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There have been a variety of ethnic groups in Baltimore, Maryland and its surrounding area for 12,000 years. Prior to European colonization, various Native American nations have lived in the Baltimore area for nearly 3 millennia, with the earliest known Native inhabitants dating to the 10th millennium BCE. Following Baltimore's foundation as a subdivision of the Province of Maryland by
British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
authorities in 1661, the city became home to numerous European settlers and immigrants and their African slaves. Since the first English
settlers A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...
arrived, substantial immigration from all over Europe, the presence of a deeply rooted community of free black people that was the largest in the pre-Civil War United States, out-migration of African-Americans from the Deep South, out-migration of White Southerners from
Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, C ...
, out-migration of Native Americans from the
Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
such as the
Lumbee The Lumbee are a Native American people primarily centered in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties in North Carolina. They also live in surrounding states and Baltimore, Maryland. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-rec ...
and the Cherokee, and new waves of more recent immigrants from Latin America, the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
,
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
have added layers of complexity to the workforce and
culture of Baltimore The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been a predominantly working-class town through much of its history with several surrounding affluent suburbs and, being found in a Mid-Atlantic state but south of the Mason-Dixon line, can lay claim to a b ...
, as well as the religious and ethnic fabric of the city. Baltimore's culture has been described as "the blending of Southern culture and frican-Americanmigration, Northern industry, and the influx of European immigrants—first mixing at the port and its neighborhoods...Baltimore’s character, it’s uniqueness, the dialect, all of it, is a kind of amalgamation of these very different things coming together—with a little Appalachia thrown in...It’s all threaded through these neighborhoods", according to the American studies academic Mary Rizzo.


Early history

The Baltimore area has been inhabited by Native Americans since at least the
10th millennium BC The 10th millennium BC spanned the years 10,000 BC to 9001 BC (c. 12 ka to c. 11 ka). It marks the beginning of the transition from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic via the interim Mesolithic ( Northern Europe and Western Europe) and Ep ...
, when Paleo-Indians first settled in the region. One Paleo-Indian site and several Archaic period and
Woodland period In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeolog ...
archaeological sites have been identified in Baltimore, including four from the Late Woodland period. During the Late Woodland period, the
archaeological culture An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of types of artifacts, buildings and monuments from a specific period and region that may constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between these ...
that is called the "Potomac Creek complex" resided in the area from Baltimore to the
Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the enti ...
in Virginia. Prior to the establishment of Baltimore as a city, the
Piscataway tribe The Piscataway or Piscatawa , are Native Americans. They spoke Algonquian Piscataway, a dialect of Nanticoke. One of their neighboring tribes, with whom they merged after a massive decline of population following two centuries of interaction ...
of Algonquians inhabited the Baltimore area. In 1608, Captain John Smith traveled 170 miles from Jamestown to the upper
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / E ...
, leading the first European expedition to the Patapsco River, named after the native Algonquians who fished shellfish and hunted. The name "Patapsco" is derived from ''pota-psk-ut'', which translates to "backwater" or "tide covered with froth" in Algonquian dialect. The
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / E ...
was named after the
Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...
tribe of Virginia. "Chesapeake" is derived from the Algonquian word ''Chesepiooc'' referring to a village "at a big river." It is the seventh oldest surviving English place-name in the U.S., first applied as "Chesepiook" by explorers heading north from the
Roanoke Colony The establishment of the Roanoke Colony ( ) was an attempt by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The English, led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, had briefly claimed St. John's, Newfoundland, in 15 ...
into a Chesapeake tributary in 1585 or 1586. In 2005, Algonquian linguist
Blair Rudes Blair Arnold Rudes (May 18, 1951 – March 16, 2008) was an American linguist and professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte best known for his expertise in Native American languages. He was hired in 2004 to reconstruct the long e ...
"helped to dispel one of the area's most widely held beliefs: that 'Chesapeake' means something like 'Great Shellfish Bay.' It does not, Rudes said. The name might actually mean something like 'Great Water,' or it might have been just a village at the bay's mouth." Soon after John Smith's voyage, English colonists began to settle in Maryland. The English were initially frightened by the Piscataway because of their body paint and war regalia, even though they were a peaceful tribe. The chief of the Piscataway was quick to grant the English permission to settle within Piscataway territory and cordial relations were thereafter established between the English and the Piscataway. Beginning in the 1620s, English settlers from the
Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...
began to trade with the Algonquians, in particular the
Piscataway tribe The Piscataway or Piscatawa , are Native Americans. They spoke Algonquian Piscataway, a dialect of Nanticoke. One of their neighboring tribes, with whom they merged after a massive decline of population following two centuries of interaction ...
. Since the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay area had more trees, there were also more beavers. The colonists from Virginia traded English cloth and metal tools in exchange for beaver pelts. This trade was supported by Lord Baltimore, who felt that more revenue could be gained from taxation of the fur trade than from tobacco farming. Lord Baltimore also wanted to maintain friendly relations with the native Algonquians in order to create a buffer from the Susquehannock, an Iroquoian-speaking tribe to the north that was hostile to the English presence. In exchange for cooperation with the English colonists, tribes on the Eastern Shore of the United States were given grants from English proprietors that protected their lands. The tribes paid for the grants by exchanging beaver belts. A number of English fur traders helped pay the rents for Native Americans in order to prevent tobacco farmers from driving the Native Americans off of their lands. Nonetheless, English tobacco farmers gradually acquired more and more land from Native Americans, which hindered Native Americans from moving around freely in search of food. While the English had established treaties with the Native Americans that protected their rights to "hunting, fowling, crabbing, and fishing", in practice the English did not respect the treaties and the Native Americans were eventually moved to reservations. In 1642, the Province of Maryland declared war on several Native American groups, including the Susquehannocks. The Susquehannocks were armed with guns they had received from Swedish colonists in the settlement of New Sweden. The Swedes were friendly with the Susquehannock and wanted to maintain a trading relationship, in addition to wanting to prevent the English from expanding their presence further into Delaware. With the assistance of the Swedes, the Susquehannock defeated the English in 1644. In 1652, the Susquehannock made peace with Maryland and ceded large tracts of land to colony. The tribe had incurred a loss in a war with the Iroquois, and could not maintain two wars at once. Because both the Susquehannock and the English considered the Iroquois to be their enemy, they decided to cooperate to prevent Iroquois expansion into their territories. This alliance between the Susquehannock and the English lasted for 20 years. However, the English badly treated their Susquehannock allies. In 1674, the English forced the Susquehannock to relocate to the shores of the
Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...
.


Ethnic groups


African Americans

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
are the majority racial and cultural group in Baltimore. The history of the African Americans in Baltimore dates back to the 17th century when the first African slaves were being brought to the Province of Maryland. Majority white for most of its history, Baltimore transitioned to having a black majority in the 1970s. As of the 2010 Census, African Americans are the majority population of Baltimore at 63% of the population, with a total population of 417,009 people."Baltimore, MD Ethnicity"
ERsys.com. (Based on U.S. Census, 2000). Retrieved 12/05/14.
As a majority black city for the last several decades with the 5th largest population of African Americans of any city in the United States, African Americans have had an enormous impact on the culture, dialect, history, politics, and music of the city. Unlike many other Northern cities whose African-American populations first became well-established during the Great Migration, Baltimore has a deeply rooted African-American heritage, being home to the largest population of free black people half a century before the Emancipation Proclamation. The migrations of
Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
and Appalachian African-Americans between 1910 and 1970 brought thousands of African-Americans to Baltimore, transforming the city into the second northernmost majority-black city in the United States after Detroit. The city's
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensla ...
community is centered in West Baltimore and
East Baltimore East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
. The distribution of African Americans on both the West and the East sides of Baltimore is sometimes called "The Black Butterfly", while the distribution of white Americans in Central and Southeast Baltimore is called "The White L."


African immigrants

As of 2010, there were 28,834 immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa in Baltimore. An annual festival called FestAfrica is held in
Patterson Park Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Pa ...
in order to teach non-Africans about various African cultures and histories. The event is typically attended by 4,000 people and features a picnic, food vendors, and entertainment. In September 2014, speakers of various
languages of Africa The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families: * Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Southe ...
were the third largest non-
Anglophone Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
group of language speakers in Baltimore, after Hispanophones and
Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
s. Additionally, 6,862 African immigrants lived in Baltimore, making Africa the third largest region of origin for immigrants after Latin America and Asia.


