Where do Russian communities live in the USA

Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. Photo: yelp.com

I myself live in Greater Chicago - the name of the city, along with the suburbs. There are really a lot of Russians here. And if you add on the Lithuanians, in general, a huge amount is obtained. So, here they are - the largest Russian communities in America.

About 3,5 million Russian-speaking Americans live mainly in 11 major cities - from Los Angeles on the west coast to Chicago in the north and Philadelphia in the east.

Chicago, Illinois

Today, Russian immigrants in this third largest US metropolis can be divided into 2 main groups: ethnic Russian and Russian Jews. Historically, the term “Russians” was used by the US immigration services inconsistently and included all those arriving from the Russian Empire, whether Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, and even Germans. In this regard, great difficulties arose in accurately determining the number of Russian immigrants who settled in Chicago in the entire history of the city.

However, it is known that almost 300 of thousands of Russian speakers live in Chicago - the largest group of Russian speakers in the Midwest. Many immigrants from Georgia and other former Soviet republics also chose Chicago as their new home.

Chicago is the largest of the 1700 American cities that participate in the twin cities program. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the International Organization of Twin Cities has promoted contacts between US cities and former Soviet republics, strengthening ties and supporting a variety of mutual exchanges and services. Chicago's twin-city is Kiev, which can definitely be called Russian-speaking, even despite the emerging ambiguous attitude towards the Russian language in Ukraine in recent years. Chicago's relationship with Kiev began in July 1991, when these cities became sister cities.

As relations between Kiev and Chicago developed, the range of topics discussed also expanded. Economic development, health care and education are just a few areas that are now the subject of regular dialogue. Kiev doctors came to the United States to visit Chicago hospitals and learn about the American health care system, and artists and musicians from Chicago help develop programs in the field of art in Kiev.

The composition of the Russian-speaking community of Houston is largely determined by the presence of large oil companies, which are widely represented in Russia, and Russian-American cooperation in the Space Center. Johnson In April, 2007, NASA agreed to extend the contract for the international space station in the amount of $ 719 million with the Russian Space Agency in Moscow to service space crews and deliver cargo to 2011.

Since 1997 has been operating in Houston, the Russian amateur theater, the cultural center and the newspaper Nash Texas are published in Russian. In the city library there is a department of books in Russian. Of the 50 thousands of Russian-speaking Texas residents, about 30 thousands live in Houston - mainly in the west of the city, in the Gallery area.

According to Forbes magazine, Houston in the 2008 year was one of the ten most accessible, but at the same time comfortable for life cities in the United States.

Seattle, WA

The first wave of immigration to Seattle from Russia occurred on the eve of the First World War, the second wave after the 1917 year and the Civil War.

By 1925, about 5 thousands of Russian residents lived in the city. The immigrants took care of their heritage, and the descendants of those arriving from Russia — the so-called second generation of immigrants — still spoke Russian. 2 was founded in Seattle by Russian Orthodox churches, St. Spyridon and St. Nicholas.

The third wave of immigration followed after the Second World War. Many former Russian White Guards and their families who settled in China in the 1920s fled the Chinese revolution of the 1948 year to the Philippines and South Africa. In 1950, the US Congress allowed these people to immigrate to the USA. Seattle played an important role in providing US humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union and Russia, providing significant support to victims of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. In 1991, residents of Seattle sent over 700 tons of medicine and food to Siberia and the Russian Far East to help the victims of the Sakhalin earthquake.

San Francisco, California

The Russian-speaking community of the city of San Francisco and its suburbs is unique, as it consists of several different communities. Each of them has little contact with each other. In total, about 70 thousand Russian-speaking people live in this area.

The oldest and most well-established of these communities are the descendants of the Russians who arrived in America in the 19 century, after the October Revolution in the 1918 year and after the Second World War. In spite of difficulties, many families manage to keep Russian speech for several generations. Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in San Francisco in 1859 year.

