The history of the settlement of Salvadorans in Washington dates back to the pre- World War II period, when small communities of Central Americans began to migrate to Washington as well as to other cities, notably San Francisco and New Orleans. Whereas the typical pioneers of past immigration waves have been men, approximately two-thirds of the Latin American newcomers are women. Moreover, they are not young, single persons or widows, who venture on long voyages to the promised land. Rather, many are women with established households in their places of origin, who leave some children behind under the care of maternal relatives.