Cape Verdeans

In September 2014, immigrants from
Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...
were the one-hundredth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Cameroonians

In September 2014, immigrants from Cameroon were the forty-fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Eritreans

There is a small Eritrean immigrant community in Baltimore. Most are refugees and have settled in the northeastern part of the city. In September 2014, immigrants from Eritrea were the fiftieth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Ethiopians

Around 75,000
Ethiopian American Ethiopian Americans are Americans of Ethiopian descent, as well as individuals of American and Ethiopian ancestry. History In 1919, an official Ethiopian goodwill mission was sent to the United States to congratulate the Allied powers on thei ...
s reside in Maryland. Of those, between 30,000 and 50,000 live in Greater Baltimore. The population generally works as small business owners, cab drivers, beauticians and medical technicians. It is represented by the Ethiopian Community Center in Baltimore Inc. (ECCB), which provides educational and support services to the city's Ethiopian residents. In the area where Baltimore's historic
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austr ...
is located, there is an increasing Ethiopian population. There are multiple Ethiopian businesses, including restaurants, a café, and a market. This enclave, located on the 300 block of Park Avenue, is sometimes referred to as Little Ethiopia. In September 2014, immigrants from Ethiopia were the twenty-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Ghanaians

In September 2014, immigrants from Ghana were the twenty-second largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Kenyans

There is a Kenyan American population living in Baltimore, many of whom have relatives living in Kenya. In September 2014, immigrants from Kenya were the thirty-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Liberians

There were over 2,500 Liberian Americans living in Baltimore as of 2014. In September 2014, immigrants from Liberia were the thirty-second largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Nigerians

An annual Nigerian festival is held in Baltimore called the Naija Fest. It is sponsored by the Nigerian Youth Association of Maryland and features art, dance, music, and a feast. In September 2014, immigrants from Nigeria were the sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore, making Nigerians the largest foreign-born African population in the city. The third most spoken language in Baltimore after English and Spanish is
Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
, a language spoken in Nigeria, and 1.72 percent of
Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...
residents speak Yoruba. Yoruba is also the second most spoken foreign language in Baltimore schools.


Sierra Leoneans

In September 2014, immigrants from Sierra Leone were the forty-sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Sudanese

In February 2011, the Sudanese community of Baltimore numbered only 185 people. Due to South Sudan's independence from Sudan, many South Sudanese have returned to their homeland. Prior to independence, Baltimore's Sudanese community numbered 300 people. In September 2014, immigrants from Sudan were the twenty-ninth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Asian Americans

The largest Asian ethnic groups are Koreans and Indians. Smaller numbers of Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese also exist. The Asian population is concentrated near Johns Hopkins'
Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University The Homewood Campus is the main academic and administrative center of the Johns Hopkins University. It is located at 3400 North Charles Street in Baltimore, Maryland. It houses the two major undergraduate schools: the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts a ...
, as well as in Downtown and Midtown Baltimore. There were 9,824
Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...
s living in Baltimore city in 2000. This is 1.51% of the population. In the same year, 7,879 Asian-born immigrants lived in Baltimore, comprising 26.6% of all foreign-born residents of the city. This made Asia the second largest region of origin for immigrants after Latin America. In September 2014, 10,678 Asian immigrants lived in Baltimore, making Asia the second largest region of origin for immigrants after Latin America. In the same year the most commonly spoken Asian languages included Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Urdu, Japanese, Laotian, Hindi, and Thai.


Bhutanese

There is a community of Bhutanese refugees in Baltimore.


Burmese

There is a community of Burmese refugees in Baltimore. Other Burmese refugees have settled in nearby Howard County. In September 2014, immigrants from
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
were the twenty-fifth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Chinese

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...
s number 13,877 people, 0.5% of Baltimore. In 2000, the
Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...
was spoken at home by 4,110 people in Baltimore. During the 1990s the Chinese were the second-largest Asian group in the city, after Koreans. There existed two Chinatowns in Baltimore; the first one existed on the 200 block of Marion Street during the 1880s. A second location was on Park Avenue, which was dominated by laundries and restaurants. The Chinese population initially came because of the transcontinental railroad, however, the Chinese population never exceeded 400 as of 1941 and there were even fewer in the 1930 census. During segregation, Chinese children were classified as "White" and went to the White schools. The Chinatown was largely gone by the First World War due to urban renewal. By the 1970s, hardly any Chinese people lived in the city. There are now debates about whether Baltimore should revitalize the old Chinatown in the location of Park Avenue or build a new one about a mile north at Charles Street and North Avenue. In September 2014, immigrants from China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan) were the fifth-largest foreign-born population in Baltimore, making
mainland Chinese Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC), ...
immigrants the largest foreign-born Asian population in the city. Immigrants from Taiwan were the sixteenth-largest foreign-born population and immigrants from Hong Kong were sixty-fifth. The
Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...
was the second-most commonly spoken language other than English, after Spanish. During the
2015 Baltimore protests On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On Apr ...
, the
Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, includin ...
gang allegedly protected Black-owned stores by directing rioters to loot and vandalize Chinese-owned stores instead.


Filipinos

Filipino American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...
s numbered 8,509 people in 2000, 0.3% of the Baltimore metropolitan area. In 2000, the Tagalog language is spoken at home by 2,180 people in Baltimore. An annual Philippine-American Festival is held in
Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltim ...
, a suburb of Baltimore. The festival includes Filipino cuisine, dances, and a parade. In September 2014, immigrants from the Philippines were the eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Tagalog language was the tenth most commonly spoken language, after English.


Indians

Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...
s numbered 15,908 people in 2000, 0.6% of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Indian-Americans in the Baltimore area number roughly 39,000, making up the largest Asian group in Metro Baltimore at 1.4 percent of the population. The Rathayatra Parade, India's ancient Festival of Chariots, is held once a year in Baltimore. The parade begins outside
Oriole Park at Camden Yards The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early ...
and ends at the
Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...
, where the Festival of India is held. The festival is sponsored by the Hare Krishna Temple of
Catonsville Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census. The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of th ...
and features live classical Indian music and dancing, arts and theater, literature, and a vegetarian feast. In September 2014, immigrants from India were the tenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. In the same year Urdu and Hindi were the thirteenth and twenty-fourth most commonly spoken languages in the city other than English, respectively, and other Indic languages were the eighth largest group of language speakers after English speakers.
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...
, a language native to Southern India, is the second most spoken South Asian language in the Baltimore metro area, with roughly 6,000 speakers of Telugu.


Indonesians

In September 2014, immigrants from Indonesia were the seventy-second largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Japanese

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
s are a small community in Baltimore. They numbered 2,185 people in 2000, 0.1% of the Baltimore metropolitan area. During the 1990s, the Japanese were the third largest Asian group in the city after Koreans and the Chinese. In the
1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...
, there were fewer than 1,000 Japanese-born people in Baltimore. There is a Japanese-American Fellowship Society, founded during the 1970s, which is meant to bring the Japanese culture to the people of Baltimore. There were hardly any Japanese people living in the city at the time the society was formed. In September 2014, immigrants from Japan were the thirtieth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Japanese language was the fifteenth most commonly spoken language, after English.


Koreans

The Korean population in Baltimore dates back to the mid-20th century. The Korean American community in numbered 1,990 in 2010, making up 0.3% of the city's population. At 93,000 people, the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area has the third largest Korean American population in the United States. The
Baltimore metropolitan area The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As of the 2010 Census, t ...
is home to 35,000 Koreans making up roughly 1.2 percent of the population, many of whom live in suburban Howard County. In 2000, the Korean language is spoken at home by 3,970 people in Baltimore. In September 2014, immigrants from Korea were the seventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore, making Koreans the second largest foreign-born Asian population after mainland Chinese.


Laotians

In September 2014, immigrants from Laos were the sixty-second largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Nepali

In September 2014, immigrants from Nepal were the forty-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. Nepalis are the fifth largest Asian ethnic group in Baltimore, numbering roughly 0.2 percent of the population.


