Often overlooked, Kentucky’s Puerto Rican population has documented its presence in a variety of unexpected ways.
Genesis Pena-Lozada, Spring 2025
When Kentuckians think of the Hispanic and Latino population in the state, they often think of the large Mexican population that is most certainly present. However, other Hispanic and Latino populations are often overlooked and forgotten. An example of this is the Puerto Rican population in the state. According to the 2020 Census, Kentucky experienced a 56.5% increase in their Puerto Rican population since 2010. The Puerto Rican population may be increasing, but they continue to be a population with little documentation and reach in their own community. This bibliography attempts to collect any type of exposure that Puerto Ricans have experienced since 2010. There are various sources that include news coverage or individual and group accomplishments among students, firefighters, restaurant owners, and educators. There is a combination of written articles, general statistics, a Facebook group, non-profit websites, video interviews and a TV ad for a Puerto Rican food truck. The variety of sources attempt to show the reach and presence of the Puerto Rican population in the state of Kentucky.
There is not a general topic that these sources share apart from the inclusion of Puerto Ricans. Documentation and personal accounts of and from Puerto Ricans in the state of Kentucky are scarce in comparison with other Hispanic and Latino populations in the state. This shows, however, the importance of these sources. This visibility can be good for a minority group dominated by English-speakers. This is no different for Puerto Ricans in Kentucky. Inclusion in the sense presented in this bibliography can mean that Puerto Ricans have voiced their experience from moving from the island to the state and it can also include a Puerto Rican business owner speaking about their new restaurant. For example, it is very revealing how there is a lack of Puerto Rican food places in the state. The conclusion made was that these sources show that Puerto Ricans are, of course, here; they deserve a platform to speak and speak in diverse ways.
| Year of publication | Author | Bibliographic Citation | Summary |
| 2012 | No author listed. The website is Haden Interactive | Hadeninteractive. “Puerto Rican Influence Throughout the Fifty States.” PUERTO RICO REPORT, 11 Feb. 2013. | This article is about the Puerto Rican influence stateside. There is only a brief mention of Kentucky. It stated that there are more than 10000 Puerto Ricans living in Kentucky. |
| Ningúna fecha listada. Los datos son de 2010. | No author listed. The website is USA.com | Kentucky Puerto Rican Hispanic Population Percentage City Rank Based on US Census 2010 Data. | A list of the towns in Kentucky with the largest percentage of Puerto Ricans based on Census data from 2010. The five largest were: Fort Campbell North, Oak Grove, Fort Knox, Radcliff, Gratz, and Strathmoor Manor. |
| 2023 | This is a Facebook group with 263 members | National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce (Louisville Chapter) Facebook. | The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization created to support the spirit of business and the expansion of business in all of Puerto Rico and in the United States. They have a chapter on Facebook and this is their Facebook group. |
| 2023 | No author listed. The website is yelp.com | “Top 10 Best Puerto Rican Restaurants in LOUISVILLE, KY – Last Updated November 2023 – Yelp.” | This is a list accessible on Yelp’s website, which is used to find businesses. There are only three restaurants listed as “Puerto Rican” but only one is truly a Puerto Rican restaurant. The other two include a food truck that is Puerto Rican and the other includes a Mexican restaurant with some Puerto Rican cuisine on their menu. |
| 2023 | Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez | Courier-Journal. “A Taste of Puerto Rico: Restaurant Opening Soon Brings Something New to the Region.” Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Feb. 2023. | This article describes the opening of a new Puerto Rican restaurant in Louisville, kentucky. The restaurant is owned by Puerto Ricans and has the goal of offering authentic Puerto Rican cuisine like mofongo and alcapurrias. The restaurant is named El Jibarito. |