The most notable Russian-speaking immigrants in San Francisco are those who arrived relatively recently and settled in the area of ​​Giieri Boulevard in San Francisco. Having traveled along Giier between 14 and 26 avenue, it's hard not to notice the similarity between this street and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn.

The third Russian community of San Francisco is located approximately 40 miles south of the city in an area called “Silicon Valley”. The Russian-speaking population belonging to this group, as a rule, has a high level of education and income. This group is perhaps the most diverse in its cultural characteristics, but mainly consists of men between the ages of 20 and 30.

Los Angeles, CA

About 600 thousand Russian-speaking residents live in the city. It is the largest center of Russian speakers on the west coast of the United States. The Russian community of doctors, actors, engineers, heads of private companies leads an active cultural and social life. Here you can find entertainment for every taste - from the Chekhov Theater to the glue of the bands, Russian restaurants, kindergartens, newspapers, schools and clubs. A peculiar kind of Brighton Beach in New York is located in West Hollywood.

Not far from Los Angeles is the city of San Diego, which is home to about 70 thousands of Russian-speaking families - mostly immigrants from the former Soviet Union, but also from the countries of the Eastern European bloc, France and China. In addition, about 1 million Armenians live in Los Angeles. This is the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia.

At the end of the 20 century, about 39% of the population of Los Angeles was born outside the United States, and the city was among the top three most "non-American" cities in the United States.

Los Angeles is home to the University of California, one of the world's leading public research universities. Located in the Westwood Village in Los Angeles, about 8 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, the campus consists of 174 buildings on 170 hectares. This university is one of the most popular universities among US foreign students.

Denver, CO

Forty years ago, the Russian community of Denver practically did not exist, today it has increased to more than 50 thousand people. Immigrants from the Soviet Union began to arrive in this corner of America in the 1980s. The largest number of Russian-speaking population lives in the Glendale area and the southeastern part of Denver. The city has a recently rebuilt Russian library, on the Oneida Plaza, often called the Russian Plaza, there are a large number of private enterprises owned by people from Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Фото: Depositphotos

Milwaukee, WI

From 1880 to 1920, the year millions of Eastern Europeans and immigrants from Russia immigrated to the United States. To many, the landscape and rural lifestyle of the American Midwest was reminiscent of their native land. From 1970 to 1990, a new wave of immigrants began to arrive from the Soviet Union.

The Russian-speaking community of Milwaukee has reliably settled: periodicals are published in Russian, the Association of Russian-speaking Jews in Milwaukee is active, medical services are provided by Russian-speaking specialists; The Faculty of Slavic Languages ​​at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee is one of the leading in the country. The young Russian-speaking generation of Milwaukee, graduating from American schools and universities in the United States, is widely represented among doctors, lawyers, engineers, and business owners in this city.

Detroit and Ann Arbor, MI

In southeastern Michigan many Russian-speaking residents, Russian speech can often be heard on the streets of Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan is located with one of the most powerful branches of Russian and Slavic languages ​​in the United States.

In Detroit and its environs, the largest number of Russian-speaking companies are located in Oak Park Southfield, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield.

The Ardis Publishing House, formerly located in Ann Arbor, played a special role during the Cold War, publishing many books in Russian that were banned in the Soviet Union, as well as translations of works by Russian authors.

Cleveland Ohio

Cleveland’s Russian community has never been large; the majority of members of the Russian Orthodox parish live in the western part of the city. In 1970, many people from the former Soviet Union settled in the eastern part of the city, including the Cleveland Heights, Euclid and Mayfield Heights areas. After the collapse of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the 1990s, a new wave of immigration began. The Russian-speaking population in northeastern Ohio was about 43 thousands of people, according to the census 1996 of the year.

Many Ohio residents come from the Carpathians, a region in western Ukraine, which today covers small parts of Poland, Slovakia and Romania.

Washington, DC

The Russian-speaking population of greater Washington is one of the most diverse. In addition to those who came from Russia, the city received immigrants from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Ukraine and the Baltic republics. The US capital is also where the headquarters of organizations representing many of these groups are located.