Pakistanis

In September 2014, immigrants from Pakistan were the thirty-fifth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. Urdu is the most spoken South Asian language in the Baltimore metro area, with over 9,000 speakers.


Thais

In September 2014, immigrants from Thailand were the fifty-fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Vietnamese

Vietnamese Americans numbered 3,616 people in 2000, 0.1% of the Baltimore metropolitan area. A Vietnamese
pho Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants c ...
restaurant exists in Hollins Market. In September 2014, immigrants from Vietnam were the twenty-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Vietnamese language was the twelfth most commonly spoken language, after English.


Hispanics and Latinos

Baltimore's Hispanic population is relatively new. Hispanics made up about 4.2% of Baltimore's population in 2010, which is lower than many other cities of similar sizes in the Mid-Atlantic region. Unlike Philadelphia, where Puerto Ricans make up the majority of Hispanics, or Washington, DC, where Salvadorans form a slight plurality over other Hispanic groups, in Baltimore, the Hispanic population is fairly diverse for its size. The city has near equal populations of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and
Salvadorans Salvadorans ( Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...
, with a smaller number of Hispanics coming from countries like the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, and Colombia. However, Hispanic populations originating from Mexico and Central America have been growing at a faster rate. Most of Baltimore's Hispanic population is in the Southeast section of the city, in areas around Patterson Park and north of Eastern Avenue, especially Highlandtown. Significant Hispanic presence can be seen going in a southeast-ward direction towards Dundalk. Hispanics are starting to act as a medium creating a diverse community wedged between the predominantly Black community north of Orleans Street and the predominantly White community south of Eastern Avenue. Another noticeable pattern is that neighborhoods west of Linwood Avenue such as
Upper Fell's Point Upper Fells Point, also known as "Fells Prospect," is a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Located north of Fells Point, originally the neighborhood was home to Baltimore's dock workers. By the 1880s canneries and factories prov ...
and Butchers Hill, Hispanics are mostly made up of first and second generation immigrants from Mexico and Central America, while neighborhoods east of Haven Street such as
Greektown Greektown is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Greeks or people of Greek ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. History The oldest Greek dominated neighborhood outside of Greece were probably the Fener in Istanb ...
and Joseph Lee, more "American-ized" Hispanics such as Puerto Ricans and Dominican Americans are more prevalent, moving to Baltimore from other US states. Though, all previously mentioned Hispanic groups can be found throughout Southeast Baltimore, with Highlandtown starting to act as the center of Baltimore's Hispanic community.


Argentines

Argentines Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
began to immigrate to Baltimore during the 1960s, most of whom were middle class. In September 2014, immigrants from
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
were the fifty-second largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Brazilians

In September 2014, immigrants from Brazil were the thirty-fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. In 2019, a Brazilian cafe and grocery stored opened on Eastern Avenue in Fell's Point.


Chileans

Baltimore has a small
Chilean American Chilean Americans ( es, chileno-americanos, ''chileno-estadounidenses'', or ) are Americans who have full or partial origin from Chile. The Chilean population from the U.S. census was 126,810. In the United States, Chileans are the fourth sma ...
population. In September 2014, immigrants from
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
were the seventy-ninth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Colombians

In September 2014, immigrants from Colombia were the fifty-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Cubans

At 824 people,
Cuban American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or ...
s make up 0.1% of Baltimore's population, as of 2010. Cubans began arriving in Baltimore in the 1960s and were among the first Latino immigrants to the city. These early Cuban immigrants were predominantly middle-class and
anti-Castro The Cuban dissident movement is a political movement in Cuba whose aim is to replace the current government with a liberal democracy. According to Human Rights Watch, the Cuban government represses nearly all forms of political dissent. Backgro ...
. 1980 saw a second wave of immigration from Cuba. Most were outcasts, mainly poor and uneducated and many being former prisoners. In September 2014, immigrants from Cuba were the sixty-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Dominicans

At, 1,111 people, Dominican Americans made up 0.2% of Baltimore's population. In September 2014, immigrants from the Dominican Republic were the thirteenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Ecuadorians

There are approximately 1,000 Ecuadorian Americans living in Baltimore. In September 2014, immigrants from Ecuador were the twelfth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Guatemalans

During the mid-1980s, many
Guatemalans Guatemalans ( es, guatemaltecos or ''guatemalenses'') are people connected to the country of Guatemala. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Guatemalans, several (if not all) of these connections exist. Guat ...
fled to Baltimore in order to escape the Guatemalan Civil War. Most are settling in the inner neighborhoods of Southeast Baltimore. In September 2014, immigrants from Guatemala were the eleventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Mexicans

At 7,855 people, Mexican Americans made up 1.3% of Baltimore's total population and 26.7% of Baltimore's Hispanic/Latino population, as of 2010. Baltimore had a Mexican population of 2,999 in 2000.United States Census
/ref> Between 2000 and 2010, the Mexican population grew very rapidly, with an increase of over 5,000 within the decade. However, between 2010 and 2013, the Mexican population grew at a slower rate. Recent 2013 estimates, put the number of Mexicans in Baltimore at 8,012, an increase of 200 since 2010.United States Census
/ref> In September 2014, immigrants from Mexico were the largest foreign-born population and the largest Hispanic/Latino population in Baltimore.


Peruvians

Peruvians Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; Peruvian p ...
first began to immigrate to Baltimore during the 1960s. Most of the immigrants from Peru were middle class. In East Baltimore there exists a chapter of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles. The organization holds an annual procession which honors the Lord of Miracles, a painting of Jesus Christ from Lima, Peru. This image is venerated by Peru's Roman Catholics. In September 2014, immigrants from Peru were the forty-first largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Puerto Ricans

As of the 2010 Census, there were 3,137 Puerto Rican Americans, up from 2,207 in 2000. They make up 0.6% of Baltimore's total population and 16.7% of Baltimore's Hispanic/Latino population, as of 2010, and are the second-largest Hispanic group in the city. Recent 2013 estimates, put the number of Puerto Ricans in Baltimore at 4,746. Baltimore has had a small and relatively stagnant Puerto Rican population since the late 20th century. However, the city's Puerto Rican community is starting to grow at a faster rate, with an increase of 900 between 2000 and 2010, and an increase of 1,600 between 2010 and 2013. With increasing crime and unemployment in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican migration to the US mainland has picked up significantly, with Maryland being one of the top 10 destinations. Some Puerto Ricans are moving to the Baltimore area from other US states, including states like New York and New Jersey. Most are settling in the outer neighborhoods of Southeast Baltimore.


Salvadorans

Salvadorans make up 15.9% of Baltimore's Latino population. During the mid-1980s, many
Salvadorans Salvadorans ( Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...
fled to Baltimore in order to escape the Salvadoran Civil War. Some Salvadorans and other Hispanics are moving to Baltimore from Virginia and the DC Metropolitan area because of looser immigration restrictions. Most are settling in the inner neighborhoods of Southeast Baltimore. In September 2014, immigrants from El Salvador were the fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore, after Mexicans, Jamaicans, and Trinidadians and Tobagonians, making Salvadorans the third-largest Hispanic/Latino population in the city, after Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.


Spaniards

During the 1920s many
Spanish American Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in t ...
s settled in Highlandtown, alongside many Greek Americans. In September 2014, immigrants from Spain were the seventy-fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Jews


Northern Americans

Northern Americans in Baltimore are residents who were born in or have ancestors from
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...
, Canada, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, or the United States. In 2000, 525 Northern American-born immigrants lived in Baltimore, comprising 1.8% of all foreign-born residents of the city. This made Northern America the second smallest region of origin for immigrants after Oceania. In September 2014, 751 Northern American immigrants lived in Baltimore, making
Northern America Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. 20 ...
the second smallest region of origin for immigrants after Oceania.


Americans

In the 2000 United States Census 129,568 Baltimoreans, 5.1% of the city, identify with the census category " United States or American".


