It is often used in the United States to refer to a neighborhood with largely Spanish-speaking residents, though it can be used to mean a neighbourhood in any Spanish-speaking country. The word often implies that the poverty level is high in such a neighborhood, but this inference is not universal.
While there are many barrios in the United States, El Barrio in New York City is among the more well-known ones. Also known as Spanish Harlem, this neighborhood is located on the northeastern portion of Manhattan and is home to over 116,000 residents, predominantly Puerto Ricans and African Americans.
The term is also used in the Philippines, where it loosely means rural village.
In Venezuela, the name is commonly given to Slums in the outher rims of big cities such as Caracas.
Barrio can also refer to the geographical "turf" claimed by a Latino Gang; this usage is generally limited to the Chicano gangs of California. Some gangs spell the word varrio, a common b/v spelling variant due to the similar sounds of initial 'b' and 'v' consonants in Spanish (vs. non-accented 'v' sounds, which are proportionately closer to the English 'v'). The dramatization of gang life in music videos and movies has emphasized this meaning in public consciousness in North America. East Los Angeles, sometimes abbreviated to Easlos, is the best known such area, but residents there actually see the area as a series of contiguous barrios.
In Spanish, Chinatowns are known as barrios chinos.
Barrio is also a surname. The equivalent French spelling, Barriault, is a common name in Quebec.
| Spanish language subdivision | ||
|---|---|---|
| Federal: | Cantón | Departamento | Estado | Provincia | | |
| Local: | Comarca | Cabildo | Comuna | Municipalidad | Municipio | |
| Metropolitan: | Delegación | |
| National: | Distrito federal | |
| Rural: | Comisaría | Ejido | Ranchería | |
| Urban: | Barrio | Colonia | Fraccionamiento | |
| See also: List of terms for subnational entities, List of subnational entities, Matrix of subnational entities | ||