aiti experienced despotic rule and economic despair in the latter half of the 20th century, leading tens of thousands of Haitians to move to the United States. New York became home to the densest concentration of Haitians outside Haiti, a heterogenous mix including educated elites, members of the middle class, and poorer communities forced to sail to Florida before heading northbound. Originally on the Upper West Side and in Harlem, the Haitian epicenter of the city can now be found between Flatbush and Canarsie: Haitian grocery stores, restaurants, churches, barber shops, and bars line Nostrand, Flatbush and Church Avenues. Communities have also grown up in a large area of eastern Queens and elsewhere throughout the five boroughs and the surrounding region in places like Spring Valley. In addition to the estimated 106,000 Haitian Creole speakers in New York, 2015-2019 American Community Survey data estimates that 7,401 French speakers were born in Haiti, many of whom may speak Haitian Creole as well or prefer to refer to identify as French speakers.