=Appalachians

= Baltimore has a significant Appalachian population. The Appalachian community has historically been centered in the neighborhoods of Hampden, Pigtown, Remington, Woodberry, and Druid Hill Park. The culture of Baltimore has been profoundly influenced by
Appalachian culture Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, ...
, dialect, folk traditions, and music. People of Appalachian heritage may be of any race or religion. Most Appalachian people in Baltimore are white or
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensla ...
, though some are Native American or from other ethnic backgrounds. A
migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
of White Southerners from
Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, C ...
occurred from the 1920s to the 1960s, alongside a large-scale migration of African-Americans from the Deep South and migration of Native Americans from the
Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
such as the
Lumbee The Lumbee are a Native American people primarily centered in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties in North Carolina. They also live in surrounding states and Baltimore, Maryland. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-rec ...
and the Cherokee. These out-migrations caused the heritage of Baltimore to be deeply influenced by Appalachian and
Southern cultures Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
.


=Native Americans

= In the
2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people en ...
, there were 6,976 Native Americans in the Baltimore metropolitan area, making up 0.3% of the area's population. The majority of the Native Americans living in Baltimore belong to the
Lumbee The Lumbee are a Native American people primarily centered in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties in North Carolina. They also live in surrounding states and Baltimore, Maryland. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-rec ...
,
Piscataway tribe The Piscataway or Piscatawa , are Native Americans. They spoke Algonquian Piscataway, a dialect of Nanticoke. One of their neighboring tribes, with whom they merged after a massive decline of population following two centuries of interaction ...
, and Cherokee tribes. The Lumbee are originally from North Carolina, where they are concentrated in
Robeson County Robeson County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of North Carolina and is its largest county by land area. Its county seat is and largest city is Lumberton. The county was formed in 1787 from part of Bladen County and named in ...
. During the early and mid-20th century, the same wave of migration that brought large numbers of
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
from the Deep South and poor White people from
Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, C ...
also brought many people from the Lumbee tribe. The
Baltimore American Indian Center The Baltimore American Indian Center, Inc. (BAIC) is a center for American Indians that is located in Upper Fell's Point, Baltimore, Maryland. The center was founded in 1968 as the "American Indian Study Center" to serve the growing Native Amer ...
was established in 1968 in order to serve the needs of this community. In 2011 the center established a Native American heritage museum, including exhibits on Lumbee art and culture. The
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
Lumbee and other Native Americans in Baltimore are concentrated in the 6 blocks around
Baltimore Street This is a list of notable streets in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. A B C D E F G H Heath St. Route 64. (MTA Maryland) K L M N O P R Ramsay st S U W Y Numbered streets In Balt ...
in East Baltimore.


Canadians

In 1880, Canadians made up a small portion of the foreign-born population of Baltimore at 3.6% of all foreign born residents. 16.9% (56,354) of Baltimore was foreign born, 20,287 of them Canadian. In 1940, 1,310 immigrants from Canada lived in Baltimore. These immigrants comprised 2.1% of the city's foreign-born White population. In total, 2,972 people of Canadian birth or descent lived in the city, comprising 2.1% of the foreign-stock White population. In the 1960 United States Census, Baltimore was home to 2,972 Canadians. In September 2014, immigrants from Canada were the fourteenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=French Canadians and Acadians

= At 10,494,
French Canadian Americans French-Canadian Americans (also referred to as Franco-Canadian Americans or Canadien Americans) are Americans of French-Canadian descent. About 2.1 million U.S. residents cited this ancestry in the 2010 U.S. Census; the majority of them speak Fr ...
made up 0.3% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. Many Acadians in Baltimore are descendants of
Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early 18t ...
n refugees that settled in the city.


Romani

The Romani people (pejoratively known as "Gypsies") maintain a small community in Baltimore. The Romani began to immigrate to Baltimore in the late 1800s. Many of Baltimore's Romani families immigrated from Kosovo, Hungary, and Spain. The state of Maryland virtually outlawed the Romani in the 1920s, with Baltimore following suit in the 1930s. These laws banned fortune-telling for profit and levied a $1,000 entry fee for all nomads entering Baltimore. After the Baltimore law was passed, ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' published a headline titled "Gypsy horde leaves Maryland for good." The law was sparsely enforced and the Romani people returned to the city two years later.
Discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...
against the Romani was justified by portraying the Romani as unsanitary, a threat to organized labor, and a police nuisance. In 1968, unsuccessful efforts were made to study and educate the Romani community in Baltimore. A Romani "forosko baro" (community leader) from Baltimore named Stanley Stevens tried to establish a school for Romani children. It was determined that a survey of the Romani population was necessary in order to gauge the number of Romani children. The survey was unsatisfactory since most Romani people refused to take part, with only members of Stevens' extended family expressed interest. The Stevens clan is the largest Romani clan in the city. Nonetheless, a decision was made to proceed with the plans for a school and $14,300 was raised for its construction. The school was built and provided bilingual instruction in both the English and Romani languages. A Maryland state law required all Romani people to register as Romani, a law which was only repealed in 1976, when ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' ran an article titled "Senators fear gypsy no longer." By the 1990s, Baltimore's Romani community still reported discrimination after over a hundred years of living in the city, though many Romani have largely assimilated into the dominant culture and now own property and live settled lives. The community numbered around 200 individuals in 1994. Records show that 6 generations of Romani are interred at Baltimore's Western Cemetery.


Oceanians

Oceanians in Baltimore are residents of the city who were born in or have ancestors from Oceania, which includes Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. In 2000, 136 Oceanian-born immigrants lived in Baltimore, comprising 0.5% of all foreign-born residents of the city. This made Oceania the smallest region of origin for immigrants. In September 2014, 188 Oceanian immigrants lived in Baltimore, making Oceania the smallest region of origin for immigrants.


Australians

In September 2014, immigrants from Australia were the sixtieth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


New Zealanders

In September 2014, immigrants from New Zealand were the sixty-first largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Pacific Islanders

There are few
Pacific Islanders Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...
in Baltimore. In 2000 the Pacific Islander community only numbered 1,028 people, less than 1% of the city's population. In the same year speakers of Pacific Island languages were the twentieth largest group of language speakers in the city.


=Fijians

= In September 2014, immigrants from Fiji were the one-hundredth and fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Native Hawaiians

= The Native Hawaiian community in Baltimore is small and numbers only 285 people as of the year 2000.


=Guamanians or Chamorro

= In 2000, the
Guamanian The Chamorro people (; also CHamoru) are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, signifi ...
and
Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mari ...
community in Baltimore is very small, numbering only 292 people.


=Samoans

= In 2000, the tiny Samoan community in Baltimore numbers only 180 people. This makes Samoans the smallest ethnic group in Baltimore for which data exists.


West Indians

There were 17,141
West Indian American Caribbean Americans or West Indian Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Caribbean. Caribbean Americans are a multi-ethnic and multi-racial group that trace their ancestry further in time mostly to Africa, as well as Asia, the ...
s in the Baltimore metropolitan area in 2000. This count excludes
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
people from Hispanic countries, such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, however, if included the Caribbean population would be about 23,000. In the same year Baltimore's West Indian population was 6,597, 1% of the city's population. In 1994, there were 30,000 West Indians in the Greater Baltimore area. An annual Baltimore Caribbean Carnival Festival is held in Druid Hill Park. The festival attracts around 20–25,000 people and includes food, music, and a parade. The event has been held since 1981 when it was formed by the West Indian Association of Maryland, an organization for people of West Indian or Guyanese descent. By proclamation of Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, September 10–12 have been designated as "West Indian/Caribbean Days". Jamaicans, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, and Haitians were the largest non- Hispanic Caribbean populations. In September 2014, immigrants from the West Indies, other than Jamaicans, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, and Haitians, were the sixty-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Guyanese

In September 2014, immigrants from Guyana were the twenty-first largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. Guyanese Baltimore residents are predominantly of African descent with significant Indo-Guyanese of Bhojpuri and Tamil descent residing in the city as well. Guyanese heritage is often celebrated in Baltimore's numerous West Indian heritage parades.


