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| Buddy Ebsen · Lucia Peka Juris Hartmanis · Natalie Gulbis |
| Total population |
|---|
| 93,498 (2008 American Community Survey) [1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| California, New York, Illinois, Michigan |
| Languages |
| Related ethnic groups |
Latvian Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Latvian ancestry. According to the 2000 US census, there are 87,564 Americans of full or partial Latvian descent. The states with the largest Latvian-American populations are:
| California | 11,443 |
| New York | 9,937 |
| Illinois | 6,982 |
| Florida | 4,921 |
| Michigan | 4,265 |
| Massachusetts | 4,706 |
| New Jersey | 3,946 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,754 |
| Washington | 3,380 |
| Maryland | 3,289 |
Contents |
The first Latvians that emigrated to United States arrivar already In the late 1600s, when a group of Latvians from the island of Tobago, be established in Massachusetts, decade also of arrival of the first English Puritans. Around 1640 be established others Latvians in Delaware and Pennsylvania, together to Scandinavian settlers. More late, in 1849, are recorded to the Latvians as part of the thousands of people that emigrate to California looking fortune there, during the Gold Rush. However, the first Latvian wave that be established in United States (known as his pedecessors, with the name of "veclatvieši" or "Old Latvians"), came in 1888 to Boston. They was mainly single young men that came to United States looking fortunes or fleeing mandatory military service of Imperial Russia. The Latvian immigrants were divided in two groups: The people who dreamed of Latvia's independence from Soviet Union and those who wanted Latvian workers ceased to be oppressed by the Russia. More late, to end of this century, those Latvians immigrants settled primarily also in others East Coast and Midwest cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Chicago, as well as in some cities on the West Coast, as Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Some immigrants also be established in rural areas, although they was few and usually not could to form long-lasting communities. However, although the most of Latvians settle in cities, in most of these (with the exception of the Roxbury district of Boston) the Latvians were also few and they not could form ethnic neighborhoods. The first Lutheran church built by Latvians in United States was erected in Lincoln County, where there was a Lithuanian agricultural colony that disappeared due to climatic and political problems of its members, in Wisconsin in 1906. A new wave of Latvian immigration be developed around 1906, after the failure of their 1905 Revolution in Latvian. Many of the immigrants was political leaders and rank-and- file revolutionaries, they could be killed by Russian soldiers if they were discovered, so they decided emigrate and to continue the revolutionary movement in others countries. Due to that most of the Latvians revolutionaries who emigrated in the United States was more politically radical than the earlier Latvian immigrants, reattached divisions even among the leftists themselves. In 1917, many Revolutionaries Latvians back to his country for work in the creation of a Bolshevik government and in 1918, when Latvia declared his independence some nationalist also back.
After of this period, in which thousands of Latvians emigrated to the United States, in the 1920´s and 1930´s with the promise of economic improvements in Latvia, the immigration quotas of United States in 1924 that limited the number of Latvians, together to of other immigrants, who could settle in this country, and the Great Depression in the United States—generally discouraged immigration, the Latvian immigration was little. After of the World War II's many Latvian refugees, fleeing of the Soviet, be established in others countries of Center of Europe. However, About half were eventually repatriated to Latvia, being the rest repatriated in Germany, England, Australia, Canada, United States and in other countries. From 1949 to 1951, 40,000 Latvians immigrated to the United States with the help of the U.S. government and various social service and religious organizations. Although many of these refugees had been professionals in their country, in United States they often had jobs as farmhands, custodians, or builders until they job find better paying. Most Latvian settled in cities, such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago. As with the Old Latvians, the most of the new Latvians, not could create neighborhoods and had to rely on social events and of the press to have a sense of community. In within a few years, the Latvians organizations managed to create schools, credit unions, choirs, dance groups, theater troupes, publishers and book sellers, churches, veterans' groups, and political organizations. From 1980 to 1990, 1,006 Latvians arrived in the United States. Latvia be reestablished of an independent in 1991, however, few have returned. [2]
According the 2000 census, live a total of 87,564 people of Latvian descent in United States. They have his more large populations in the states of California, New York, Illinois, Florida and Michigan. Many Latvian American (about 9,000) have the dual citizenship for give political support to the reemerging nation. Also, many often travel to Latvia and provide financial and give material to various organizations. Some Latvian Americans had elected to the Saeima, or Parliament, in Latvia. [2]
Most of the Old Latvians, alhough recognizing the important of education, did not appear to want or to be able to afford college degrees. Thus, in 1911 only two individuals had obtained American university degrees.
The majority of Latvians emigrants to the United States after World War II were university graduates. Many were academics or belonged to intelligentsia. [2]
Most Latvians American speak English, while Latvia is basically the language spoken by American Latvians of the first generation due to intermarriage. As for religion, although most Latvians Americans are Lutherans, there are also small Catholic communities, Represented by the American Latvian Catholic Association.[2]
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