Boston's Foreign-Born Population Up 20% Since 2000, Report Says
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — A new report says more than a quarter of the people living in Boston in 2014 were born outside the United States.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority report says the number of foreign-born residents of Boston increased by nearly 20 percent from 2000 to 2014.
Of the city's 656,051 residents in 2014, 177,461 were foreign born.
Of Boston's foreign-born residents, about half are naturalized U.S. citizens.
The Dominican Republic has surpassed China as the top country of origin for Boston's immigrants, with Haiti the third-largest source.
Elba, from El Salvador, tells WBZ NewsRadio that she feels safe in Boston after leaving her native country 25 years ago.
"The reason why I came here, it was because of a lot of violence in my country," she said.
The city's East Boston neighborhood had the highest percentage of foreign-born residents at slightly more than 50 percent, followed by Mattapan at almost 36 percent.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports:
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