Russian American
Total population
3,105,965 self-reported [1] 1% of the U. S. population 877,100 Russian-born [2] 0. 3% of the U. S. population
Regions with significant populations
Alaska, California, New York City, Chicago
Languages
American English, Russian
Religion
Eastern Orthodox, Atheism, Judaism, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Jewish American, Ukrainian American, Belarusian American

Russian Americans are Americans of Russian descent or who were born in Russia. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The City of New York Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Atheism Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. American Jews, or Jewish Americans Ukrainian Americans (Українці Америки Українці у США are Citizens of the United States who are of Ukrainian ancestry Belarusian Americans (Беларусы ЗША are Americans of Belarusian descent Epithet The term hyphenated American is an Epithet common 1890-1920 used to disparage Americans who were of foreign birth or origin and who displayed an allegiance The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries Non-ethnic Russians in this group could be Jews, Ukrainians, Armenians, or any other ethnicity who were born and grew up in Russia (Tsarist, Soviet, or post-Soviet) and speak Russian. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages

Contents 1 Demographics 2 Chronology 2.1 Russian Alaska 2.2 First wave 2.3 Second wave 2.4 Soviet era 2.5 post-Soviet era 3 Russian American communities 4 Geography 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 8 References

Demographics

The Russian American population is reported to be around 3 million. ^[1], but less than a third of them were born in Russia^[2]. Many Russian Americans do not speak Russian, having been born in the USA and brought up in English-speaking homes. According to the year 2000 U. S. Census, only 706,242 Americans use Russian as the primary spoken language in their homes. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages ^[3]

Harward researchers stated that only 750,000 Russian Americans were ethnic Russians in 1990. The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries ^[4].

Sometimes Carpatho-Rusyns and Ukrainians who emigrated from Galicia in the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century are confused with Russian Americans. Rusyns (also referred to as Русины Ruthenians Ruthenes Rusins Carpatho-Rusyns and Rusnaks) are a Slavic Ethnic group that speaks Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens Galicia (Галичина ( Halychyna) Galicja is a historical region in East Central Europe, currently divided between Poland and Ukraine, More recent emigres would often refer to this group as the 'starozhili', which translates to mean "old residents". This group became the pillar of the Russian Orthodox Church in America. The Orthodox Church in America ( OCA) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church in North America. Today, most of this group has become assimilated into the local society, with ethnic traditions continuing to survive primarily around the church.

Chronology

Russian Alaska

Main article: Russian colonization of the Americas

The territory that today is the United States state of Alaska was settled by the Russians and controlled by the Russian Empire between 1733 and 1867. Russian colonization of the Americas proceeded in several places Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Year 1733 ( MDCCXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Russian explorers and settlers continued to establish trading posts in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The southermost such post was Fort Ross, established in 1812 by Ivan Kuskov of the Russian-American Company some 50 miles north of San Francisco, as an agricultural supply base for the Alaska colony. The Russian-American Company ( Under His Imperial Majesty's Protection Russian-American Company)was a state-sponsored Trading company begun by Grigory and Natalia The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Russian Alaska was not a profitable colony, due to high transportation costs and declining animal population. After it was purchased by the United States, the majority of the Russian setters went back to Russia, but many resettled in southern Alaska, California and parts of Oregon. The Alaska Purchase (otherwise known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox) by the United States from the Russian Empire occurred in 1867 at the behest

First wave

The first massive wave of immigration from all areas of Europe to the United States took place in late 19th century, following the 1862 enactment of the Homestead Act. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday The' Homestead Act' was a United States Federal law that gave an applicant freehold title to 160 Acres (one quarter section or about 65 Hectares Although some immigration took place earlier -- the most notable example being Ivan Turchaninov, who immigrated in 1856 and became a Union army brigadier general -- millions traveled to the new world in the last decade of the 19th century, some for political reasons, some for economical and some for a combination of both. Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov, Russian Иван Васильевич Турчанинов ( December 24, 1821 &ndash June 18, 1901 The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Between 1820 and 1870 only 7,550 Russians immigrated to the USA, but starting with 1881, immigration rate exceeded 10,000 a year: 593,700 in 1891-1900, 1,6 million in 1901-1910, 868,000 in 1911-1914, and 43,000 in 1915-1917. ^[5] The most prominent Russian groups that immigrated in this period were the groups seeking freedom from religious prosecution: the Russian Jews, escaping the 1881-1882 pogroms by Alexander III, moved to New York and other coastal cities, the Molokans, treated as heretics at home, settled in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas^[6][5], two large groups of Shtundists moved to Virginia and the Dakotas^[5], and, finally in 1908-1910, the Old Believers, prosecuted as schismatics, arrived and settled in small groups in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and New York^[5]. A pogrom is a form of Riot directed against a particular group whether ethnic religious or other and characterized by destruction of their Homes Businesses Alexander III Alexandrovich ( 10 March 1845 – 1 November 1894) (Александр III Александрович reigned as Emperor New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Molokans (Молока́не are a religious sect among Russian peasants ( Serfs) who broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1550s Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The Dakotas is a collective term used around the world that refers to the U Introductory summary of origins In 1652 Nikon (1605 – 1681 Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1652 to 1658 introduced a number of ritual and textual California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Second wave

