Before 1965, Saint Lucians preferred the United Kingdom as a migratory destination. Saint Lucians then have shown a marked preference to immigrate to the United States as a migratory destination after 1965. Between 1965 and 2000, more than 70% of emigrating Saint Lucians went to the United States. More than 15,000 Saint Lucians had migrated and permanently resided in the United States by the late 1990s. Many of Saint Lucian immigrants settled in New York metropolitan area.[2]
