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North Carolina's Hispanic Heritage: Home

A guide celebrating the contributions Hispanics have made and continue to make to North Carolina.

About this Guide

Hispanic Heritage Month

Image Credit: Richard Burton, Department of Cultural Resources


September is national Hispanic Heritage month.

The State Library is taking this opportunity to focus on the contributions Hispanics have made and continue to make to North Carolina.

  • Beginning in the 1990s, North Carolina has experienced a boom in its Hispanic population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the state had the fifth largest growth rate of Hispanics in the nation from 2000-2006. Some of the population boom can be attributed to the overall economic growth that brought many people to the state in recent years. Although the largest segment of the Hispanic population has Mexican roots, there are also many residents from other Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Central and South American nations.
  • The recent influx of Hispanics does not mark the beginning of the Hispanic presence in the state. In fact, the Hispanic presence extends much further back into North Carolina’s history.  In 1540, Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer and conquistador, traveled through the Appalachian mountains on his quest to find gold in North America.

 

Did you know?

  • Pedro Cuatrecasas, recipient, 1988 North Carolina Award in Science (NC Encylopedia): Pioneering research in biochemistry and pharmacology
  • Frankie Muniz, actor, "Malcolm in the Middle": Discovered in Knightdale, a surburb of Raleigh, at age 8

Chat with a Librarian

Contact Information

Government & Heritage Library

Website:
https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ghl/

Phone: (919) 814-6790

Email: slnc.reference@ncdcr.gov

Physical address:
109 E. Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27601

Mailing address:
4640 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4600

How do I know I can trust this information?

As the library of North Carolina state government, our purpose is to present factual information about North Carolina's history, culture, government, and natural resources. We do our best to provide correct and up-to-date information.