City X has the largest Y population outside of country Y -- examples?
February 13, 2013 5:51 PM Subscribe
I've heard that DC has the largest Ethiopian population of Ethiopia, and an answer to this question mentions that Staten Island has the largest Sri Lankan population outside of Sri Lanka.
What are some other examples of a city/state having the largest population of a particular group outside of that group's native country/region?
Auckland, New Zealand has the largest Pacific Islander population in the world - more than any of the actual cities in the South Pacific.
posted by Paragon at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Paragon at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Are you looking for sheer numbers or % of population?
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:56 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:56 PM on February 13, 2013
Staten Island also has the largest, densest Liberian population outside of Liberia; St. Louis has the largest Bosnian population in the US.
posted by ChuraChura at 5:57 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by ChuraChura at 5:57 PM on February 13, 2013
It's often said that Melbourne is the biggest Greek city outside of Greece. Not sure if that's accurate though.
posted by Greener Backyards at 6:00 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Greener Backyards at 6:00 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
"Tehrangeles is a portmanteau deriving from the combination of Tehran, the capital of Iran, and Los Angeles. It is used when referring to the large number (estimates range from 700,000 to 800,000) of former Iranian nationals and their descendants residing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area; it is the largest such population outside of Iran."
posted by mykescipark at 6:00 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by mykescipark at 6:00 PM on February 13, 2013
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area is widely regarded as having the largest community of Iranians outside of Iran (there is an associated nickname, Tehrangeles, that has an article at wikipedia).
posted by RichardP at 6:02 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by RichardP at 6:02 PM on February 13, 2013
Watertown, Massachusetts has the third-largest US population of Armenians.
posted by Melismata at 6:02 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Melismata at 6:02 PM on February 13, 2013
New York City has the largest Jewish population outside Israel.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 6:05 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 6:05 PM on February 13, 2013
Oh, and I believe NYC also has the largest Puerto Rican population outside Puerto Rico.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 6:08 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 6:08 PM on February 13, 2013
Cleveland has the largest Slovenian population outside of Slovenia.
posted by mcmile at 6:09 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by mcmile at 6:09 PM on February 13, 2013
Response by poster: @Nanukthedog - either, I'm just curious to see what kinds of population trends and clusters are out there. These are all great so far, thanks!
posted by hefeweizen at 6:12 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by hefeweizen at 6:12 PM on February 13, 2013
Minneapolis is also home to the largest Hmong population outside of Laos.
posted by threeants at 6:13 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by threeants at 6:13 PM on February 13, 2013
Long Beach, CA has the largest Cambodian population outside of Cambodia.
posted by bonifate at 6:15 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by bonifate at 6:15 PM on February 13, 2013
Toronto is said to have the largest Italian population outside of Italy.
posted by Harpocrates at 6:15 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Harpocrates at 6:15 PM on February 13, 2013
It's often said that Melbourne is the biggest Greek city outside of Greece. Not sure if that's accurate though.
Further to this, I've heard it said the Melbourne is the third biggest Greek city at all (Athens, Thessaloniki, Melbourne). A quick google seems to support this.
posted by pompomtom at 6:16 PM on February 13, 2013
Further to this, I've heard it said the Melbourne is the third biggest Greek city at all (Athens, Thessaloniki, Melbourne). A quick google seems to support this.
posted by pompomtom at 6:16 PM on February 13, 2013
It is widely regarded that Melboune, Australia has the largest Greek population outside of Greece.
posted by Flashduck at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Flashduck at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2013
San Jose, California has the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, and (from the same link), Westminster, California has the highest Vietnamese population per capita of any city outside of Vietnam.
posted by smoq at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by smoq at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2013
New York City probably has dozens of these.
Paris, France has the largest population of Cambodians outside Southeast Asia. Long Beach CA is second. (Wiki)
Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside Japan.
posted by beagle at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
Paris, France has the largest population of Cambodians outside Southeast Asia. Long Beach CA is second. (Wiki)
Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside Japan.
posted by beagle at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
In addition to Poles, Chicago reportedly has the largest population of Serbs, outside of Belgrade. I've heard it called "little Beograd", but I can't easily track this down online.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:20 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:20 PM on February 13, 2013
Not quite the same, but there are more Irish living in the US than in Ireland. (But they're not concentrated in a single city, anymore.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:22 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:22 PM on February 13, 2013
It's often said that Melbourne is the biggest Greek city outside of Greece. Not sure if that's accurate though.
I highly doubt that. According to this, the US has something between four and five times as many Greeks as Australia does. Melbourne had about 53,000 Greeks in 2006, whereas New York City had about 84,000 in the same period. Given that there are ten Greek cities with population in excess of 100,000, such claims seem overstated.
