# Do you have "Little German Towns" or similar in your area/country? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2020, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040 "2020-08-26T06:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/21 "2020-08-26T14:52:33Z")
Here in California, the best known is Solvang, which has recreated a Danish village: > **[Official Visitor Guide for Solvang in the Santa Ynez Valley - Solvang,...](https://www.solvangusa.com/)** > > Your official guide for visiting the Danish Village of Solvang, CA and the Santa Ynez Valley. Find hotels, events, wine tasting, craft beer, boutique shopping, international dining, and things to do. Very cool place to visit, but given the proximity to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, gets VERY crowded on weekends. It is also in the heart of the wine country featured in the movie “Sideways” ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/22 "2020-08-26T14:53:18Z")
[New Ulm](https://www.newulm.com/) in Minnesota is very German. A great German brewery and lots of related festivals. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/23 "2020-08-26T15:09:52Z")
Philadelphia has a section called Germantown. I believe it was an independent town before Philly amalgamated its entire county. But I don’t know that any German culture remains there. I’ve been in an through it many times. In Montreal, there is a “Ville Italienne” and it is full of ethnic groceries and one church. It is known as the Mussolini church because the ceiling has a gigantic mural of the dictator on a white horse. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/24 "2020-08-26T15:46:37Z")
I think it’s worth pointing out that the Texas European towns were generally part of larger-ish European ethnic enclaves, and many of them developed their own dialects of languages due to being settled exclusively by Europeans and then somewhat isolated from the rest of the state. Texas German, Silesian and Czech in particular stand out. Lots of people in those areas were bilingual well into the early 20th century, and there were also plenty of non-English newspapers. Lots of the towns, especially the smaller Central Texas ones, keep a fair amount of their heritage, especially in terms of food. Lots of kolache places, lots of sausage makers, etc… For that matter, San Antonio retains a surprising degree of its original Spanish/Mexican heritage as well. [And apparently there was an Italian immigrant town south of Houston at one point (the town’s still there, but all it’s Italian-ness has pretty much gone).](https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/baytown-news/article/Dickinson-s-once-strong-Italian-heritage-fades-2047701.php) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/25 "2020-08-26T16:05:30Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Philadelphia has a section called Germantown. I believe it was an independent town before Philly amalgamated its entire county. But I don’t know that any German culture remains there. I’ve been in an through it many times. There are several other entities in PA names Germantown as well. There are also Frenchtowns in PA and NJ. These areas were settled very long ago, but I recall reading a story many years ago about one of the last French speaking residents of some Frenchtown. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/26 "2020-08-26T20:15:46Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > Here in California, the best known is Solvang, which has recreated a Danish village: Also in California, just a bit south of Fresno, is Kingsburg, with some Swedish heritage. It’s not all that much of a touristy town like Solvang. The “historic downtown” stretch has shops with Swedish-motif decor. There is an annual Swedish Festival. The town water tower (visible from the freeway, State Route 99) is in the shape of an antique Swedish teapot. It was settled by some Swedish immigrants in the 1870’s. The town of Inverness, Ca., on the shores of Tomales Bay near Point Reyes, has a bit of Czech heritage. There’s a Czech restaurant there. The town is so small, I think that Czech restaurant is the whole town. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/27 "2020-08-26T20:26:41Z")
Holland, Michigan was founded by Dutch immigrants, and it’s still closely tied to its Dutch heritage. The city’s biggest claim to fame is the annual Tulip Time Festival in the spring, but it also has an original Dutch windmill in a city park, several Dutch-themed attractions, and is home to two colleges (Hope College and Western Theological Seminary) which are affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (a denomination with Dutch roots). ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/28 "2020-08-26T21:39:40Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > The town of Inverness, Ca., on the shores of Tomales Bay near Point Reyes, has a bit of Czech heritage. There’s a Czech restaurant there. The town is so small, I think that Czech restaurant is the whole town. Vladimir’s. It’s been a while since I have been there, but it was a great place for a Pilsner Urquell, and where I was introduced to Becherovka. Vlad told an interesting story on how he escaped from the east. He passed away some time ago, and I have only been back once after that. The new owner (maybe his family) did a few needed updates. Anyone know if it’s still there? And to the OP, I recently learned about Colonia Tovar, a German town in Venezuela. Looks like an interesting place, though I am probably unlikely to travel there anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/29 "2020-08-26T22:01:19Z")