Washington's cultural institutions have long-standing contacts with Russia. The Hillwood Estate Museum houses a unique collection of Russian fine art, including Faberge jewelry. An entire section of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, called "The Race in Space," is dedicated to the cooperation and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in space. The Kennedy Theater and Concert Center hosts annual tours of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater from St. Petersburg. The National Gallery of Art in Washington regularly hosts festivals of Russian and Soviet films. On the territory of the university. Washington, located in the city center, has a monument to the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is home to more than 50 thousands of Russian-speaking residents. The most popular among the Russian-speaking population are Gwinnett, Dekalb, Fulton and Cobb. Many of the Russian-speaking residents of Atlanta have a good special education, approximately 90% of them are younger than 50 years. A significant number of Russian speakers living in the area are engaged in such industries as information technology and biology.

Miami, FL

Like many other countries, people from Russia and the former Soviet Union enjoy the sunny weather and warm ocean water in south Florida. In Miami there are houses of Russian pop stars and Russian celebrities, such as Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, Igor Nikolaev; hockey players Pavel Bure and Sergei Fedorov, famous tennis player Anna Kournikova. The area most populated by the Russian-speaking population, Sunny Islands Beach, is located in a suburb in northern Miami.

The large Russian-speaking communities of Florida are also located in St. Petersburg (the city is named after one of its founders, the builder of the railways, Peter Demens, who hailed from St. Petersburg), Bradenton, Sarasota and Tampa.

Boston, Massachusetts

Historically, being a trading port for Russian goods, this city is a place where there is a constant increase in the number of the Russian-speaking community. More than 20 private enterprises owned by Russian-speaking owners, are concentrated in the business center Linden, located in the town of Alston in the suburbs of Boston. In Boston, the network of health services for elderly Russian-speaking residents is constantly expanding.

Many Russian specialists and scientists work at leading educational and research institutions near Boston, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the New England Conservatory. Large communities of Armenians and Georgians also live in Boston.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

People from Russia, some of whom were poor people who did not have a certain profession, began to settle in Philadelphia at the beginning of the 20 of the 20th century. The next wave of immigration settled in Philadelphia and in Pittsburgh, an industrial city in northwestern Pennsylvania in the 1930s, when fear of the next World War spread in Europe. The most recent influx of immigrants followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Russians settled forever in northeast Philadelphia. Several Russian-language newspapers are published in this city, several television channels are broadcast, restaurants, medical institutions and other organizations offering services in Russian are working.

New York City, New York State

New York ranks first in the number of Russian-speaking Americans living in it. Around 1,6, millions of Russian-speaking people live in three states (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) on the outskirts of New York. About 600 thousands live in the city itself, which is the largest center of the Russian-speaking population in the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2000, about 6% of the population of Brooklyn, one of the districts of New York, spoke at home in Russian.

The Brighton Beach area of ​​Brooklyn is often called "Little Odessa" because many of its residents moved to the United States from this Ukrainian city.

The Russian-speaking population of New York is very diverse and active, as evidenced by the large number of ethnic restaurants and shops, schools, print publications, art studios (among them the studio of the sculptor Ernst Neizvestny, author of the famous monument to Khrushchev at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow) and, finally, the presence in the city of Russian baths. In New York there are even clubs “What? Where? When?".

The art director of the American Ballet Theater in New York at one time was the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Baltimore, MD

According to census data, between 17 and 41 thousand people in the city of Baltimore, as well as in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, claim Russian ancestry. A major port city and commercial haven, Baltimore maintains close ties with Odessa in Ukraine through the Sister Cities program.

Baltimore periodically appears in various ratings dedicated to the quality of life in US cities. Unfortunately, the achievements of Baltimore are not always evaluated positively. For example, in the Morgan Quitno Press ranking from 2002, Baltimore was in the top ten most dangerous cities in the United States.

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