I think, however, that we may need to define our terms. For example, the suggestion that there are "more Irish in the US than in Ireland" is probably only true if you consider ethnicity rather than nationality. The vast majority of Irish people in the US are Irish American, i.e., they were born in the US and are US citizens. Neither they, nor their parents, nor probably even their grandparents have ever actually lived in Ireland. So yes, they maintain some sense of identity as Irishmen, but if we allow that kind of analysis then the US is going to have more of almost any given nationality you could care to name with less than 100 million citizens.
But if we limit our understanding to people who have actually lived in one country but now live in another, refugee data is going to be significantly more useful than if we're simply tracking general migration patterns over time. Refugees will all be first-generation immigrants and thus more accurately described as [ethnicity] than [ethnicity American]. The State Department actually tends to settle refugees from particular countries in only a handful of cities. There are ton of Burmese in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, for instance, far more than almost any other city in the country. You can take a look at arrival data for the last ten years on the department's website. Note that it doesn't break things down by city, but a little googling should turn up good results. For instance, Indiana has the largest Burmese population in the US, and a search of relevant terms yields this as the first hit.
posted by valkyryn at 6:34 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I highly doubt that. According to this, the US has something between four and five times as many Greeks as Australia does. Melbourne had about 53,000 Greeks in 2006, whereas New York City had about 84,000 in the same period. Given that there are ten Greek cities with population in excess of 100,000, such claims seem overstated.
I think, however, that we may need to define our terms. For example, the suggestion that there are "more Irish in the US than in Ireland" is probably only true if you consider ethnicity rather than nationality. The vast majority of Irish people in the US are Irish American, i.e., they were born in the US and are US citizens. Neither they, nor their parents, nor probably even their grandparents have ever actually lived in Ireland. So yes, they maintain some sense of identity as Irishmen, but if we allow that kind of analysis then the US is going to have more of almost any given nationality you could care to name with less than 100 million citizens.
But if we limit our understanding to people who have actually lived in one country but now live in another, refugee data is going to be significantly more useful than if we're simply tracking general migration patterns over time. Refugees will all be first-generation immigrants and thus more accurately described as [ethnicity] than [ethnicity American]. The State Department actually tends to settle refugees from particular countries in only a handful of cities. There are ton of Burmese in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, for instance, far more than almost any other city in the country. You can take a look at arrival data for the last ten years on the department's website. Note that it doesn't break things down by city, but a little googling should turn up good results. For instance, Indiana has the largest Burmese population in the US, and a search of relevant terms yields this as the first hit.
posted by valkyryn at 6:34 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Armenian diaspora is pretty awe-inspiring. The lion's share of ethnic Armenians live outside Armenia.
posted by town of cats at 6:37 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by town of cats at 6:37 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Apparently, there are about as many Samoans living stateside as there are living in independent Samoa and three times as many as there are living in American Samoa (says Wikipedia).
MigrationsMap.net might be used to make some other educated guesses, e.g. Lisbon for Angolans, Paris for Moroccans and Algerians, etc.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:42 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
MigrationsMap.net might be used to make some other educated guesses, e.g. Lisbon for Angolans, Paris for Moroccans and Algerians, etc.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:42 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Manitoba was always known for having a large Icelandic dispora. You may find the wiki page on disporas in general interesting.
posted by saucysault at 7:00 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by saucysault at 7:00 PM on February 13, 2013
The Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany is a cluster of US military bases in and around the city of Kaiserslautern; between soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, contractors, and all of their families, it's the largest concentration of Americans outside the United States.
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:01 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:01 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Springdale, Arkansas, has the largest population of Marshallese people outside of the Marshall Islands.
posted by unknowncommand at 7:06 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by unknowncommand at 7:06 PM on February 13, 2013
Manitoba was always known for having a large Icelandic dispora.
Particularly Gimli
posted by RobotHero at 7:29 PM on February 13, 2013
Particularly Gimli
posted by RobotHero at 7:29 PM on February 13, 2013
London is France's sixth biggest city.
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 7:38 PM on February 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 7:38 PM on February 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
Metro DC is also home to the largest concentration of Bolivians in the U.S. (more than one-third of the entire U.S. Bolivian immigrant population), but unsurprisingly, the largest concentration of Bolivian immigrants in the world is in neighboring Argentina, with an estimated 1 million Bolivians representing 73% of all Bolivians living abroad and approximately 2.5% of the population of the host country. The largest population of Bolivian immigrants is found in Buenos Aires.
posted by drlith at 7:50 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by drlith at 7:50 PM on February 13, 2013
German Wikipedia says the largest concentration of Turks outside of Turkey is in Berlin.
