from the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, Letelier ...

Jason Liebrecht Ernesto Jason Liebrecht is an American voice actor who voices for a number of English versions of Japanese anime series and video games. Some of his major roles include Lavi and the Millennium Earl in the '' D.Gray-man'' series, Tapion in '' ...

, Voice actor * Gonzalo Lira, commentator, novelist and filmmaker *

Vicente Luque Vicente Catta Preta Luque (born November 27, 1991) is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist of Chilean and Brazilian descent. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). B ...

, MMA fighter * Antonio Macia, Screenwriter and actor *

Paloma Mami Paloma Rocío Castillo Astorga (born November 11, 1999), known professionally as Paloma Mami, is an American and Chilean singer-songwriter. She began her musical career in 2018, and her first studio album, ''Sueños de Dalí'', was released in ...

, Singer *

Benny Mardones Ruben Armand "Benny" Mardones (November 9, 1946 – June 29, 2020) was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter who was best known for his hit single " Into the Night", which hit the top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart twice, in 1980 ( ...

, Singer *

Roberto Matta Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren (; November 11, 1911 – November 23, 2002), usually known simply as Matta, also as Sebastián Matta or Roberto Matta, was one of Chile's best-known Painting, painters and a seminal figure in 20th ...

, Surreal painter *

Gordon Matta-Clark Gordon Matta-Clark (born Gordon Roberto Matta-Echaurren; June 22, 1943 – August 27, 1978) was an American artist best known for site-specific artworks he made in the 1970s. He was also a pioneer in the field of socially engaged food art. ...

, Artist *

Claudio Miranda Claudio Miranda, (; March 13, 1965) is a Chilean cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with American director Joseph Kosinski, as well as for his work on the Ang Lee-directed film '' Life of Pi'' (2012), for which he won the ...

, Novelist and filmmaker *

Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator, and Catholic. She was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order or Third Franciscan order. She was ...

, poet *

Daniella Monet Daniella Monet Gardner (née Zuvic; born March 1, 1989) is an American actress, entrepreneur, singer and television personality. Her early roles include Megan Kleinman on the CBS sitcom '' Listen Up'' (2004–2005), Rebecca Martin on Nickelodeo ...

, Actress *

Harry Hays Morgan Jr. Harry Hays Morgan Jr. (April 25, 1898 – July 8, 1983) was an American diplomat, society figure and actor. He is most notable as the brother of Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and uncle of Gloria Vanderbilt. Early life and diplomatic career Morgan w ...

, Diplomat, society figure, and actor *

Gloria Naveillán María Gloria Naveillán Arriagada (born 3 November 1960) is a Chilean politician in Chile, militant of the National Libertarian Party founded by Johannes Kaiser, and member of the Association for Peace and Reconciliation in Araucanía. In 202 ...

, politician * Ricardo A. Olea, Engineer and scientist * America Olivo, Actress, singer, and model *

Pedro Pascal José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal (; born April 2, 1975) is a Chilean and American actor. After nearly two decades of taking small roles on stage and television, Pascal had his breakthrough role, breakout role as Oberyn Martell in the Game of Thr ...

, actor *

Lux Pascal Lux Balmaceda Pascal (born June 4, 1992) is an American and Chilean actress and transgender activist. She is known for her roles in the Chilean television series ''Veinteañero a los 40'' and '' Juana Brava'' and the Chilean drama film ''The Pr ...

, actress and activist *

Nicole Polizzi Nicole Elizabeth LaValle (née Polizzi; born November 23, 1987), best known by her nickname Snooki ( ), is an American reality television personality. She is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show ''Jersey Shore'' and star ...

, Reality TV personality * Promis, Musician * Jose Quiroga, Cardiologist *

Horatio Sanz Horacio Sanz (born June 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is an American comedian and actor. Sanz was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006. Early life Sanz was born on Ju ...

, Comedian,

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

* Elizabeth Schall, Musician *

Sebastian Soto Sebastian Guerra Soto (born July 28, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward. Youth career Soto began his youth career with San Diego Surf, before moving to the Real Salt Lake youth team in 2016. He signed wit ...

, Soccer player * Elizabeth Subercaseaux, Writer *

Mahani Teave Mahani Teave (born 14 February 1983) is a classical pianist from Easter Island, Chile. Background Teave was born on Hawaii, to a Rapa Nui father and an American mother. She attended the Austral University and studied music at the Cleveland I ...

, Classical pianist and conservationist, born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

to a

Rapanui The Rapa Nui (Rapa Nui: , Spanish: ) are the Indigenous Polynesian peoples of Easter Island. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60% of the current Easter Island population ...

father and an American mother *

Jonathan Tetelman Jonathan Tetelman (born 1988) is an American operatic tenor who has established an international career, especially in Europe, in such roles as Alfredo in Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, the title role in Jules Massenets Werther, Rodolfo in Giacomo ...

, operatic tenor * Ryann Torrero, Soccer player and model * Steve Thurston, Journalist, entrepreneur, and co-founder, CEO and president of Integrity Ministries * Mercedes Valdivieso, Chilean writer and Rice University professor *

Arturo Valenzuela Arturo A. Valenzuela (born 23 January 1944) is a Chilean-American academic who was the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from November 5, 2009, until August 2011. His confirmation had been blocked by Sena ...

, Professor *

Francisca Valenzuela Francisca Valenzuela (; born March 17, 1987, in San Francisco, California) is an American-born Chilean singer, poet, and multi-instrumentalist. Valenzuela was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where she resided until the age of 12, be ...

, Chilean poet and musician *

Leonor Varela Leonor Magdalena Varela Palma (; born 29 December 1972) is a Chilean born actress. She played the title role in the 1999 television film ''Cleopatra'', and vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos in the 2002 Marvel Comics film '' Blade II''. Early ...

, actress and model * Andres Velasco, Economist and professor *

Alexander Witt Alexander B. Witt (born 1952) is a Chilean-American filmmaker and cinematographer mostly known for his work as a camera operator and second unit director, including regular collaborations with director Ridley Scott. Life and career From a 2004 ...

, Director *

Marko Zaror Marko Zaror Aguad (born June 10, 1978) is a Chilean martial artist and actor. Early life Zaror was born in Santiago, Chile to Chilean father Fernando Zaror and mother Gina Aguad of Peruvian and Palestinian descent. He started self training in ma ...

, actor and martial artist

Chileans abroad

Of the 857,781 Chilean

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

around the globe, 13.3% (114,084) live in the United States, 50.1% reside in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, 4.9% in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, and around 2% each in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, with the remaining 18% being scattered in smaller numbers across the globe, particularly the countries of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Notes

References

US Census Chilean Factpage

by Ariel Dorfman ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' 10/24/06

External links

Historical Text Archive
History of Chileans and the California Gold Rush

PBS American Experience the Gold Rush **
Cámara Chileno Norteamericana de Comercio (AMCHAM)
Chilean American Chamber of Commerce **

Chilean Diplomacy
La Peña Cultural Center
a major Chilean community and political activism center in

{{Demographics of the United States *

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...