Ontario has a few towns that retain ethnic character. Kitchener used to be called Berlin until around 1914. Thunder Bay still has a strong Scandinavian influence. There is a hamlet near the terminus of the Great Underground Railway which has descendants of original travellers. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/30 "2020-08-26T22:11:27Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > There is an area of Annandale, VA which is referred to as “Koreatown” There’s this neighborhood a bit further north: > **[Little Saigon, Arlington, Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Saigon,_Arlington,_Virginia)** > > Little Saigon is the Vietnamese ethnic enclave in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, which served the large refugee population that immigrated after the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. One of many Little Saigons in the U.S., this neighborhood near Washington, D.C., became a hub of Vietnamese commerce and social activity, and reached its peak during the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The opening of the Clarendon station on the Washington Metro's Orange Line led to new developme... And across the river: > **[Germantown, Maryland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germantown,_Maryland)** > > Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. With a population of 91,249 as of the 2020 census, it is the third most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore and Columbia. Germantown is located approximately 28 miles (45 km) outside the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., and is an important part of the Washington metropolitan area. > Germantown was founded in the early 19th century by European immigrants, though much of the area's development did not take ... ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/31 "2020-08-26T22:17:15Z")
Well, we have Nicodemus, that was founded by slaves after the Civil War. Not much left there, but it’s history is cool, and there are periodic reunions. Cuba, is an oddly named town, because it was Czech in origin. Lindsborg was a Swedish town. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/32 "2020-08-27T01:55:11Z")
Gimli, Manitoba celebrates its Dwarven heritage by having a glider festival every year. OK, that’s not true, but it should be. They do have an Icelandic Festival every year, though. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/33 "2020-08-27T02:38:44Z")
Lynden, Washington, close to the Canadian border, is a Dutch town that still has a sizeable Dutch population. [https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Lynden-Washington-A-Quaint-Dutch-Town-in-the-Pacific-Northwest](https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Lynden-Washington-A-Quaint-Dutch-Town-in-the-Pacific-Northwest) > Lynden has a population of 12,000 and is home to one of the largest Dutch American communities in the United States. Dutch is still spoken by some of the local residents. [http://bellinghamster.com/lynden\_washington\_real\_estate.htm](http://bellinghamster.com/lynden_washington_real_estate.htm) > One of the highlights of Lynden’s Holland Days festivities is when the little children dressed in traditional Dutch attire and using little corn brooms, sweep the main street to symbolize their commitment to keeping their community clean while the Klompen Dancers in their wooden shoes klip-klopping to their festive music are always a real crowd pleaser. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/34 "2020-08-27T03:10:54Z")
In Indiana they have Berne and Geneva, which are both small towns founded by immigrants from Switzerland in the 19th century. They retain some cultural icons of their home country. ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/35 "2020-08-27T03:33:35Z")
Well, Amana, Iowa: [History of the Seven Villages - Amana Colonies in Amana, Iowa | Tourism](https://amanacolonies.com/visitors-guide/history-of-the-seven-villages/) But there are also various festivals for Czech people: [Visit Iowa - Northeast Iowa Tourism - Allamakee County Iowa, Buchanan County Iowa, Clayton County Iowa, Chickasaw County Iowa, Fayette County Iowa, Howard County Iowa, Winneshiek County Iowa](https://www.visitiowa.org/business/czech-days.html) (but Covid-19). There are a few Powwows. But it’s mainly “Wonder Bread” and … I was going to say Miracle Whip but Mayonnaise might be more popular (I like them both). [Iowa - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa#Language) (which kinda shows ethnicity/groupings.) (I do know that we did get Vietnamese refugees in the 70s but the one family who had a restaurant in “my area” retired in the 90s to Calif. After that it’s been mainly generic from Chicago buffet food with servers from?? I dunno where, just young, nice, don’t speak much English (or don’t want to, don’t blame them a bit) and I’ve seen them eating while poring over books/studying… well, back before Covid-19.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/36 "2020-08-27T04:23:32Z")
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, publishes the world’s largest circulation Polish-language newspaper outside Poland. At one time, the city had three Polish papers. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/37 "2020-08-27T04:58:54Z")
washington state has [leavenworth](https://leavenworth.org/). Long story short, a logging town that was dying in the 1960’s and re-invented themselves as a Bavarian Village. It’s worked to a degree and become a “bavarian village tourist spot” about 2 hours from Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/38 "2020-08-27T05:23:27Z")
^^ See post #5. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/39 "2020-08-27T05:32:47Z")
North Georgia has a town called Helen, which is basically a German theme park of a town. It was even featured in an episode of the TV show “Atlanta” (yes, that place is real) ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2020, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040/40 "2020-08-27T07:30:03Z")
Ok, so these towns are all over the US. They seem to be mostly European and mostly settled around the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. It doesn’t appear that there are new immigrants still coming in. I wonder why other ethnicities/immigrants never settled into their own towns and instead chose to go to the big cities. I have seen Russian and Chinese neighborhoods, but not towns. It doesn’t take a lot of people to get a town started. I would think a savvy land guy would get a group of his countrymen together and say “Here is some fertile farmland being sold in Iowa, if we put all our money together, we could buy it and divide it up among us.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-little-german-towns-or-similar-in-your-area-country/919040.md?page=3)