I'm kind of curious about Croatians. Counting by people with Croatian passports, the number of Croatians in Germany dwarfs the number anywhere else outside Croatia, but they're quite scattered around Germany. If any of the other places with significant numbers of Croatians (Australia, the US, Chile) had most of the Croatian population clustered in one city, they'd probably overtake the various German cities.
I disagree with valkyryn's desire to define nationality by place of birth, not least because that's not how citizenship works. Some of the 115,000 people in Berlin with Turkish citizenship and no other citizenship were born in Germany. On top of that, the estimate of Turks in Berlin is somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000, not all of whom are Turkish citizens because that's not how the estimate's determined.
posted by hoyland at 7:53 PM on February 13, 2013
I'm kind of curious about Croatians. Counting by people with Croatian passports, the number of Croatians in Germany dwarfs the number anywhere else outside Croatia, but they're quite scattered around Germany. If any of the other places with significant numbers of Croatians (Australia, the US, Chile) had most of the Croatian population clustered in one city, they'd probably overtake the various German cities.
I disagree with valkyryn's desire to define nationality by place of birth, not least because that's not how citizenship works. Some of the 115,000 people in Berlin with Turkish citizenship and no other citizenship were born in Germany. On top of that, the estimate of Turks in Berlin is somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000, not all of whom are Turkish citizens because that's not how the estimate's determined.
posted by hoyland at 7:53 PM on February 13, 2013
Boise, ID has the largest population of Basques in the US, but there are larger populations in South America
posted by Crashback at 7:59 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Crashback at 7:59 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Chicago also reportedly has the largest population of Romanians of any city outside of Romania, with an estimated 100,000 Romanians in the metro area. citation
I am fairly certain Chicago also has the largest Assyrian population in any city outside the Middle East.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:11 PM on February 13, 2013
I am fairly certain Chicago also has the largest Assyrian population in any city outside the Middle East.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:11 PM on February 13, 2013
The town next to me, Edison, NJ, has "the highest percentage of Indian American people of any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry."
I suppose it's hard to pin down exact population percentages, but I have heard this said about Edison before. And the Indian restaurants in the area can't be beat.
I have no idea why I cannot add a link, but that quote is in the Demographics section of the Wiki article on Edison, NJ.
posted by rachaelfaith at 8:17 PM on February 13, 2013
I suppose it's hard to pin down exact population percentages, but I have heard this said about Edison before. And the Indian restaurants in the area can't be beat.
I have no idea why I cannot add a link, but that quote is in the Demographics section of the Wiki article on Edison, NJ.
posted by rachaelfaith at 8:17 PM on February 13, 2013
St. Louis, MO has the largest population of Bosnians outside of Bosnia.
posted by notsnot at 8:23 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by notsnot at 8:23 PM on February 13, 2013
Also, on Italians: if we are talking descent and not citizenship, then Brazil has the largest Italian population outside of Italy (25-36 million, depending on source, 15-21% of the country's population), with the highest concentrations in the southern part of the country, particularly São Paulo state and São Paulo city, where concentrations of Italian descendants exceed 30%.
It's trailed closely by Argentina (approx. 24 million); here people of Italian descent truly dominate the culture and account for some 60% of the population.
Buenos Aires is about twice as "Italian" as São Paulo, but São Paulo is 2x-3x larger (depending on whether you're talking city proper or metro area). In terms of metro areas, both Greater São Paulo and Greater Buenos Aires are home to more people of Italian ancestry than Rome.
However, in terms of first generation immigrants, there are more Italian citizens living in Germany than anywhere else in the world (~550,000, slightly edging out Argentina's 527,000).
posted by drlith at 8:38 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's trailed closely by Argentina (approx. 24 million); here people of Italian descent truly dominate the culture and account for some 60% of the population.
Buenos Aires is about twice as "Italian" as São Paulo, but São Paulo is 2x-3x larger (depending on whether you're talking city proper or metro area). In terms of metro areas, both Greater São Paulo and Greater Buenos Aires are home to more people of Italian ancestry than Rome.
However, in terms of first generation immigrants, there are more Italian citizens living in Germany than anywhere else in the world (~550,000, slightly edging out Argentina's 527,000).
posted by drlith at 8:38 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Monterey Park, California has the largest concentration of Chinese in the US.
posted by lvanshima at 8:49 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by lvanshima at 8:49 PM on February 13, 2013
Minneapolis has the largest Somali population.
In the United States, maybe, but not worldwide. There are 70,000 Somali Britons in London. In fact, there are more people who were actually born in Somalia living in London than there are who identify as Somali American by descent in Minneapolis.
posted by caek at 9:08 PM on February 13, 2013
In the United States, maybe, but not worldwide. There are 70,000 Somali Britons in London. In fact, there are more people who were actually born in Somalia living in London than there are who identify as Somali American by descent in Minneapolis.
posted by caek at 9:08 PM on February 13, 2013
Migrant workers are somewhat of a different story as they are expected to return home, but that's not always how it works out (see Bracero program, see Korean nurses & miners in Germany).
