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Waves of Hispanic immigrants changing face of NEPA

BY TOM LONG Staff Writer 08/14/2005

You can see it in Hazleton. There are new grocery stores on Wyoming Street.

On their doors, signs thank you, Gracias por su compra. Well into the summer, a faded banner wishes you Feliz Navidad, Merry Christmas.

Below it, a U.S. flag declares with bold, blue English words: Proud to be an American.

You can’t miss it in South Scranton, either.

On Pittston Avenue, the sign outside a sky blue house announces Casa Latina, and offers a travel agency, money transfers, translations.

The things one needs when living thousands of miles from home. “Styles by Connie� is painted in red in a hair salon’s window on Cedar.

On the other window, Estilos por Connie.

And the change has arrived in Wilkes-Barre.

On the corner of Butler and Wyoming streets, the reds, whites and blues of the Puerto Rican flag flap in the wind alongside those of the U.S. flag. Hispanic women, children in tow, compare peppers and cucumbers at the Thursday farmers’ markets.

A substantial wave of Hispanic immigration is sweeping across Northeast Pennsylvania.

Families that speak Spanish â€â€