Main article: White Emigre

A large wave of Russians immigrated in the short time period of 1917-1922, in the wake of October Revolution and Russian Civil War. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed This group is known collectively as the White emigres. United States of America was the second largest destination for those immigrants, after France. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. This wave is often referred to as the first wave, when discussing Soviet era immigration. The head of the Russian Provisional Government, Alexander Kerensky, was one of those immigrants. The Russian Provisional Government was formed in Petrograd in 1917 after the February Revolution and the Abdication Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky (Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ке́ренский Aleksandr Fjëdorovich Kerenskij) ( June 11, 1970) served

Since the immigrants were of the higher classes of the Russian Empire, they contributed a lot to American science and culture. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Inventors Vladimir Zworykin, often referred to as "father of television", Alexander M. Poniatoff, the founder of Ampex, and Alexander Lodygin, arrived with this wave. Vladimir Kozmich Zworykin (Владимир Козьмич Зворыкин ( July 30, 1889 - July 29, 1982) was a Russian-American Alexander Matveevich Poniatoff (Александр Матвеевич Понятов (1892-1980 engineer Ampex ( is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M Alexander Nikolayevich Lodygin ( October 18 1847 – March 16 1923) ( Александр Николаевич Лодыгин in The American army benefited greatly with the arrival of such inventors as Igor Sikorsky (who invented the Helicopter and Aerosan), Vladimir Yourkevitch, and Alexander Procofieff de Seversky. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Igor Sikorsky (25 May 1889 &ndash 26 October 1972 was born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (Игорь Иванович Сикорский History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. An aerosan (aэросани aerosani, literally 'aerosled' is a type of propeller-powered Snowmobile, running on skis used for communications mail deliveries Vladimir Ivanovich Yourkevitch (Владимир Иванович Юркевич also spelled Yurkevich 1885 - December 13 1964) was a Russian Alexander Nikolaievich Prokofiev de Seversky (also Prokofiev-Seversky or DeSeversky) ( June 7, 1894 &ndash August 24, 1974 Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky are by many considered to be the greatest composers ever to live in the United States of America. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Vladimir Nabokov, considered a novelist of the highest level, helped American literature to gain a higher status. This page is about the novelist For his father the politician see Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov.

Soviet era

During the Soviet era there were some Soviet dissidents who immigrated to the United States of America because of political reasons, from Ayn Rand in 1926 to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in 1974. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. Soviet dissidents were citizens of the Soviet Union who disagreed with the policies and actions of their government and actively protested against these actions through non-violent The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Ayn Rand (ˈaɪn ˈrænd &ndash March 6 1982 born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum (Алиса Зиновьевна Розенбаум was a Russian born American Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn ( Алекса́ндр Иса́евич Солжени́цын) (December 11 1918 – August 3 2008 was a Russian Novelist On the other hand, there were many Communist immigrants who fled in fear of prosecution by their opponents within the Party, including even Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Soviet premier Joseph Stalin. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva (sometimes Stalina, later Lana Peters) (born 28 February 1926 Moscow, Soviet Union) (Светлана Иосифовна Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party

In the second half of the 1980's, when the collapse of the Soviet Union began, many immigrated to the United States because they belived it could work out for them better their. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An notable example of this group are the Russian Five - five ice hockey players coming from an hockey empire, the Soviet Union, who left to the United States in the end of the 80's and in the 90's led the Detroit Red Wings. "The Russian Five" is the name of two separate but related units of five Russian Ice hockey players Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Detroit Red Wings are a professional Ice hockey team based in Detroit Michigan, and current Stanley Cup champions

One of the most well known Russian immigrants of this era is Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Google Inc is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online Sergey Mikhailovich Brin (Сергей Михайлович Брин born August 21 1973 is a Soviet -born American Entrepreneur who co-founded Google

In music a band whose members were Russians who immigrated to the United States at that wave was Gorky Park, who reached success. The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Gorky Park (international title or "Парк Горького" (Russian title was a Soviet (later Russian Glam metal band that gained mainstream

post-Soviet era

With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent transition to free market economy by means of shock programs came hyperinflation and a series of political and economic crises of the 1990s, culminating in the financial crash of 1998. The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the Russian Federation became an independent country Certain figures in this article use Scientific notation for readability By mid-1993 between 39% and 49% of Russians were living in poverty, a sharp increase compared to 1. Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and 5% of late Soviet era^[7]. This instability and bleak outcome prompted a large new wave of both political and economic emigration from Russia, and one of the major targets became the United States, which was experiencing unprecedented stock market boom in 1995-2001. The " dot-com bubble " (or sometimes the " IT bubble " was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2001 (with a climax on March 10

