"It's hard to spot Brazilians within the community," says Sammy Veicer on the second episode of Cadê Moradia. The realtor, a São Paulo native who lives in San Clemente, says he discovers Brazilians all the time — at the supermarket checkout, someone behind him speaks Portuguese: "Oh, I live here." "Me too, I had no idea." Jason Lanzarini has a similar story: he lived in a building in Torrance where the upstairs neighbor, the one next door and the one across the hall were all Brazilian, and nobody knew for the first year.

How many are there?

The two try to estimate the size of the community in the country. Estimates from Brazil's Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty) put the number of Brazilians living in the United States at about 2 million, a figure Sammy considers close to reality, since many people don't show up in official statistics. For Orange County, he admits there's no specific study: what counts is the perception of those who live there.

San Clemente — score 6

San Clemente, the last Orange County city before San Diego, is described by Sammy as laid-back: calm, family-oriented and with little crime. The city's hallmark is surfing — there's a surfboard in almost every open garage, he says, and Trestles beach is famous worldwide. Brazilians on the world surfing tour have ties to the city, and the surfing community attracts other Brazilians.

Its trump card for Brazilianness, according to Sammy and Jason, is the Terra Brasil grocery, run by Ricardo and Andreia, near the beach. Beyond that, though, there isn't much Brazilian business. Score: 6.

Just to the south is Camp Pendleton, the huge U.S. Marine Corps base, which explains the long green stretch on the map between San Clemente and San Diego County.

Dana Point — score 3

Its neighbor to the north has about 33,000 residents and, in Sammy's assessment, few visible Brazilians. It's a well-organized city, famous for itsharbor, which is undergoing a major renovation, and for the oceanfront lawn where residents and visitors watch the sunset. Score: 3. The story of the harbor and the "Killer Dana" wave has its own article in this newspaper.

Newport Beach — score 5

Newport Beach is, for Sammy, the most expensive city in Orange County, with Balboa Island, the marina where backyards open onto boat slips and plenty of wealthy residents. It has more Brazilians than Dana Point, he says, including businesswomen who run aesthetics and lymphatic drainage clinics, and influencers. Neighboring Costa Mesa also has Brazilian-owned businesses. The score landed around 5, similar to Santa Clarita's in the previous episode.

Where the community is largest

Without official data, Sammy ventures a ranking: Huntington Beach, farther north and much larger, would have the county's largest Brazilian community; next would come Irvine and Rancho Santa Margarita. All three were left for future episodes.

Why it's hard to find your Brazilian neighbor

In the conversation, the two point to the reason: the community is spread out, speaks English day to day and has no commercial hub of its own the way other nationalities do in Los Angeles. Life in Orange County is horizontal — houses, few buildings — with weak public transit, which makes a car mandatory and get-togethers something you plan. Sammy adds that Americans tend to be more reserved about inviting someone into their home; making new friends takes time. For newcomers, online Brazilian groups end up being the first meeting point.

Sources and verification

• Episode 2 of the Cadê Moradia podcast (February 2026), Brasilidade segment, with Sammy Veicer and Jason Lanzarini.
• Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) — estimates of the Brazilian community abroad (United States: about 2 million).
• U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census: populations of San Clemente (about 64,000) and Dana Point (about 33,000).
• Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton — location between Orange County and San Diego.

This topic comes from the full episode — watch it:

CADÊ BRAZIL