During the 17th century, the English and Dutch settled in New York,
establishing trade colonies in the New World. Many people from all over the
world soon began flocking across the ocean, trying to escape the poverty and
famine in their own countries, in search of a better life. In the 1840's,
the potato famine led to a flood of Irish immigrants and political unrest
and the Industrial Revolution saw many immigrants from Germany and other
parts of Europe making the journey to America. New York City has the most
diverse population than most other cities in the world. A walk through one
of the neighborhoods or a ride on the New York subway will confirm this. The
variety in color of the population and the different number of ethnic groups
usually leaves most visitors amazed.
Nowadays, nearly 50% of all New York state residents live in the New York
City area and most of these belong to major ethnic groups. In a census
conducted in 2000, the white, non-Hispanic accounted for 35% of the
population, Blacks accounted for 24.5% of the population and Latinos
accounted for 27%. Asians and Pacific Islanders accounted for only 9.8% of
the population.
Between 1990 and 2000, the population of New York increased to eight million
residents, over 1.2 million of these were immigrants. The quickest growing
immigrant group was definitely the Mexicans, their immigrant figures
trebled. Even today the number of Immigrants entering the city is on the
increase - especially from countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. These
people have settled in huge numbers in Chinatown - so much so, that the
borders of the Chinatown neighborhood are continually being pushed towards
the East Village and Little Italy. New York City has the largest population
of Chinese in the US and the most Asian Indians. There are also more
Russians than anywhere besides Russia, more Jews than anywhere besides
Israel and more Greeks than anywhere outside of Athens.
Federal lotteries are one of the ways that Immigrants enter the country in
the first place. Each year the American Government hands out visas to so
many thousand non-US citizens - just like having a lottery ticket. If your
name is chosen, entry into the US is guaranteed. Between 1980 and 1990, an
exceptional amount of visas were granted to immigrants from Poland and
Ireland - The Poles moved to the Eastern European neighborhood of
Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn while the existing large Irish
communities were boosted with the new batch of Irish immigrants who moved
into the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
Italians: The Italians came to New York between the 1830's and 1840's to escape
the Italian Revolution. Many more made the journey across the ocean in the
1870's to escape poverty and famine. The Italians became a very strong
political force with Fiorello La Guardia becoming one of New York's most
popular Mayors in the 1990's.
Irish: The Irish first came to New York in the 1840's, mainly to escape the
potato famine. Most had no money to their names and they had to work hard to
avoid further poverty. Many were employed as labourers in the construction
industry and helped to build the modern city. Some joined the fire service
and police force, while others set up successful businesses such as Irish
Bars.
Chinese:
The majority of Chinese Immigrants didn't arrive in New York till the
1940's, then they were the fastest growing ethnic community in the city.
Modern Chinatown is now a bustling community - There is a constant string of
visitors exploring the markets and sampling the delights of the Chinese
restaurants.
Hispanic Americans: Some Puerto Ricans were in New York from as early as 1838, but the
largest number of immigrants arrived after the Second World War in search of
work. Many of these now live in El Barrio, which used to be known as Spanish
Harlem. The vast numbers who fled Fidel Castro's Cuba no longer live in the
city now, although they do play a major part in the Hispanic culture and
commerce of the city. Some parts of Washington Heights have large Columbian
communities.
Germans: From as early as the 18th century, German immigrants began to settle in
New York. One of the most famous German immigrants was John Jacob Astor, New
York's first millionaire.
Jews: Ever since 1654 there has been a Jewish community in New York. The first
Jewish settlers were Sephardic Jews, who were of Spanish descent, followed
by German Jews. The Strauss brothers were German Jews, who set up a
successful retailing business in Macy's. A mass immigration began in the
1800s as a result of Russian persecution and there were more than 600,000
Jews living in New York by the start of World War I.
African Americans: At the last count there were over 2 million African Americans living in
New York City. African slaves first arrived in New York in 1626 and it
wasn't until 1841 that slavery was completely abolished. Harlem is probably
the best known inner-city community in the Western world and famous for its
gospel music and soul food. Harlem has undergone a major transition in
recent years with the opening of a shopping and movie complex called Harlem
USA. This brought hundreds of jobs and various cultural events to the area.
Brooklyn is probably the most International borough of all. One of the
fastest growing immigrant groups are the Caribbeans from Haiti and Jamaica.
West Indians are located along Eastern Parkway between Grand Army Plaza and
Utica Avenue. Russian Jewish immigrants have settled around Brighton Beach.
Finns are in Sunset Park and the Lebanese have moved into Bay Ridge.
Italians live in the Bensonhurst area, while the largest Greek population
are situated in Astoria - Queens.
Atlantic Avenue is home to the biggest Arab community in America.
It is quite easy to see why most of the native New Yorkers have ancestral
roots that stem back to other countries!!