Haitians

During the time of the French Revolution, there was a
slave revolt A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by enslaved people, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of enslaved people have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freed ...
on the French colony of Saint-Domingue, in what is now Haiti. Many
French-speaking French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
Catholic and white French
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
refugees from San Domingo left for Baltimore. In total, 1,500 Franco-Haitians fled the island. The Haitian refugee population was multiracial and included white French-Haitians and their Afro-Haitian slaves, as well as many free people of color, some of whom were also slaveowners. Along with the
Sulpician Fathers The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, ...
, these refugees founded St. Francis Xavier Church. The church is the oldest historically Black Catholic church in the United States. During the Haitian Revolution, Baltimore passed an ordinance declaring that all slaves imported from the West Indies, including Haiti, were "dangerous to the peace and welfare of the city" and ordered slaveowners to banish them. In September 2014, immigrants from Haiti were the thirty-seventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. The Baltimore-based ''Komite Ayiti'' ( Haitian Creole for “Haiti Committee”) is a Haitian-American organization with around 200 members in Maryland. ''Komite Ayiti'' hosts monthly get-togethers where members can learn to speak Haitian Creole and can express their Haitian culture, including Haitian dance and
cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
. The committee was opposed to and joined in demonstrations against the Trump administration's decision to cancel
temporary protected status Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary status given by the United States government to eligible nationals of designated countries, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security, who are present in the United States. In general, the ...
for nearly 60,000 Haitians living in the United States. The committee also celebrates an annual Haitian Independence Day event where traditional dishes such as
soup joumou Soup joumou (; french: soupe au giraumon) is a soup native to Haitian cuisine. In 2021, soup joumou was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The soup is traditionally cooked with winter squashes such as the turban squash. The ...
are served.


Jamaicans

Jamaican American Jamaican Americans are an ethnic group of Caribbean Americans who have full or partial Jamaican ancestry. The largest proportions of Jamaican Americans live in South Florida and New York City, both of which have been home to large Jamaican commu ...
s are the largest West Indian group in Baltimore, making up 1% of the city's population in 2000. Many Jamaicans have settled in the Park Heights neighborhood. The northern portion of the neighborhood is predominantly Jewish and the lower portion is predominantly African-American. The Jamaicans, the majority of whom are Black, have mostly settled in the lower portion of the neighborhood with other people of African descent. In September 2014, immigrants from Jamaica were the second largest foreign-born population in Baltimore, after Mexicans.


Trinidadians and Tobagonians

Baltimore has a growing
Trinidadian and Tobagonian Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...
population. They constitute the second largest West Indian population in Baltimore, after Jamaicans. The Trinidadians have established the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Baltimore and multiple Trinidadian businesses, including barbershops, groceries, and specialty stores. A newspaper called Caribbean Focus exists which caters to the community. Every year a festival is held to celebrate the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. In September 2014, immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago were the third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore, after Mexicans and Jamaicans.


White Americans

Close to a third of Baltimore is White according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At 201,566 people, they constitute 30.96% of the city's population.


European Americans

White people in Baltimore are predominantly non-Hispanic people of European descent. Some of the larger European ethnic groups in Baltimore include Germans, the Irish, the English, Eastern Europeans, Italians, the French, and Greeks. In 2000, 7,214 European-born immigrants lived in Baltimore, comprising 24.3% of all foreign-born residents of the city. This made Europe the third largest region of origin for immigrants after Latin America and Asia. In September 2014, 6,262 European immigrants lived in Baltimore, making Europe the fourth largest region of origin for immigrants after Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In the same year the most commonly spoken European languages included Spanish, French, German, Greek, Russian, Polish, various Slavic languages, Portuguese, Hungarian, Yiddish, various Scandinavian languages, and Serbo-Croatian.


=Albanians

= In 1920, there was only one foreign-born White person in the city of Baltimore who spoke the
Albanian language Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is gen ...
. In September 2014, immigrants from
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares la ...
were the one-hundredth and fifteenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Austrians

= It is difficult to determine how many people in Baltimore are of Austrian descent. During the 1800s, the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
and later
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
included many countries that are now independent, including
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
, Croatia, Slovenia, large portions of Serbia and Romania, and small parts of Italy, Montenegro, Poland, and Ukraine. Though many immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire belonged to a wide variety of ethnic and national groups, immigrants from the Empire were classified as "
Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...
" by the United States Census Bureau up until 1881. Because of this, it is also difficult to know an accurate count for immigrant groups such as Czechs and Slovaks before that time. Furthermore, most Austrians who immigrated to the U.S. traveled first through Germany to reach the Port of
Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state con ...
, where they would embark on Norddeutscher Lloyd ships to Baltimore. Because of this, many Austrians were recorded as Germans in the census records. Many of these Austrians settled in the immigrant neighborhood of Locust Point. In 1940, 1,984 immigrants from
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
lived in Baltimore. These immigrants comprised 3.3% of the city's foreign-born White population. In total, 2,972 people of Austrian birth or descent lived in the city, comprising 2.9% of the foreign-stock White population. In the 1960 United States Census, Baltimore was home to 4,031 Austrians. In September 2014, immigrants from
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
were the ninety-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Belarusians

= Immigrants from Belarus established the Transfiguration of our Lord Russian Orthodox Church in 1963 in order to serve the needs of the Russian Orthodox community. ''Kaskad'' (''Cascade'') is a Russian language newspaper founded by a Jewish immigrant from Belarus. The newspaper is aimed at the Russian-speaking community of immigrants from
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
, Belarus, and other Russian-speaking areas. Many of the readers are Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. In September 2014, immigrants from Belarus were the seventy-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=British

= The British people in Baltimore include people of English, Cornish, Scotch-Irish, Scottish, and Welsh descent. In 1940, 3,428 immigrants from the United Kingdom lived in Baltimore. These immigrants comprised 5.6% of the city's foreign-born White population. In total, 8,322 people of British birth or descent lived in the city, comprising 6% of the foreign-stock White population. In the 1960 United States Census, Baltimore was home to 8,322 Brits. In September 2014, immigrants from the United Kingdom were the nineteenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


English

The English were the first European settlers in Maryland. In 1880, English and Scottish Americans made up a small portion of the foreign-born population of Baltimore at 5% of all foreign born residents. 16.9% (56,354) of Baltimore was foreign born, 2,817 of them either English or Scottish. At 235,352 people in 2000, English Americans made up 9.2% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. This made them the third largest European ethnic group in the Baltimore area after the Germans and the Irish. In the same year Baltimore's English population was 21,015, 3.2% of the city's population. In September 2014, immigrants from England were the thirty-ninth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Scotch-Irish

At 32,755 people, Scotch-Irish Americans made up 1.3% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. In the same year Baltimore city's Scotch-Irish population was 3,274, 0.5% of the city's population.


Scottish

In 1880, Scottish and English Americans made up a small portion of the foreign-born population of Baltimore at 5% of all foreign born residents. 16.9% (56,354) of Baltimore was foreign born, 2,817 of them either Scottish or English. At 42,728 people, Scottish Americans made up 1.7% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. In the same year Baltimore city's Scottish population was 4,306, 0.7% of the city's population. Many Scots settled in the immigrant neighborhood of Locust Point. In September 2014, immigrants from Scotland were the ninetieth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Welsh

At 19,776 people, Welsh Americans made up 0.8% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. In the same year Baltimore city's Welsh population was 2,137, 0.3% of the city's population. Welsh immigrants, primarily from workers from South Wales, began settling in Baltimore in large numbers beginning in the 1820s. Welsh and Irish migrant workers composed a large portion of Baltimore's working class during the early and mid-1800s. In 1850, a large community of copper workers from Wales settled in the neighborhood of
Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...
. These workers established a Presbyterian church in 1865, located on Toone Street in Canton. Other Welsh people who came to the city settled in the immigrant neighborhood of Locust Point.


=Belgians

= In September 2014, immigrants from Belgium were the fifty-first largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Bulgarians

= In 1920, 26 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the
Bulgarian language Bulgarian (, ; bg, label=none, български, bălgarski, ) is an Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian la ...
.


=Cypriots

= Baltimore has a significant
Cypriot American Cypriot Americans are Americans of full or partial Cypriot ancestry. Cypriot Americans, alongside English, speak Cypriot Greek, Cypriot Turkish, Cypriot Arabic, or Armenian. The majority of Cypriot Americans are either Eastern Christians (predom ...
population.


