I have read in several places that the Sacramento area is second only to New York when it comes to Russian and former Soviet Union immigration.
But for the life of me, I can’t figure out why!
Can anybody point me in a direction to go with this one?
Thanks!
As a resident of and teacher in the Sacramento area, I’ve met quite a few immigrants from Russia, the Ukraine and other Slavic countries. The Russians have a long history in Northern California, and had been fur hunting and establishing settlements along the coast well before California became a state. These group’s immigration here started in earnest about a century ago. Currently, their population in the Sacto Metro region numbers between 80,000 to 100,000. From what I’ve heard, Sacramento in particular is attractive to so many of these folks because of it’s proximity to West coast points of entry coupled with it’s mostly rural surroundings. This (rapidly disapppearing) rural feel is a more comfortable resemblance to their homeland and a more affordable place to settle into as opposed to the bigger cities.
Lately, there appears to be a large recruitment of these immigrants to settle in the area by evangelical Christian organizations. Unfortunately, these Slavic evangelicals bring with them a particularly nasty version of homophobia, which I have witnessed personally in the form of ugly anti-gay protests outside of schools. See this for an LA Times story on this unwelcome turn of events.
What do you teach, neighbor?
During the great influx of immigrants in the early 20th century immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, passed thru customs, and arrived in NYC. They were met by or followed fellow countrymen to areas of the city where their contrymen congregated.
A case of "Birds of a Feather Flock Together."
Today it’s the samo samo! Just different location(s).
There’s a ton of Russian immigrants in the inner ring eastern suburbs of Cleveland along Mayfield Road; South Euclid, Lyndhurst and Mayfield Heights. Originally local Jewish groups sponsored a large number of immigrants from the Soviet Union, and helped them settle down in affordable, middle-class suburbs with a moderate Jewish population. Later non-Jewsh immigrants from Russia settled by the Jewish immigrants, who by then established Russian delis, restaurants and social institutions.
There’s two Russian language weekly newspapers in Cleveland, both based in the eastern 'burbs. Bilingual signs are also common. Baltica beer can be found alongside Budweiser and Great Lakes in many area supermarkets and convenience stores. Go to a dive bar in South Euclid or Mayfield Heights, and you’ll probably hear some Russian voices among the background din of English.
I’m really surprised at the age of most Russian immigrants I meet. A lot are in their mid-20s to mid-30s.
The Detroit area has a ton of people with Polish ancestry. We also have a large Middle Eastern community.
The world is round. California is just accross the other big ocean from Russia. Ellis Island wasn’t the only game in town. My guess is that the influx of Russians in northern California during the early twentieth century were processed at Angel Island in San Francisico Bay, and prior to that, many of those immigranting from Russia to California made there way across the Pacific. Not quite a WAG.
Interesting!
I knew of the Russian connection to California History, what with the fort in northern California that was used as a trading outpost for Russian trappers. But I didn’t think that had much to do with the current phase of immigration.
Thank you all very much!
I teach science at one of the suburban high schools. I probably have more students of slavic background than I do those of african heritage, just to give the OP a sense of the extent of slavic immigration here locally. They’re mostly good kids, but I have had some issues with a couple of them that chose to express their homophobia in my classroom, especially one year when I had an openly gay teaching assistant.
San Juan ?
No, not San Juan, but not too far away from there 
(I’m puroposely being coy because I suspect that some of my students visit the SD; I don’t want them harassing me here). While working on my credential, I did some teacher observations at San Juan, so I’m aware that they have a rather high slavic population there. My school does not have as high a number of slavic students, and those we do have are at a higher socio-economic level than at San Juan.
Coincidentally to this conversation, I was at a Taco Bell in Roseville today and the kid behind the counter (with “Igor” on his nametag) was bragging to his co-horts about being from Russia. Got me wondering if they have Taco Bell in Russia…