| 2023 | Isabel Lugo Jarboe | Jarboe, Isabel Lugo. “Clash of Styles and Traditions: ‘Puerto Rican Vibrance Meets Kentucky Stillness.’” Medium, 4 Sept. 2023. | This personal writing describes the experiences of a Puerto Rican woman who moved from San Juan to a small, agricultural part of Kentucky, Hardingsburg. She moved in the summer of 1977. Her experience was like a cultural shock. |
| 2021 | Edwin Flores | “Puerto Rican Factory Worker Survives Kentucky Tornado, but ‘everything Is Gone.’” NBC News, 13 Dec. 2021. | This article is about a Puerto Rican worker in a candle factory who survived a tornado that left her without a job, car, and house. She moved from Puerto Rico to Kentucky just two years before. The article also states that based on the 202 Census, Kentucky experienced a 56.5$ increase in its Puerto Rican population since 2010. |
| 2017 | WKYT News Staff | WKYT News Staff. “Kentucky Family Returns; Leaves Puerto Rico Home Behind Until Power Restored.” https://www.wkyt.com, 16 Oct. 2017. | This article describes the experience of a Kentucky family in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria. There was no power in their house in Puerto Rico, and they had to share power generators. The family returned to Lexington a month after Maria damaged their home. |
| 2019 | E. Gabrielle Kuenzli | “The Kentucky Derby Has a Secret Latino History.” PBS NewsHour, 5 May 2019. | This article describes the history of Latinos in the Kentucky Derby. Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans were mentioned various times. It mentions how jockey schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s in Puerto Rico. Aside from Puerto Rican jackets, a horse with Puerto Rican owners. Bold Forbes won the Derby in 1976. |
| 2019 | WKU News | “View From the Hill: Play Ball Puerto Rico.” Media Relations, Western Kentucky University News. | This article describes an interview with Vanessa López, a woman who grew up in Puerto Rico and had family there the moment Hurricane Maria hit the island. This experience made her and her husband form a collection for funds for Play Ball Puerto Rico. López is an owner of a restaurant and she used it to help raise money for the organization. |
| 2023 | No author listed. The website is Play Ball Puerto Rico | Play Ball Puerto Rico. “About Us – Play Ball Puerto Rico.” Play Ball Puerto Rico, 11 Feb. 2023. | Play Ball Puerto Rico was the idea of a 13-year-old boy from Bardstown, Kentucky. He thought the best way to respond to the damage caused by Hurricane Maria was to boost morale in the island through baseball. The organization has grown since 2017. Now it is associated. With the Asociación de las Naciones Unidas to create a new program called “Field for Dreams”. |
| 2017 | Class Act Federal Credit Union | Class Act Federal Credit Union. “From Puerto Rico to Louisville KY – Class Act FCU.” YouTube, 12 Sept. 2017. | This is a 13-minute long video that contains interviews of various Puerto Rican educators. The description of the video is “38 education employees moved from Puerto Rico to Louisville, KY. With a little help from the community, Jefferson County Public Schools, and Class Act FCU, they were able to smoothly transition to their new home.” |
| 2019 | LEX18 | LEX18. “Dozens of Puerto Rican Crews Help Fight Wildfires in Kentucky.” YouTube, 16 Oct. 2019. | This is a brief news reel that LEX19 produced, which is a local station in Lexington. It describes the valiant efforts of a Puerto Rican firefighter team that helped stop forest fires in Kentucky forests. The chief of the team, Gabriel Gutiérrez, described his appreciation for Kentucky. The newsreel finishes with the team posing with a Puerto Rican flag. |
| 2019 | Berea College | Berea Admissions. “Arial From Louisville, Kentucky and San Juan, Puerto Rico Chose Berea College.” YouTube, 18 Apr. 2019. | This is a short video that shows why a student from Louisville who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, decided to enroll in Berea College. Her name is Arial. She talks about her status as a minority and how the smaller community at Berea college has made her feel more comfortable. |
| 2023 | Mr. G-pleta L.L.C. | Mr. G-pleta L.L.C. “The Only Puerto Rican Food Truck in Louisville, KY. Mr. G-Pleta.” YouTube, 6 Apr. 2023. | This TV ad is 30 seconds long and is about a Puerto Rican food truck. They say that they are the only one in Louisville and that they offer a famous Puerto Rican sandwich: Tripletas. |
