Though every city in the U.S. has a distinctly American flavor, so many metropolitan areas display distinct signs of the immigrant populations that melded together to make the cities we know and love today. From Miami's Little Havana to New York City's Chinatown and Los Angeles' Little Italy, cultural enclaves continue to thrive in modern metropolitan areas and help build colorful and diverse communities.
Many cultural and ethnic enclaves have become destinations for locals and tourists alike, but these visitors bring with them a mixed bag of consequences. On one hand, increased foot traffic allows small businesses and restaurants more opportunities for business, ushering in much-appreciated cash flow. On the other hand, rising demand for goods and services can cause prices to rise, hiking up the cost of living and potentially pushing poorer individuals and families out of the community.
The gentrification of ethnic enclaves is not new. The term "gentrification" was coined by Ruth Glass in the 1960s to describe the displacement of working class folks in London, but the first examples of gentrification can be traced back to the 18th century when wealthy landowners, or the "gentry," began buying out small farmers who were struggling to accumulate the capital necessary to operate in England.
Today, ethnic enclaves continue to thrive despite the looming threats of gentrification and economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. As one step towards understanding the history of these enclaves, Stacker compiled a list of the largest sources of immigrants in Bridgeport in 1900 by transcribing a previously untranscribed dataset from the U.S. Census Bureau. Table 35 of the Twelfth Census details the immigrant population of every city in the U.S. with at least 25,000 inhabitants as of the turn of the last century.
Read on to find out more about the historical immigrant community in your home city or explore the data on your own on our site, GitHub, or data.world.
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#1. Ireland
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 5,974
- Percent of foreign born residents: 26.81%
National
- Number of residents: 1,619,409
- Percent of foreign born residents: 15.48%
- #2 most common country of origin
2 / 40
#2. Hungary
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 3,172
- Percent of foreign born residents: 14.24%
National
- Number of residents: 145,815
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.39%
- #14 most common country of origin
3 / 40
#3. Germany
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 2,854
- Percent of foreign born residents: 12.81%
National
- Number of residents: 2,669,164
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.52%
- #1 most common country of origin
4 / 40
#4. England
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 2,755
- Percent of foreign born residents: 12.36%
National
- Number of residents: 843,491
- Percent of foreign born residents: 8.06%
- #4 most common country of origin
5 / 40
#5. Italy
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 1,436
- Percent of foreign born residents: 6.44%
National
- Number of residents: 484,703
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.63%
- #6 most common country of origin
6 / 40
#6. Sweden
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 1,349
- Percent of foreign born residents: 6.05%
National
- Number of residents: 574,625
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.49%
- #5 most common country of origin
7 / 40
#7. Canada
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 1,078
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.84%
National
- Number of residents: 1,183,225
- Percent of foreign born residents: 11.31%
- #3 most common country of origin
8 / 40
#8. Austria
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 913
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.10%
National
- Number of residents: 276,702
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.65%
- #10 most common country of origin
9 / 40
#9. Poland
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 610
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.74%
National
- Number of residents: 383,595
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.67%
- #8 most common country of origin
10 / 40
#10. Russia
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 519
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.33%
National
- Number of residents: 424,372
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.06%
- #7 most common country of origin
11 / 40
#11. Scotland
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 471
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.11%
National
- Number of residents: 234,699
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.24%
- #11 most common country of origin
12 / 40
#12. Denmark
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 350
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.57%
National
- Number of residents: 154,616
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.48%
- #13 most common country of origin
13 / 40
#13. Switzerland
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 188
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.84%
National
- Number of residents: 115,959
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.11%
- #15 most common country of origin
14 / 40
#14. Bohemia
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 183
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.82%
National
- Number of residents: 156,999
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.50%
- #12 most common country of origin
15 / 40
#15. France
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 141
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.63%
National
- Number of residents: 104,534
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.00%
- #18 most common country of origin
16 / 40
#16. Norway
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 76
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.34%
National
- Number of residents: 338,426
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.24%
- #9 most common country of origin
17 / 40
#17. China
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 67
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.30%
National
- Number of residents: 106,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.02%
- #16 most common country of origin
18 / 40
#18. Wales
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 32
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
National
- Number of residents: 93,744
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.90%
- #20 most common country of origin
19 / 40
#19. Central America
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 21
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.09%
National
- Number of residents: 3,911
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
- #36 most common country of origin
20 / 40
#20. West Indies (except Cuba and Puerto Rico)
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 20
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.09%
National
- Number of residents: 14,468
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
- #26 most common country of origin
21 / 40
#21. Greece
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 17
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
National
- Number of residents: 8,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #31 most common country of origin
22 / 40
#22. Born at sea
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 16
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
National
- Number of residents: 8,310
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #32 most common country of origin
23 / 40
#23. Turkey
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 10
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
National
- Number of residents: 9,949
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- #30 most common country of origin
24 / 40
#24. Finland
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 8
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
National
- Number of residents: 63,440
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.61%
- #22 most common country of origin
25 / 40
#25. Cuba
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 8
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
National
- Number of residents: 11,159
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #28 most common country of origin
26 / 40
#26. Australia
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 8
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
National
- Number of residents: 7,041
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #34 most common country of origin
27 / 40
#27. Holland
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 7
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
National
- Number of residents: 105,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.00%
- #17 most common country of origin
28 / 40
#28. Asia (except China, Japan, and India)
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 7
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
National
- Number of residents: 11,928
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #27 most common country of origin
29 / 40
#29. Other countries
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 5
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
National
- Number of residents: 2,587
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #39 most common country of origin
30 / 40
#30. South America
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 5
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
National
- Number of residents: 4,814
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.05%
- #35 most common country of origin
31 / 40
#31. Mexico
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 5
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
National
- Number of residents: 103,445
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.99%
- #19 most common country of origin
32 / 40
#32. India
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 5
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
National
- Number of residents: 2,069
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #42 most common country of origin
33 / 40
#33. Roumania
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 4
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
National
- Number of residents: 15,043
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
- #25 most common country of origin
34 / 40
#34. Japan
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 81,590
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.78%
- #21 most common country of origin
35 / 40
#35. Europe (not otherwise specified)
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 2,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #41 most common country of origin
36 / 40
#36. Belgium
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 29,848
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.29%
- #24 most common country of origin
37 / 40
#37. Atlantic Islands
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 10,955
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- #29 most common country of origin
38 / 40
#38. Africa
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 2,577
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #40 most common country of origin
39 / 40
#39. Spain
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 1
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 7,284
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #33 most common country of origin
40 / 40
#40. Portugal
Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Number of residents: 1
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 37,144
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.36%
- #23 most common country of origin
