Georgian American
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 500,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New York City Metropolitan Area (including Northern New Jersey), and other major U.S. metro areas | |
| Languages | |
| Predominantly English and Georgian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian, with some Catholics and Jews |
Georgian Americans (Georgian: ამერიკელი ქართველები, translit.: amerik'eli kartvelebi) are Americans of full or partial Georgian ancestry. They encompass ethnic Georgians who have immigrated to the U.S. from Georgia, as well as other areas with significant Georgian populations, such as Russia and across Eastern Europe.
The precise number of Americans of Georgian descent is unknown. This is due to the fact that 19th and 20th century U.S. immigration records often did not differentiate between various ethnic groups originating from the Russian Empire, of which Georgia was part until 1918.
The earliest recorded Georgian immigrants to the US were the Georgian horsemen. One group came in 1890 as part of a troupe of Cossack horsemen hired by Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild Congress of Rough Riders.
The number of Georgians coming to the U.S. saw an increase after political upheavals of the Russian Revolution forced the Georgian nobility and intellectuals, including those residing in other parts of the Russian Empire, to move to the U.S. In just several years, another wave of immigration of Georgians was triggered by the Red Army invasion of Georgia, which led to the exodus of intellectuals who were in fear of deportation and imminent death in the Russian Siberia. A notable example of pre-Soviet immigration of ethnic Georgians is that of George Balanchine, whose immediate family was split between U.S. and Soviet Georgia.
Emigration from Georgia was brought to a halt in the 1920s and 1930s, when the Soviet Union put in place restrictions on travel, both in and out of the Union. Despite these restrictions, some Georgians managed to flee to the U.S. during World War II. These were primarily ethnic Georgians who lived in liberated parts of Eastern Europe, as well as members of the Georgian military who were stationed or otherwise resided abroad. Such was the case with John Shalikashvili, a son of a Georgian officer, who would rise to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Supreme Allied Commander.
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