=Czechs

= The Czech presence in Baltimore dates back to the mid-19th century. The Czech community numbered 17,798 in 2000, making up 0.7% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. The history of the Czechs in Baltimore dates back to the mid-19th century. Thousands of Czechs immigrated to East Baltimore during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, becoming an important component of Baltimore's ethnic and cultural heritage. The Czech community has founded a number of cultural associations and organizations to preserve the city's Czech heritage, including a Roman Catholic church, a heritage association, a festival, a language school, and a cemetery. The population began to decline during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as the community aged and many Czech Americans moved to the suburbs of Baltimore.


=Danish

= Some of the earliest Danish settlement in the United States occurred in Baltimore, along with other Eastern Shore cities such as Philadelphia and New York City. In 1920, 236 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Danish language. The Danish American community in the Baltimore metropolitan area numbered 5,503 in 2000, making up 0.2% of the area's population. In the same year Baltimore city's Danish population was 488, 0.1% of the city's population. In September 2014, immigrants from Denmark were the one-hundredth and seventeenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Dutch

= At 27,754 people, Dutch Americans made up 1.1% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. In the same year Baltimore city's Dutch population was 3,024, 0.5% of the city's population. Some Baltimoreans of Dutch descent have been Dutch Jews. Dutch Jews first began to immigrate during the 1830s and 1840s. By 1850, only 2% of Baltimore's Jewish population was Dutch. Only four Dutch Jewish families and twenty-one Dutch Jewish families immigrated during the 1860s and 1870s, respectively. Although the Dutch Jewish population was small, it comprised a large portion of the city's Dutch population. In 1850, 49% of Dutch-born Baltimoreans were Jewish. However, the population of Dutch Catholics increased as they found the city to be becoming more hospitable, and so the percentage of Dutch Jews declined. By 1860, only 17% of the Dutch-born were Jewish. One-third of the Dutch Jews lived in Ward 10 in 1860 and in Ward 5 in 1870. In 1920, 181 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Dutch language or one of the Frisian languages. 51 people spoke Flemish, a dialect of Dutch spoken in the Flanders region of Belgium. In September 2014, immigrants from the Netherlands were the forty-seventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Estonians

= The
Estonian American Estonian Americans ( et, Ameerika eestlased) are Americans who are of Estonian ancestry, mainly descendants of people who left Estonia before and especially during World War II. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, around 29,000 Amer ...
population is small, with only around 25,000–35,000 individuals in the United States. The Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area has one of the largest Estonian populations in the U.S., with around 2,000 living in Maryland. The Baltimore Estonian community has established a number of institutions, includin
St. Mark's Estonian Lutheran Church
(established as the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church), the Baltimore Estonian Society, the Baltimore Estonian House, the Baltimore Estonian Supplementary School, and the Baltimore Association for the Advancement of Estonian.


=Finns

= The Finnish community in Baltimore was originally centered in the Highlandtown neighborhood. During the 1930s the Finns operated Highlandtown's Finnish Hall as a community center. The Hall was also a center for union organizing by the workers of
Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succ ...
. By the year 1940, there was a Finnish community of 400 people living in the neighborhood. Large numbers of Finnish Americans were involved in labor activism and struggles for workers' rights. Many of the Finnish immigrants were
socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the econ ...
, which led to Finnish Americans developing a reputation for radicalism. In the early days of the
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...
, Finnish immigrants made up 40% of the Party's membership. Reflecting this tradition of Finnish American radicalism, the Finnish Hall was a center for leftist activism in Baltimore. In 1920, 110 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Finnish language.


=French

= In the
2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people en ...
the
French American French Americans or Franco-Americans (french: Franco-Américains), are citizens or nationals of the United States who identify themselves with having full or partial French or French-Canadian heritage, ethnicity and/or ancestral ties. The ...
community in Baltimore numbered 47,234 (1.9% of Baltimore's population) and an additional 10,494 (0.4%) identified as French Canadian American. This places Baltimore's total population of French descent at 57,728, which is 2.3% of Baltimore's population. The Census also found that the French language (including French Creole) is spoken at home by 5,705 people in Baltimore. The French community in Baltimore dates back to the 18th century. The earliest wave of French immigration began in the mid-1700s, bringing many Acadian refugees from Canada's Maritime Provinces. The Acadians were exiled from Canada by the British during the French and Indian War. Later waves of French settlement in Baltimore from the 1790s to the early 1800s brought Roman Catholic refugees of the French Revolution and refugees of the
Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on 2 ...
from the French colony of Saint-Domingue.


French Canadians

At 10,494, French Canadian Americans make up 0.3% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. Many French-Canadians in Baltimore are descendants of
Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early 18t ...
n refugees from Canada's Maritime Provinces that settled in the city during the mid-1700s.


=Germans

= The first Germans began to immigrate to Baltimore in the 17th century. During the 1800s, the
Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities fo ...
was the second-leading port of entry for immigrants, after Ellis Island in New York City. Many Germans immigrated to Baltimore during this time. In 2000, the German population made up 18.7% of Baltimore's population, with 478,646 people of German descent living in Baltimore. This makes the Germans the largest European population in the city.


=Greeks

= The first Greeks in Baltimore were nine young boys who arrived as refugees of the Chios Massacre, the slaughter of tens of thousands of Greeks on the island of
Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...
at the hands of the Ottomans during the Greek War of Independence. However, Greek immigration to Baltimore did not begin in significant numbers until the 1890s. Early Greek settlers established the Greek Orthodox Church "Evangelismos" in 1906 and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in 1909. By the 1920s, a vibrant yet small Greek community had been firmly established. The peak of the Greek migration to Baltimore was between the 1930s and the 1950s. The Greek population saw another smaller surge in numbers after the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which allowed for the immigration of thousands of Greeks. This wave of Greek immigrants to Baltimore ended by the early 1980s. During the 1980s the Greek residents of the neighborhood that was then known simply as the Hill successfully petitioned the city government to rename the neighborhood as
Greektown Greektown is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Greeks or people of Greek ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. History The oldest Greek dominated neighborhood outside of Greece were probably the Fener in Istanb ...
. By that time the Greek community was 25,000 strong.


=Hungarians

= At 11,076 people, Hungarian Americans make up 0.4% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. In the same year Baltimore city's Hungarian population was 1,245, 0.2% of the city's population. Hungarians first began to immigrate to Baltimore during the 1880s, along with other Eastern Europeans. They tended to embark from
Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state con ...
, Germany and then settle in the neighborhood of Locust Point, alongside other European immigrants. Hungarians, alongside other Eastern European immigrants, worked in steel mills, shipyards, canneries, and garment factories. In 1920, 600 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Hungarian language. In the
1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...
, there were fewer than 1,000 Hungarian-born people in Baltimore. In the 1960 United States Census, Baltimore was home to 1,867 Hungarians. In September 2014, immigrants from Hungary were the seventy-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Hungarian language was twenty-third most commonly spoken language.


=Irish

= At 341,683 people as of 2000, Irish Americans made up 13.4% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. This made them the second largest European ethnic group in the Baltimore area after the Germans. In the same year Baltimore city's Irish population was 39,045, 6% of the city's population. In 1940, 2,159 immigrants from Ireland lived in Baltimore. These immigrants comprised 3.5% of the city's foreign-born White population. In total, 4,077 people of Irish birth or descent lived in the city, comprising 4.6% of the foreign-stock White population. In September 2014, immigrants from Ireland were the sixty-sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Italians

= Italians began to settle in Baltimore during the late 1800s. Some Italians immigrants came to the Port of Baltimore by boat. The earliest Italian settlers in Baltimore were sailors from Genoa, the capital city of the Italian region of Liguria. Later immigrants came from Naples,
Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...
,
Cefalù Cefalù (), classically known as Cephaloedium (), is a city and comune in the Italian Metropolitan City of Palermo, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily about east of the provincial capital and west of Messina. The town, with its populat ...
, and Palermo. These immigrants created the monument to Christopher Columbus in Druid Hill Park. Many other Italians came by train after entering the country through New York City's Ellis Island. The Italian immigrants who arrived by train would enter the city through the President Street Station. Because of this, the Italians largely settled in a nearby neighborhood that is now known as
Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...
. Little Italy comprises 6 blocks bounded by Pratt Street to the North, the
Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...
to the South, Eden Street to the East, and President Street to the West. Other neighborhoods were large numbers of Italians settled include
Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...
, Belair-Edison, and Cross Street. Many settled along Lombard Street, which was named after the Italian town of
Guardia Lombardi Guardia Lombardi (), known as ''La Uàrdia'' () in the Irpinian dialect, is a small town and '' comune'' in the Province of Avellino in Campania, Italy. At an elevation of , it is located in Irpinia in the Apennine Mountains of Southern Italy. I ...
. The Italian community, overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, established a number of Italian-American parishes such as St. Leo's Church and Our Lady of Pompeii Church. The Our Lady of Pompeii Church holds the annual Highlandtown Wine Festival, which celebrates Italian-American culture and benefits the Highlandtown community association. In 1920, 7,930 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Italian language. In 2013, an estimated 16,581 Italian-Americans resided in Baltimore city, 2.7% of the population. In September 2014, immigrants from Italy were the thirty-sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Latvians

