Poland
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Poland is a country in Central Europe. The official language is Polish.
History of Poland
Poland’s long and diverse history is covered in depth (and in brief); please link to the following sites for further information:
*This site gives a detailed history of Poland beginning in the 10th century and coursing through history to the 20th century.
Reasons for immigration from Poland/immigration to other countries
Note: The term emigration is similar in meaning to immigration, but is from the standpoint of one’s country of origin. For example, a native Pole could emigrate from Poland or immigrate to another country.
Immigration waves within the USA
Wars involving or impacting Poland (especially World War I and World War II) along with political and economical pressures precipitated Polish immigration to the USA. Due to the political and economical unrest, many Poles immigrated to Canada and the United States after 1850.
Enclaves within the USA
The largest enclave of Poles within the US is Chicago, Illinois. Chicago is also considered the largest Polish city outside of Poland with approximately one million Polish-Americans residing in the state of Illinois. Other cities with a significant Polish population include Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver (within the past ten years), Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee (within the past ten years), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Rochester, and San Francisco.
For additional information, please link to:
Population by State
Below is a map of the United States depicting the population of self-reported Americans of Polish descent according to the 2000 Census. The colors indicate approximate population (e.g. red=most prevalent; white=least prevalent). The top ten states are as follows: New York, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Wisconsin, California, Ohio, Florida, and Massachusetts. Hawaii, Wyoming, and Washington D.C. rank 49th, 50th, and 51st.
The Modern Language Association website has data on languages in the USA by state which can be searched, organized, printed, and graphed according to the readers' desires. The following images reflect information on Polish speakers in the Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington areas. Both images were borrowed from the MLA site.
According to the Modern Language Association site, approximately 450 individuals within Portland speak Polish
For general reference, a pie chart of the languages identified in Oregon has been included. Polish falls under the category of “Other”.
Americans of Polish Ancestry
Approximately 11 million individuals in the United States declare Polish descent. However, the majority of those people cannot speak the Polish language. The 2000 US Census asserts that roughly 0.25% of the total US population speaks Polish in the home. Polish is spoken by about 1.4% of individuals speaking a language other than English in the US.
Several Polish organizations exist in the US and are dedicated to maintaining the link between Polonia and Poland, preserving history and culture, and keeping Polish heritage alive. The Polish American Congress is a national umbrella organization that represents several other smaller Polish organizations within the United States. Please link to Wikipedia-Polish American Congress for more detailed information regarding these organizations.