The major group of post-Soviet immigrants were the political refugees, persons who claim persecution or reasonable fear of persecution in Russia. According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race 50,716 citizens of ex-USSR were granted political refugee status by the United States in 1990, 38,661 in 1991, 61,298 in 1992, 48,627 in 1993, 43,470 in 1994, 35,716 in 1995^[8] with the trend steadily dropping to as low as 1,394 refugees accepted in 2003^[9]. For the first time in history, Russians became a notable part of illegal immigration to the United States, the most common example being mail-order brides -- Russian women would advertise themselves in international marriage agency with the express purpose to marry american citizens. Illegal immigration to the United States refers to the act of foreign nationals voluntarily resettling in the United States in violation of U Mail-order bride is a label applied to a woman who publishes her intent to marry someone from another - usually more developed - country An international marriage agency, also called international introduction agency is a business that endeavors to introduce men and women of different countries for the purpose Nearly half of all mail-order brides to come to the United States in 1996 originated from Russia and Ukraine^[10] Together with illegal immigration, the influence of the Russian Mafia became prominent in the United States. Russian Mafia ( Русская мафия, Russkaya Mafiya) Red Mob ( Красная мафия Krasnaya Mafiya) or The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

A notable part of the 1991-2001 immigration wave consisted of scientists and engineers, who left to pursue their careers abroad, faced with extremely poor job market at home^[11] coupled with the government unwilling to index fixed salaries according to inflation or even to make salary payments on time. This coincided with the surge of hi-tech industry in the United States, creating a strong Brain Drain effect. The " dot-com bubble " (or sometimes the " IT bubble " was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2001 (with a climax on March 10 A brain drain or human capital flight is a large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, normally due to conflict, lack of opportunity According to the National Science Foundation, there were 20,000 Russian scientists working in the United States in 2003^[12], and the Russian software engineers were responsible for 30% of Microsoft products in 2002^[11]. The National Science Foundation (NSF is a United States Government agency that supports fundamental Research and Education in all the non-medical Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer

Soviet Union was a sports empire, and many prominent Russians sportsmen found great acclaim and rewards for their skills in the United States. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Examples are Maria Sharapova, Alexander Ovechkin, Semen Varlamov, Alexandre Volchkov, and Andrei Kirilenko. Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( Mariya Yur’evna Sharapova; born April 19 1987 is a Russian professional Tennis player Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin ( AmE ˈælɪgˌzændɚ oˈvɛtʃ Semen Varlamov (Семён Александрович Варламов Semyon Aleksandrovich Varlamov, b Alexandre Volchkov (born September 25, 1977 in Moscow) is a Russian Ice hockey player Andrei Gennadevich Kirilenko ( Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18 1981 is a Russian professional Basketball

Russian American communities

In 2002 the AmBAR was founded, to help the Russophone community of Palo Alto. The American Business Association of Russian Professionals (AmBAR is a Non-profit organization founded to support the Russian-speaking professional community in the United States See also Russophone (novel A Russophone (or russophone; русскоговорящий русскоязычный russkogovoryashchy Palo Alto (ˌpæloʊˈæltoʊ from Spanish: palo: "stick" and alto: "high" i

Geography

Apart from such settlements as Brighton Beach, concentrations of Russian Americans occur in Anchorage, Alaska; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Bronx, New York; Brooklyn, New York; Queens, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Western Connecticut; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; Northern New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; South Florida and Staten Island, New York. BrightonCOOPsJPG|thumb|Newly built luxury condos on Brighton Beach]]BrightonSchool1438 Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Staten Island (ˌstætənˈaɪlənd is a borough of New York City situated primarily on the island of the same name

See also

• List of Russian Americans
• Russian colonization of the Americas and Fort Ross
• Category:Russian communities in the United States
• AmBAR - American Business Association of Russian Professionals
• Russian American Medical Association
• Kalmyk American

References

External links

• Google Answers - Information on Russian American population numbers
• "10 American showbiz celebrities of Russian descent", December 18, 2005 article in Pravda

Russian American communities

• RusUSA.com - Russian America - russian bilingual megaportal in USA
• RussianAtlanta.net - Russian Atlanta Community Portal
• Russian Austin Texas
• RussianBoston.com - Russian Portal in Boston
• RussianBoston.net - one more Russian Portal in Boston
• [1] - Russian Portal in Cleveland
• RussianPhilly.com - Russian Speaking Community of Philadelphia
• RussianNY.com - Russian Community of greater NY. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pravda (Правда "The Truth" was a leading Newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the
• Russian Community of Chicago
• RussianWA.com - Russian Speaking Community of Washington State and Seattle
• Russian Speaking Community of Seattle
• Russian Community of Florida
• Baraban.com - Russian Americans Local Community Information Resource
• VasinList.com - Russian Community and Classifieds
• Russian restaurants in the USA
• SlavicBazaar.com - Slavic North American Community (SNAC)

Russian American organizations

• Congress of Russian Americans

References

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