2.5 million people from Kerala working in the Persian Gulf in 2008
1.1 million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia
The baffling logic of refugee acceptance also means Sweden and one Swedish city in particular (Södertälje) has more Iraqi refugees than all of the U.S.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:12 PM on February 13, 2013
2.5 million people from Kerala working in the Persian Gulf in 2008
1.1 million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia
The baffling logic of refugee acceptance also means Sweden and one Swedish city in particular (Södertälje) has more Iraqi refugees than all of the U.S.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:12 PM on February 13, 2013
"As of 2008 census figures, 40.7% of Daly City residents are of Filipino descent, the highest concentration of Filipino/Filipino Americans of any mid-sized city in North America. This partly explains Daly City's place in the vernacular as the 'Pinoy Capital'."
posted by gingerbeer at 9:49 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by gingerbeer at 9:49 PM on February 13, 2013
Omaha has the largest Sudanese population in the U.S. In 2011, Omaha was one of eight cities in the US that served as an official polling place for the referendum that ultimately created South Sudan.
posted by Comic Sans-Culotte at 11:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Comic Sans-Culotte at 11:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fremont, Ca apparently has the largest population of Afghans in the US.
posted by radioamy at 11:21 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by radioamy at 11:21 PM on February 13, 2013
Most of the population of Montserrat moved to the UK after the disastrous 1995 volcanic eruption that destroyed the capital city.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:25 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:25 PM on February 13, 2013
Province of São Paulo in Brazil used to have the largest population of Japanese ex-pats, back when I was traveling to Brazil on business in the 90s. Not sure if this is still the case in 2013.
posted by seawallrunner at 11:51 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by seawallrunner at 11:51 PM on February 13, 2013
Melbourne had about 53,000 Greeks in 2006, whereas New York City had about 84,000 in the same period.
This is apples and oranges.
The 53k figure is for Greek-born residents of Melbourne, while the NY 84k figure is 'people of Greek descent'.
posted by pompomtom at 3:03 AM on February 14, 2013
This is apples and oranges.
The 53k figure is for Greek-born residents of Melbourne, while the NY 84k figure is 'people of Greek descent'.
posted by pompomtom at 3:03 AM on February 14, 2013
This is apples and oranges.
Which is why I really think we need to figure out what we're talking about before any of this is going to make sense.
posted by valkyryn at 3:41 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Which is why I really think we need to figure out what we're talking about before any of this is going to make sense.
posted by valkyryn at 3:41 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Detroit had many waves of migration due to various populations coming to work in auto factories. Although some of the traces of some of these waves are difficult to find today, such as the Irish immigration that created Corktown, other communities, such as the Arab-American community in Dearborn or the Polish community originally in Poletown are still significant. The Arab-American community is said to be the highest proportion of a city's population in the United States, with 50% of the Dearborn population, some 50,000 people being Arab-American.
posted by Slothrop at 4:07 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Slothrop at 4:07 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Los Angeles is the city with the second largest Mexican population in the world, second only to Mexico City
posted by BobsterLobster at 4:34 AM on February 14, 2013
posted by BobsterLobster at 4:34 AM on February 14, 2013
From what Disney has said at kidani village at animal kingdom lodge South Sfrica has the largest indian population outside of india.
posted by majortom1981 at 4:34 AM on February 14, 2013
posted by majortom1981 at 4:34 AM on February 14, 2013
My hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina (and the surrounding region) has the highest population outside Vietnam of Montagnards, an ethnic group from the mountains of Vietnam. The site I linked has more info about them.
My parents' church helped out the first group of Montagnards to arrive in America. They arrived in 1986, exactly one year before I was born. When I was little my parents spent a lot of time with a couple of the families, helping them to learn English. After I moved away I was always surprised that no one else had ever heard of Montagnards.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:13 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
My parents' church helped out the first group of Montagnards to arrive in America. They arrived in 1986, exactly one year before I was born. When I was little my parents spent a lot of time with a couple of the families, helping them to learn English. After I moved away I was always surprised that no one else had ever heard of Montagnards.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:13 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Time article about the Arab population of Dearborn, MI. (Backing up Slothrop's post above)
posted by RogueTech at 7:33 AM on February 14, 2013
posted by RogueTech at 7:33 AM on February 14, 2013
I have heard as well that Berlin, Germany has the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey.
posted by colfax at 1:02 PM on February 14, 2013
posted by colfax at 1:02 PM on February 14, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jabes at 5:53 PM on February 13, 2013