= The Latvian community in Maryland in very small and makes up less than 2,000 people. In 1920, 2,554 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke either the
Latvian language Latvian ( ), also known as Lettish, is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, spoken in the Baltic region. It is the language of Latvians and the official language of Latvia as well as ...
or the Lithuanian language. In September 2014, immigrants from Latvia were the eighty-ninth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Lithuanians

= The Lithuanians began to settle in Baltimore in 1876. The wave increased greatly during the 1880s and continued in large numbers until the 1920s. By 1950, the Lithuanian community numbered around 9,000. The Lithuanians largely settled in a neighborhood north of Hollins Street that became known as Baltimore's Little Lithuania. A few remnants of the neighborhood's Lithuanian heritage still remain, such as Lithuanian Hall located on Hollins Street. Three Roman Catholic churches have been designated as Lithuanian parishes: St. Alphonsus' beginning in 1917, St. John the Baptist Church from 1888 to 1917, and
St. Wenceslaus Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav ; c. 907 – 28 September 935 or 929), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Duke ('' kníže'') of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger ...
beginning in 1872. St. Alphonsus' is the only remaining Lithuanian parish in Baltimore, as St. Wenceslaus was re-designated as a
Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
parish and St. John the Baptist Church closed in 1989. While most Lithuanians who settled in Baltimore were Roman Catholic, a large minority were
Lithuanian Jews Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent areas o ...
. The Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, a prominent yeshiva in Baltimore, was founded as a Lithuanian (Litvish)-style Talmudic college by Jews from Lithuania and Belarus.


=Moldovans

= In September 2014, immigrants from
Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...
were the one-hundredth and first largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Norwegians

= The majority of the Norwegian immigrants to Baltimore worked in the shipping industry. The Baltimore chapter of the
Sons of Norway Sons of Norway ( no, Sønner av Norge), founded in 1895 as the Independent Order of the Sons of Norway, is a fraternal organization principally representing people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. The organization include ...
, Lodge Nordkap, No. 215, was established in 1921 and is now located in
Freeland, Maryland Freeland is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and w ...
. These settlers also established the Norwegian American Club of Maryland. The peak of Norwegian immigration to Baltimore was in 1937, when 315 Norwegian ships arrived in the city and around 13,000 Norwegian immigrants stayed at the Norwegian Seamen's Church and lodging house that was located on South Broadway. The lodging house and church offered Norwegian language newspapers and
Norwegian cuisine Norwegian cuisine in its traditional form is based largely on the raw materials readily available in Norway and its mountains, wilderness, and coast. It differs in many respects from continental cuisine through the stronger focus on game and fis ...
to the visitors. Many of the Norwegian seamen stayed in Baltimore and worked as factory engineers and ship chandlers. In 1920, 419 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Norwegian language. In the 1960 United States Census, Baltimore was home to 749 Norwegians. Norwegian Americans in Baltimore numbered 12,481 in 2000, making up 0.5% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. In the same year Baltimore city's Norwegian population was 1,347, 0.2% of the city's population. In September 2014, immigrants from Norway were the one-hundredth and fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Poles

= Polish Americans in Baltimore numbered 122,814 in 2000, making up 4.8% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population. They were the fifth largest European ethnic group in the city. The Polish community is largely centered in the neighborhoods of
Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...
,
Fell's Point Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland. It was established around 1763 along the north shore of the Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. The area has many antique, music, ...
, Locust Point, and Highlandtown. The first Polish immigrants to Baltimore settled in the
Fell's Point Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland. It was established around 1763 along the north shore of the Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. The area has many antique, music, ...
neighborhood in 1868. Polish mass immigration to Baltimore and other U.S. cities first started around 1870, many of whom were fleeing the Franco-Prussian War. Many of the Polish immigrants came from agricultural regions of Poland and were often considered unskilled workers. Many worked as stevedores for Baltimore's
International Longshoremen's Association The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is a North American labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways. The ILA h ...
. Other Polish immigrants worked in the canneries, some travelling to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi to work in the seafood canneries during the winter months. After the
abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...
, farmers had lost their slaves and wanted a cheap source of labor. Following changes in U.S. immigration laws many Central and Eastern European migrants, particularly Polish and
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech ...
, came to Maryland to fill this need.


=Portuguese

= At 3,316 people,
Portuguese American Portuguese Americans ( pt, português-americanos), also known as Luso-Americans (''luso-americanos''), are citizens and residents of the United States who are connected to the country of Portugal by birth, ancestry, or citizenship. Americans an ...
s made up 0.1% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. In the same year Baltimore city's Portuguese population was 310, 0.0% of the city's population. Very few Portuguese Jews have settled in Baltimore. The city's small Portuguese-Jewish community founded the Sefardic Congregation Beth Israel in 1856, but the synagogue closed after two years due to low attendance. In 1920, 33 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Portuguese language. In September 2014, immigrants from Portugal were the one-hundredth and eleventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Portuguese language (including
Portuguese Creole Portuguese creoles are creole languages which have Portuguese as their substantial lexifier. The most widely-spoken creoles influenced by Portuguese are Cape Verdean Creole, Guinea-Bissau Creole and Papiamento. Origins Portuguese overseas ex ...
) was the twenty-second most commonly spoken language.


=Romanians

= Native-born and immigrant Romanians in the city formed communities in East Baltimore, alongside other Eastern Europeans. In 1920, 200 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Romanian language. In the
1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...
, there were fewer than 1,000 Romanian-born people in Baltimore. Some Romanian immigrants to Baltimore have been
Romanian Jews The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...
. The Rumanian Relief Committee and the Industrial Removal Office (IRO) helped resettle Romanian Jews in the United States. As a result of this program, some of the Romanian Jews settled in Baltimore. In September 2014, immigrants from Romania were the fifty-seventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. At one time the most powerful
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
clan in Baltimore was the Stevens clan of Romanian gypsies. Hundreds of Stevenses immigrated from Romania to Baltimore during the late 1800s.


=Russians

= The Russian community in the Baltimore metropolitan area numbered 35,763 in 2000, making up 1.4% of the area's population. Russian-Americans are the largest foreign-born groups in Baltimore. According to the 2000 Census, the Russian language is spoken at home by 1,235 people in Baltimore. While a minority of immigrants from Russia to Baltimore have been
ethnic Russian The Russian diaspora is the global community of ethnic Russians. The Russian-speaking ('' Russophone'') diaspora are the people for whom Russian language is the native language, regardless of whether they are ethnic Russians or not. History ...
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
, the majority have been
Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
. In the
1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...
there were 17,000 Russian immigrants living in the city, most of whom were Jewish. In comparison to Baltimore's wealthy and assimilated German Jews, the Russian Jews historically were largely poor and lived in slums with other
Russian Americans Russian Americans ( rus, русские американцы, r=russkiye amerikantsy, p= ˈruskʲɪje ɐmʲɪrʲɪˈkant͡sɨ) are Americans of full or partial Russian ancestry. The term can apply to recent Russian immigrants to the United Stat ...
. Baltimore's Russian community, including the Russian Jews, was originally centered in Southeast Baltimore. The largest wave of Russian-Jewish immigrants to Baltimore occurred during the 1880s. A second large wave of Russian-Jewish immigrants came during the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.


