 A large portion of the Puerto Rican population in the United States resides in the Northeast and Florida, with Holyoke, Massachusetts and Buenaventura Lakes, Florida having the highest percentages of Puerto Rican residents of any municipalities in the country.There are also significant Puerto Rican populations in the Chicago metropolitan area and the South Atlantic states, from Maryland to Georgia and other states like Ohio, Texas and California.Puerto Ricans have been migrating to the United States since the 19th century and migrating since 1898 (after the island territory was transferred from Spain to the United States) and have a long history of collective social advocacy for their political and social rights and preserving their cultural heritage.