Puerto Rico: Photos and Discussion

[Brighton]

this looks like crazy rich

That almost looks like Monaco..

[Brighton]

Also do you have photos of working class neighbourhoods?? I'd like to see what they're like.

[alb0zfinest]

Sometimes it pays (literally in this case) to not be independent.

[BirdMan]

how are social classes in puerto rico? %wise

It's hard to say, but I think we are fairly similar in terms of class structure to the more developed countries of Latin America (like your own). Some people are very rich and there is definitely lots of inequality, but the vast majority of people are middle class. I actually think that the creation of a strong middle class is the most important legacy of the US on the island. In the past, it was virtually non-existent but they invested heavily in education and other programs so the situation is much better than in many other places.

But I'd say the main difference between us and other LatAm countries is the quality of life for our poor people. We have access to US social assistance/welfare programs, so our "poor" people aren't really poor by Latin American/ World standards. They live in subsidized public housing, not slums (the only exception is La Perla, which has not been demolished mainly for historic reasons) and most "pobres" drive good cars and have satellite TV. I'm not sure how true this is, but someone told me that an unemployed Puerto Rican makes more from welfare programs than the average Peruvian.

This is a total guess, but in terms of percentages I'll say:

2% Upper (Truly rich, includes some mainland billionaires)
8% Upper Middle Class (executives, lawyers)
30% Educated Middle Class (Usually college degree)
40% Middle Middle Class (work in pharmaceutical plants, etc)
20% Working Poor (campesinos, etc.)
10% Underclass (Live almost exclusively off government programs)

[BirdMan]

Also do you have photos of working class neighbourhoods?? I'd like to see what they're like.

Sorry this post is so long, but here are some pictures of typical housing in Puerto Rico. I took a class on the architectural history of the island so I think this is really fascinating


Average Housing – 65% of Population
(Middle Middle Class + Top Half of Working Poor + Bottom Half of Educated Middle Class)

Outside of San Juan Metro Area




Traditionally, most people lived in the countryside and the most common type of house was the casa jíbara (above). Poor farmers and their families would live in these and farm the land around them. Not all are so well maintained (it’s hard to find pictures of ugly houses on the internet ), but the structures almost always look like this (minus the bright pink paint).



But we’re prone to hurricanes and wood doesn’t do well in high winds, so in the American period most new rural houses have been made of concrete. This ^ is now the most common type of house outside of el Area Metro (which for us just means San Juan + suburbs). Anyone who has been to Puerto Rico can tell you how typical this is, you’ll literally see houses like this everywhere.






There are different variations of this type^, with some being slightly newer or bigger, but I’d honestly say like 65% of people outside of city centers live in pastel colored one-story houses like these (although sometimes people with big families add a second level, like in the last photo)

In Small Town Centers (Pueblos)



The Pueblos (what we call the central part of a municipio) are a bit more crowded and usually have more old and wooden buildings. Above are pictures of Aguadilla and Rincon Pueblos/city centers, both on the west coast of the island. Few people live in town centers anymore - we have adopted suburbinization just like our brothers on the mainland.

In San Juan





These show the typical housing options in San Juan. Many people live in both high and low rise apartment buildings (first photo), but most live in dense single family homes (2nd and 3d fotos). They're similar in style to those at the beginning of the post, but much more tightly packed.

[BirdMan]

Higher End Housing – 25 % of Population
(Upper and Upper Middle Classes + Top Half of Educated Middle)


Outside of San Juan Metro Area



Richer farmers traditionally lived in houses like this one^ and plantation owners lived in grand mansions.









A lot of Educated and Upper Middle-class people live in concrete homes like these, which are essentially just larger and more luxurious versions of the style above. Often they are in gated communities, but in smaller towns they are usually mixed with other types of housing or on the outskirts of town. (My own house is of this type.)

In el Area Metro



This aerial picture^ is a great example of cross section of this type of housing in the capital. In the middle, there are extremely expensive mansions and villas. Surrounding it are large suburban houses and in the background are some apartments of the type where many young professionals live.





Some houses and apartments of this type^.

[BirdMan]

Low-End Housing (Poorest 10%-15% of Population)
(Under-class and some working Poor)







Historically the poorest members of society would have lived in small rural shacks or would have been slaves on plantations. Now, most very poor people live in "caseríos" or public housing projects. Since they were all designed and built by the government, they all look almost exactly the same. The only difference is that those in San Juan are larger. There are some projects to improve them, but I'm not sure if they're going anywhere.



This is a newer version, meant to be more livable

[Brighton]

Low-End Housing (Poorest 10%-15% of Population)
(Under-class and some working Poor)







Historically the poorest members of society would have lived in small rural shacks or would have been slaves on plantations. Now, most very poor people live in "caseríos" or public housing projects. Since they were all designed and built by the government, they all look almost exactly the same. The only difference is that those in San Juan are larger. There are some projects to improve them, but I'm not sure if they're going anywhere.



This is a newer version, meant to be more livable

Looks pretty decent.

[Solocco]

Que bonitoo Puertorrooooooo

I don't want them to become a state. If they become a state we will not have them in the olimpiadas, baseball classic, miss universe, etc.

[Argentano]

It's hard to say, but I think we are fairly similar in terms of class structure to the more developed countries of Latin America (like your own). Some people are very rich and there is definitely lots of inequality, but the vast majority of people are middle class. I actually think that the creation of a strong middle class is the most important legacy of the US on the island. In the past, it was virtually non-existent but they invested heavily in education and other programs so the situation is much better than in many other places.

But I'd say the main difference between us and other LatAm countries is the quality of life for our poor people. We have access to US social assistance/welfare programs, so our "poor" people aren't really poor by Latin American/ World standards. They live in subsidized public housing, not slums (the only exception is La Perla, which has not been demolished mainly for historic reasons) and most "pobres" drive good cars and have satellite TV. I'm not sure how true this is, but someone told me that an unemployed Puerto Rican makes more from welfare programs than the average Peruvian.

This is a total guess, but in terms of percentages I'll say:

2% Upper (Truly rich, includes some mainland billionaires)
8% Upper Middle Class (executives, lawyers)
30% Educated Middle Class (Usually college degree)
40% Middle Middle Class (work in pharmaceutical plants, etc)
20% Working Poor (campesinos, etc.)
10% Underclass (Live almost exclusively off government programs)

it all sums up 110%..anyway 70-80% middle class is huge...what about the official numbers?