Do you think that Puerto Rico will become the USA 51st state anytime soon?
537624
I doubt it.    A very good read is James A. Micheners' "Alaska"\n\nThe parallel is this..  business interests do not want the regulation that would necessarily come with statehood.. State regulations, adherence to Federal regulations.. the list is very long.  In the case of Alaska, people and natural resources were exploited heavily. \n\n I think PR may be in the same scenario
840707
we have fifty states. the latest state brought into the US was Hawaii in the fifties. Washington, DC, is not considered a state because it is a single city and located within Maryland (if my memory serves me right). Puerto Rico is in US territory, but is not a state. I heard rumors in the past about making PR a state, but there has never been any depth to this rumor.\n\nOh, and UNI Panther.... I remember the song, too! Fifty nifty United States, from thirteen original colonies... fifty nifty stars on the flag that wave so beautifully in the breeze! Yay me!\n\nHope this helps.
1097898
Because Puerto Rico is not part of the US. It is its own nation, a latin american nation.Its political status now is that of a self governing commonwealth associated with the US since 1952 with a recognized self determination status . This political status is not a permanent one and Puerto Rico can become an independent republic anytime if the people vote for that option.\n\nfor more info check the United Nations link on PR below
1077740
We will then have our 51st president.
962726
Puerto Rico is split into two sides\nThey have been given the option of becoming their own country, as the younger generation wishes, or becoming a US State, as the older wishes.\nPuerto Rico enjoys the protection, currency, and governing of the United States, although they do have an independent ruling established.\nIt is most likely that, in the future, Puerto Rico will decide to be established as its own country, as the older generation dies off.
161684
Most certainly but not in the near future.\n\nThe Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean Sea, about 1,000 mi east-southeast of Miami, Fla. A possession of the United States, it consists of the island of Puerto Rico plus the adjacent islets of Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. Puerto Rico has a mountainous, tropical ecosystem with very little flat land and few mineral resources.\n\nPuerto Rico's governor is elected directly for a four-year term. A bicameral legislature consists of a 27-member Senate and a 51-member House of Representatives, all elected for four-year terms. From 1940 to 1968, Puerto Rican politics was dominated by a party advocating voluntary association with the U.S. Since then, the New Progressive Party, a party favoring U.S. statehood, has won five of the last eight gubernatorial elections. Puerto Ricans have twice voted to determine their political status. In 1967, the outcome was Commonwealth 60%; statehood 39%; independence 1%. By 1993, Commonwealth dropped to 48.6%; statehood rose to 46.3%; independence polled 4.4%; and 0.6% of the ballots were blank or spoiled.\n\nThe Nov. 2, 2004, gubernatorial elections led to a two-month recount and a court challenge. On Jan. 2, 2005, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá of the Popular Democratic Party was declared governor. He received 48.4% of the vote, and his main challenger, Pedro Rossello of the New Progressive Party, 48.2%. Acevedo supports the existing U.S. territorial status of the island; Rossello supports statehood for Puerto Rico.\n\nPuerto Rico's political status has been an issue since the island was ceded by Spain after the U.S. victory in the Spanish-American War of 1898. Puerto Ricans were made U.S. citizens in 1917, but residents there have no right to vote in presidential elections or to send representatives to Congress.\n\nFew mainland Americans think very much about Puerto Rico. That gap in their attentions may end only when they wake up to discover that the flag has 51 stars.\n\nBecause of legislation now quietly wending its way through Congress with the support of the Republican leadership, decisions made on the island in the next year or so could have profound consequences for the future of Puerto Rico as well as for the United States as a whole.\n\nThe House of Representatives may vote as early as this week on a bill to set up a plebiscite on the island's political status. Passage of this act by both houses, plus the President's signature, would oblige the U.S. government to honor whichever of three options Puerto Rico's voters choose: maintaining the island's present commonwealth status, independence or entry into the Union as the 51st state\n\nStill there are many issues to be resolved. Language, federal welfare dependence, and others for which the US federal government doesn't care very much.
949260
The territory most likely to gain statehood is Puerto Rico.  I am certainly not an expert on Puerto Rico politics, but my neighbor is from Puerto Rico and he says that the Puerto Ricans wanted statehood until they saw it might really happen, and then they backed off, preferring the benefits of the status quo.  \n\nI should ask him to clarify!
663662
There are currently 50 official states however Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have representatives in congress.\n\nPuerto Rico recently voted not to become the 51 state in the Union but is protected by the US as is The Us Virgin Islands and Guam.\n\nAnd let's not forget that the US is the Police force of the Earth so I guess even tho they are not actually part of the US the entire Planet is controled in some way by the US.
842217
They are statutory citizens but their nationality is Puerto Rican.\n\nPuerto Rico has a non permanent political association with the US called Commonwealth, they can be fully independent if they want to thru elections.
30570
I'm sure Americans don't want Puerto Rico to become a state. With a population larger than that of many other states, PR would be more powerful in Congress than those less populated states.\n\nAs to FL Boy's answer, I'd say that although it would never become a major player, as an independent nation, PR definitely wouldn't be worthless in the world's economy. it happens that PR is the world's largest producer of prescription medicines and pacemakers.\n\nMy comment on One's answer is that thousands of Puerto Ricans serve and have served in all of the military branches of the U.S. They have also fought and died in the wars fought by the US, including Iraq and Desert Storm. During the Korean War (1950-1953), the 65th Infantry Division, made up entirely of Puerto Ricans, kicked some seroius North Korean behinds. So as you can see, the Island's protection from the US Military HAS had a very high cost to Puerto Ricans.\n\nAnd please, don't get me wrong. I am totally against freeloaders on welfare, be them white Americans, African Americans or even  Puerto Ricans.
546733
Puerto Ricans are US citizens
613801
Nope.  Because Puerto Rico is a territory, they are US citizens and can come and go as they please.
195453
Hello, if you are asking about on the island it self than it is about 40%, due the fact that they making new homes here and they are making these homes close or in the city limits so it can be easy for the people to get around. most of the people that live as we say here in the hills are older and they have had there land for as long as they can remember, because most of the time it has been handle down to the family. here in Puerto Rico, we do not have public transportation after 7:00pm so that is why most of the younger Puerto Ricans live in town or very close to it.
501936
I can anwser that, im from Puerto Rico. The governor of Puerto Rico since 2004 is Hon. Anibal Acevedo Vila and his "partido" is the PPD which means "Partido Popular Democratico"
1187174
Just so long as you go to puerto rico and return without side trips.  Puerto Rico is part of US..
157918
I am making a guess that you mean Puerto Rican
289010
Yes, Puerto Rico has all the rights of a US state, but without the responsibility.\n\nPart of the reason Puerto Rico is so poor is that Commonwealth staus puts them in a position where they have to rely on the federal government. Either make them contribute as equals or go their own way.\n\nCommonwealth was never meant to be a permanent status- it was meant as a transition to statehood or independence.