But when she opened Asia's Beauty Salon on Broad Street, six years ago, it was the city's first Hispanic beauty parlor. Now it's one of eight in the area. For Medina, the change in the neighborhood has been a treat. Everything that I want from my country is here. Up and down the street, Dominicans and other Latinos sell jewelry, shoes, knicknacks and groceries with a Caribbean flavor.
Local restaurants serve roast chicken, beef and pork en salsa, fried turnovers and mashed plantains.
On weekends, El Caribe Night Club pulsates with merengue. No place in this city has been as dramatically transformed by Latino immigration in recent years. But as Puerto Rican-born Councilman Luis A. Aponte stresses, this is only where the Hispanic influx began, and where it's most evident. Look closer, and you'll find Latinos nearly everywhere. They make up 30 percent of the city, up from 15.5 percent in 1990, and made it possible for the population to grow by 8 percent despite a loss of more than 24,000 non-Hispanic white residents.