Atlanta, the largest urban center in the southeastern U.S., has undergone profound social, cultural and demographic change since the 1980s.
[2] The main increase in Latino immigration to Atlanta began in the 1990s, as a result of the construction boom that accompanied the 1996 Olympics.
Mexican workers play an important role in the service sector, as well as in construction and industry.
Meat packers, especially chicken processing plants, must be located close to the farm to reduce losses of live animals in transportation.
[8] The Hispanic population is heavily concentrated in the northeastern and eastern sections of the Atlanta metropolitan Area.
A needs assessment for the Archdiocese of Atlanta in 2003 summarized the main characteristics of the Hispanic population at that time.
The same study reports that main needs of the Hispanic population include: Atlanta's vibrant and growing Hispanic community is represented at Festival Peachtree Latino, held annually Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta.
The festival, which celebrates Hispanic-American culture, is the largest multicultural event in the entire Southeast.
[14] The festival features arts and crafts, family activities, sporting events, a parade, dance demonstrations, ethnic foods, and a live music stage featuring international performers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Plaza Fiesta is located in metro Atlanta's most diverse communities, in the intersection of Clairmont Road and Buford Highway, where the cities of Chamblee and Brookhaven meet.
It has retail and specialty stores, restaurants, healthcare services and a fitness center.
[17] Plaza Fiesta has become an important shopping destination for the Atlanta immigrant population.
[17] With a growth rate of over 300% since 1999, doctors and hospitals struggle to provide services to Spanish speaking patients.
[19] With multiple versions of the Spanish language, which may be understood by other Latinos or Hispanics in the same region, cultural differences, the lack of interpreters for Spanish, and monolingual English speaking medical staff, obtaining adequate healthcare is a problem for Hispanics and Latinos in Georgia.
In addition to the language barrier, there is another problem that exists for Latinos and Hispanics in the healthcare industry.
[21] Although African Americans have the highest cases of diabetes with 31%,[22] the morbidity rate of Hispanics and Latinos has doubled over the past ten years to 1.8%.
[22] This information warrants improved medical attention that should focus on the Latino and Hispanic communities.
Additionally, diabetes among pregnant women in Georgia compared to the U.S. has constantly increased to approximately 1.50% from 1995 to 2005.
Men earn enough in the U.S. to live and send money home, but not enough to support a typical family of 5.