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I was mainly describing what I thought I had read at other posts at CD. Perhaps I should **** since it's third hand at best and maybe incorrect. I had understood there were some primarily Hispanic neighborhoods around SF and SF area.
If you mean an area in SF County or City where Hispanics are in the majority, then yes there are such areas. If you mean that Spanish is the dominant language and English will not suffice, then there are no such areas as far as I know unless there is some enclave of recent Mexican immigrants.
Just today I was in Espanola in Rio Arriba County -- clearly it is a predominantly Hispanic community. I saw hundreds of signs -- one was bi-lingual -- at Loews -- and maybe five-six in Spanish -- the names of stores or restaurants. Go into those restaurants -- the menus are in English.
If you mean an area in SF County or City where Hispanics are in the majority, then yes there are such areas. If you mean that Spanish is the dominant language and English will not suffice, then there are no such areas as far as I know unless there is some enclave of recent Mexican immigrants.
Just today I was in Espanola in Rio Arriba County -- clearly it is a predominantly Hispanic community. I saw hundreds of signs -- one was bi-lingual -- at Loews -- and maybe five-six in Spanish -- the names of stores or restaurants. Go into those restaurants -- the menus are in English.
At the 3 local Loews stores here in the Wilkes-Barre, PA area, all the signs are bi-lingual, including the the product location and product name signs, even the hand written signs for the do-it-yourself teaching groups are bi-lingual! When I asked how many employees were bi-lingual at the Loews store nearest to me, I was meet with a strange look and a "None that I know of" answer!
Last edited by Steve Hazzard; 07-13-2008 at 05:15 PM..
Reason: Edit text.
Hola! I'm considering a move to the Santa Fe area within the next three years. In researching the area, I've learned that it is heavily Latino/Hispanic and that the Spanish language is widely spoken. I've been studying the Spanish language for several years and consider myself to be a low intermediate in written proficiency and a high beginner in spoken proficiency. Is Spanish considered to be an "everyday language" in the Santa Fe area and is Spanish necessary for cultural inclusion? Gracias. Hasta pronto!
I love northern new mexico, my family is mostly from there. Spanglish is the everyday language in the santa fe-espanola area
You guys are missing the point of the question. The question was do you need to know Spanish to live here. That is an entirely different issue than whether it is nice to know Spanish, or whether it will make your time here more pleasant. Of course it is good to know other languages. I speak Russian, and if I were to move to a community that had people speaking Russian as a second language, I suppose I would engage in some Russian conversation with them.
The point is that you don't need to know Spanish at all to live here, and you won't experience any difficulty getting a job, renting an apartment, or going to the grocery store. I actually think the people who suffer here the most are those immigrants that live here for a long time and refuse to learn English. They are holding themselves and their families back.
Im relocating to Zuni Pueblo to teach. I speak a little Spanish after studing for four years in high school many years ago. I spoke a little Spanish to a waitress in a resturant in Santa Fe. She smiled and said that I had a Philadelphia accent! Now I will be learning Zuni, and not Tewa. I wonder if they will understand my little bit of Navajo? Bacich
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When I asked how many employees were bi-lingual at the Loews store nearest to me, I was meet with a strange look and a "None that I know of" answer! 
Agreed
Well, glad we got that straightened out. It is a relief to me that I don't have to learn Spanish, cause I'm not about to.
