Finnish Americans
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
(649,107 (2011 US Census) 0.2% of the US population) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Midwest | 190,289 |
| West | 105,334 |
| South | 54,630 |
| Northeast |
45,131 |
 Michigan
|
68,203 |
 Minnesota
|
63,929 |
 California
|
32,028 |
 Washington
|
31,385 |
 Wisconsin
|
27,011 |
 Florida
|
18,990 |
 Oregon
|
15,141 |
 Massachusetts
|
14,279 |
 Ohio
|
11,003 |
 Illinois
|
10,913 |
 Arizona
|
9,783 |
 Texas
|
9,658 |
 New York
|
8,430 |
 Colorado
|
8,111 |
 New Hampshire
|
5,871 |
| Languages | |
| American English · Finnish · Swedish | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheranism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Finnish people · Finnish Canadians · Estonian Americans · Swedish Americans · Sami Americans | |
(649,107 (2011 US Census)
45,131
Finnish Americans comprise Americans with ancestral roots from Finland or Finnish people who emigrated to and reside in the United States. Finnish American population numbers about 700,000.
Some Finns, like the ancestors of John Morton, came to the Swedish colony of New Sweden, that existed in mid-17th century.
Finns first started coming to the United States in large numbers in the late 19th century, and continued until the mid 20th century. However, there were some Finns in the United States beforehand; in particular, they were instrumental in the development of the New Sweden colony on the Delaware River, later absorbed into New Netherland. Many townships were established by Finnish Americans, including Herman, located in Baraga County, Michigan. The town is named for Herman Keranen, of Puolanka, Finland.
A significant number of Finnish immigrants also settled in northern Minnesota, especially in the Arrowhead Region, along with portions of Aitkin, Crow Wing, and Carlton counties, often working in the region's iron mines. A number of the Finns fleeing the Russification efforts also emigrated to many of the mill towns of New England where they became known for their woodworking skills.
The first immigrants to North America arrived to the New Sweden colony by the lower Delaware River in 1640. Finland was an integrated part of the Kingdom of Sweden at the time, and a Swedish colony in the New World was bound to include subjects from Finland as well. In two years' time, the number of Finns in the settlement had grown to fifty, and was increasing. New Sweden changed hands to Dutch control in 1655, but many Finns had already entered, and the Finnish community, while small, was growing.
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Wikipedia