=Rusyns

= While many immigrants from Western Ukraine identify simply as Ukrainian Americans, others identify as
Rusyn American Rusyn Americans ( rue, Русиньскы Америчаны; also known as Carpatho-Rusyn Americans) are citizens of the United States of America, with ancestors who were Rusyns, from Carpathian Ruthenia, or neighboring areas of Central Europe ...
.
Rusyns Rusyns (), also known as Carpatho-Rusyns (), or Rusnaks (), are an East Slavic ethnic group from the Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn, an East Slavic language variety, treated variously as either a distinct langua ...
also sometimes describe themselves as Ruthenians. A number of the Western Ukrainians that established St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church identified as Rusyns. Rusyns also helped establish Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church. In 1920, 151 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Ruthenian language.


=Serbs

= In 1999, the
Serbian American Serbian Americans ( sr, / ) or American Serbs (), are Americans of Serb ethnic ancestry. As of 2013, there were about 190,000 American citizens who identified as having Serb ancestry. However, the number may be significantly higher, as there w ...
community in Baltimore was very small. At the time, only about 400 Serbian families were scattered between Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia. In 1920, 261 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Serbo-Croatian language. In September 2014, immigrants from Serbia were the ninety-third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Serbo-Croatian language was the thirty-first most commonly spoken language in the city.


=Slovaks

= At 6,077 people,
Slovak American Slovak Americans are Americans of Slovak descent. In the 1990 Census, Slovak Americans made up the third-largest portion of Slavic ethnic groups. There are currently about 790,000 people of Slovak descent living in the United States. History ...
s made up 0.2% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. In the same year Baltimore's Slovak population was 536, 0.11% of the city's population. Many Slovak immigrants to the city settled in East Baltimore along with Czechs and other Slavic ethnic groups. However, many Slovaks have since migrated to the suburbs, particularly in Anne Arundel and
Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...
. Slovaks, along with Czechs, established the Bohemian National Cemetery of Baltimore and the Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore. An annua
Czech and Slovak Heritage Festival
exists and is held in Baltimore's suburb of Parkville. In 1920, 402 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Slovak language. In September 2014, immigrants from Slovakia were the fifty-ninth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Slovenes

= In 1920, 134 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the
Slovenian language Slovene ( or ), or alternatively Slovenian (; or ), is a South Slavic language, a sub-branch that is part of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is spoken by about 2.5 million speakers worldwide (excluding speake ...
. Most Slovenes were documented as Austrian or Slavic once they reached Ellis Island.


=Spaniards

= During the 1920s many
Spanish American Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in t ...
s settled in Highlandtown, alongside many Greek Americans. In September 2014, immigrants from Spain were the seventy-fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Swedes

= At 14,598 people,
Swedish American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...
s make up 0.6% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. Many Swedes settled in the immigrant neighborhood of Locust Point. In 1920, 419 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Swedish language. In the 1960 United States Census, Baltimore was home to 778 Swedes. In September 2014, immigrants from Sweden were the one-hundredth and thirteenth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Swiss

= Swiss immigrants to Baltimore were primarily Swiss of German descent. Many of the Swiss immigrants belonged to radical
Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
sects such as the
Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churche ...
and the Mennonites. Many of the Mennonites and Amish that settled in Baltimore were originally Pennsylvania Dutch. Other German migrants from Pennsylvania were Lutheran; the Zion Lutheran Church built in 1755 had a large number of Pennsylvania Dutch members. In September 2014, immigrants from Switzerland were the eightieth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Ukrainians

= Ukrainians began settling in Baltimore during the 1880s, settling mostly in East Baltimore and Southeast Baltimore, especially in the Highlandtown neighborhood. Most of these immigrants came from Western Ukraine and were Catholic. By the 1890s, Ukrainian Catholic priests were traveling from Pennsylvania to Baltimore to serve the Ukrainian Catholic community. St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church was founded as a parish in 1893 and the church was built in 1912, though construction took nearly a century to complete.


Middle Eastern and North African people

Most people of Middle Eastern or North African origin in Baltimore are Arabs or Iranians. There are also Turkish and Israeli populations. In September 2014, the most commonly spoken Middle Eastern languages in Baltimore included Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew.


=Arabs

= At 7,897 people, Arab Americans make up 0.3% of the Baltimore metropolitan area's population in 2000. In the same year Baltimore city's Arab population was 1,298, 0.2% of the city's population. In 1920, 29 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the
Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages ...
or
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
languages. In September 2014, the Arabic language was the seventh most commonly spoken language in Baltimore, after the English language. During the
2015 Baltimore protests On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On Apr ...
, the
Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, includin ...
gang allegedly protected Black-owned stores by directing rioters to loot and vandalize Arab-owned stores instead.


Egyptians

An Egyptian American community exists in southeastern Baltimore, especially in Highlandtown. Other Egyptians live in eastern
Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...
, mainly in Dundalk. Many Egyptians first immigrate to New York City, then resettle in the Baltimore area due to more job opportunities and a lower cost of living. In September 2014, immigrants from Egypt were the thirty-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Jordanians

In September 2014, immigrants from Jordan were the one-hundred and eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Lebanese

In September 2014, immigrants from Lebanon were the ninety-sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Moroccans

In September 2014, immigrants from Morocco were the sixty-fourth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Syrians


=Iranians

= Iranian-Americans hold an annual festival, the
Chaharshanbe Suri Chaharshanbeh Suri or Charshanba Suri ( fa, چهارشنبه‌سوری, Čahāršanbe suri; ), is an Iranian festival of the fire dance celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. It is the first festivity of the Nowruz Celebratio ...
(Festival of Fire), as part of their celebration of the Iranian New Year (known as Nowruz). The event is held at
Oregon Ridge Park Oregon Ridge Park is a park in Cockeysville, Maryland. The park features walking and hiking trails, nature center, picnic and recreation areas, a lodge, and cross-country skiing and sledding. The park is the location of an annual Fourth of Jul ...
in Cockeysville, a suburb of Baltimore. After the Iranian Revolution in 1978, many Persian Jews fled the country and immigrated to Baltimore. More arrived during the 1980s. In 2009, Iranian Jews established a Persian-style Sephardic synagogue in Baltimore. In September 2014, immigrants from Iran were the thirty-first largest foreign-born population in Baltimore and the Persian language was the eighteenth most commonly spoken language, after English.


=Israelis

= In September 2014, immigrants from Israel were the forty-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. In 1920, 19,320 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke either the Hebrew language or the Yiddish language. In September 2014, the Hebrew language was the thirty-second most commonly spoken language in Baltimore, after the English language.


=Turks

= In 1920, 8 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the Turkish language. In September 2014, immigrants from Turkey were the eighty-seventh largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


West Asian and Central Asian people


=Armenians

= In 1920, 29 foreign-born White people in Baltimore spoke the
Armenian language Armenian ( classical: , reformed: , , ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is the official language of Armenia. Historically spoken in the Armenian Highlands, today Armenian is widely spoken t ...
. In September 2014, immigrants from
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
were the one-hundredth and third largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


=Kazakhstanis

= In September 2014, immigrants from Kazakhstan were the eighty-sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


Demographics

*


See also

* History of Baltimore


References


Further reading

* All Nations Foundation. ''Baltimore's ethnic identity'', Baltimore, Md. : All Nations Foundation. * Baltimore Museum of Art, Division of Education; Maryland Committee for the Humanities. ''Ethnic East Baltimore: Cultural Traditions'', Tourboom, 1976. * Baltimore Neighborhood Heritage Project. ''Oral history interviews, 1979–1980.'' * Edwards, Benita; Baltimore (Md.). Department of Planning. ''Baltimore's ethnic populations : an enumeration study'', Baltimore City Planning Dept.,
979 Year 979 ( CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 24 – Second Battle of Pankaleia: An Ibero-Byzantine expeditionar ...
* Gayeski, Diane M.; University of Maryland at College Park. Educational Technology Center. ''Ethnic communities'', University of Maryland Ethnic Studies Project, 1979. * Lawson, Jim C. ''The Baltimore Ethnic Food Store Guide'', Ardmore Publications, 1990. * Mikulski, Barbara; College of Notre Dame of Maryland. ''Ethnic women and public policy-- the Baltimore experience'', Baltimore, Md. : College of Notre Dame of Maryland, 1976. * The Wall Street Journal
Baltimore Demographics
2015.


External links

{{Ethnic groups in the United States by location
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
History of Baltimore