Richmond has one of the highest concentrations of Mexican restaurants in Virginia
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If it weren't for Fairfax County, the Richmond area would be neck and neck with Northern Virginia on most Mexican restaurants in Virginia.
- But we'll take having a greater concentration of them than nearly the entire state.
Why it matters: The proliferation of Mexican restaurants — once staples only of the Southwest and parts of the Midwest — highlights the growing influence of Mexican Americans on U.S. culture and the effects of increased migration from Mexico over the last 30 years, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
- About 99% of all Americans live near at least one Mexican restaurant, a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from SafeGraph has found.
The big picture: Virginia has become increasingly racially and ethnically diverse in the past 10 years, with nearly 11% of residents being Hispanic, per census data.
- In some counties like Prince William, Latinos account for nearly a quarter of the population.
- In Richmond, which has the third-largest Latino population in the state, it's about 8%.
- By 2030, Virginia's Latino population is projected to represent 17% of the state population.
Worth noting: Mexico is one of the top countries for Virginia's Hispanic immigrants, but so is El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, per Virginia's Department of Social Services.
- In fact, Virginia has the greatest share of restaurants serving Salvadoran food as a percentage of all restaurants in the U.S., per the Pew Research analysis.
- This includes Spotsylvania County at 3% and Prince William County at 2%.
By the numbers: There are more than 1,000 Mexican restaurants in Virginia and at least 210 in the Richmond area.
- Northern Virginia has at least 389 as of March 2023, with 176 coming from just Fairfax County.
- Richmond had the third-highest number of Mexican restaurants in the state per 10,000 residents, with 2.8 per capita.
- Charlottesville takes the No. 1 slot and is followed by Harrisonburg, both of which are major college towns housing the University of Virginia and James Madison University, respectively.
Sabrina's thought bubble: Not all Mexican restaurants are on the same playing field, but if you're in Richmond and want some of the best, venture to Southside.
- Some of my favorites are Taqueria La Rosa de Guadalupe on Richmond Highway and Taqueria Panchito on Midlothian Turnpike.