People from Schenectady to Kyrgyzstan call Dallas home. We welcome citizens from all over the globe to the multicultural hub that is Dallas and its surrounding areas. According to DFW International Community Alliance, 40 percent of North Texas residents are immigrants (foreign-born and their children).

Many nations and ethnic groups have organized churches and social and professional groups to help you connect with others from your home country or background. This chapter of our publication will attempt to ease the transition, whether you are an American citizen or a foreign national. Useful numbers are provided throughout this section to get you started. You also may want to check local telephone directories for more places of worship, business and meeting groups, etc.

Gathering together new residents from other countries and cultures is nothing new to DFW. That’s exactly how this area came into being. One of the first large groups to settle in the area was La Reunion, a “utopian” community established in 1855 by 200 immigrants from France, Belgium and Switzerland. They were mostly artisans and craftsmen. Although their experimental community eventually disbanded, many of the people assimilated into the Dallas community, bringing many unique cultural talents and tools with them. This included one the city’s first pianos.

Following the Civil War, Dallas became a haven for former slaves, some of whom had been owned in the area. Others, however, had joined the westward movement and decided to settle here. As a result, large African-American communities developed in the Deep Ellum area and along a former railroad right of way that eventually became North Central Expressway. In fact, when the city began to widen Central Expressway in 1980, it uncovered what is believed to be the largest cemetery for former slaves in the United States. As many as 8,000 people may have been buried there. A major archaeological project moved the graves and preserved many of the artifacts that were buried with their owners in traditional African burial practices. This site now holds Freedman’s Memorial and Sculpture Garden, a tribute to the past and the present of

Dallas’ African-American community. Dallas’ Hispanic community has grown in a variety of ways, including a large-scale migration from Mexico during the revolution in the early 20th century. Many of those people settled in the area that extends northwest from downtown to Love Field airport, an area commonly referred to as “Little Mexico.”

According to recent studies, Dallas’ most significant new communities originate from Somalia, Bosnia, Kurdistan and Kosovo. North Texas also is home to 1 million Mexicans, 60,000 Chinese-Americans, about 50,000 Iranians and Pakistanis, 80,000 Vietnamese and nearly 100,000 people from India.

Much of Dallas’ recent international growth has come as a result of its growing prominence as an international trade and distribution center. Leading factors in that growth have been the region’s diverse economy, the central location within the North American continent, access to one of the most traveled airports in the world, DFW International Airport and the World Trade Center, the largest wholesale trade complex in the world.

Individuals of foreign citizenry who wish to live and work in the United States either on a temporary or permanent basis must contact the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). You can contact the Dallas INS Office 24 hours a day at 214-381-1423 for an automated list of procedures and frequently asked questions. You also can call them toll-free at 800-375-5283 or visit their website at www.uscis.gov for printable forms and mailing addresses. For general questions, you also may send query letters or customer services inquiries to: USCIS TSC, P.O. Box 851488, Mesquite, Texas 75185-1488.

By calling the numbers above or visiting the CIS Web site, individuals can gather information (in English and Spanish) about form filing, visitor/ nonimmigrant classes, work visas, alien residency cards (green cards), naturalization requirements, passports, temporary visitors, adoption, asylum and foreign students.

Many organizations offer courses for individuals wishing to learn English as a second language. The Dallas Independent School District offers English classes for adults who have been granted amnesty in the United States. In addition to the colleges and universities in the area, many local churches offer instruction in reading and writing in English. Contact your local school district, library or telephone directory for locations and opportunities near you.

DFW International Community Alliance networks with more than 1,600 internationallyfocused civic, community and educational organizations. The group’s goal is to promote and link North Texas ethnic and immigrant groups, empowering them as respected members of the community and giving them a forum through which to share and celebrate the richness of their cultural heritages. At the website, www.dfwinternational.org, visitors can find resources such as a database, local links to artists and ethnic organizations, weekly calendar of events and relevant news items. The group produces a 10-day-long International Festival annually to allow all immigrant and ethnic groups to communicate with their neighbors, celebrate traditions and educate others about their culture’s art and heritage. For more information, call 972-661-2764 or e-mail president@dfwinternational.org.