Polish American

Polish-American refers to American citizens of Polish descent. More than 1 million Poles have migrated to the United States, most in the early 20th century. Exact immigration numbers are impossible to obtain, since after the partitions of Poland the state ceased to exist, while U.S. Census classified immigrants according to the country of origin, rather than etnhicity. In particular, this partition gave rise to the terms Russian Poles, German Poles and Austrian Poles, respectively, sometimes seen in the context of Polish immigration to the United States.

Polish communities as part of urban America

One of the most notable of the Polish-American communities is in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. The Almanac of American Politics 2004 states that "Even today, in Archer Heights , you can scarcely go a block without hearing someone speaking Polish".

Related Topics:
Chicago, Illinois - Suburb - Almanac of American Politics

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Nearly a million people are of Polish descent in Illinois, third highest after Germans and Irish). Thus, it is sometimes said that Chicago is the second largest "Polish" city in the world, as Warsaw, the Polish capital, is the only city with more Polish residents. Chicago has three major Polish neigborhoods.

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Other cities with major Polish communities include Buffalo, a city that once had a vibrant Polish neighborhood which is now completely integrated, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Columbus, Boston, Baltimore, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Despite the lack of new large-scale Polish immigration, some cities are emerging with strong Polish American communities. Milwaukee (which already had a major Polish population) and Denver (where richer Polish-Americans tend to move from Chicago) had major increases in their Polish populations in the last 10 years. There is also a tendency to move to Florida among Poles from Chicago and New York.

Related Topics:
Buffalo - Cleveland - Philadelphia - Columbus - Boston - Baltimore - Portland - Los Angeles - San Francisco - Pittsburgh - Milwaukee - Denver - Florida

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Polish-American Communities

• Williamsburg, Brooklyn
• Greenpoint, Brooklyn
• Archer Heights, Chicago
• Hegewisch, Chicago
• Jefferson Park, Chicago
• Poletown, Detroit
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Wallington, New Jersey
• Union, New Jersey
• Clifton, New Jersey
• Michigan City, Indiana