What Toledo's immigrant population looked like in 1900

·Stacker

Everett Collection // Shutterstock
Everett Collection // Shutterstock

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 Toledo 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.

You may also like: Highest-rated fine dining restaurants in the Toledo area by diners

1 / 37

#1. Germany

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 12,373
- Percent of foreign born residents: 44.47%
National
- Number of residents: 2,669,164
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.52%
- #1 most common country of origin
2 / 37

#2. Poland

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 4,475
- Percent of foreign born residents: 16.08%
National
- Number of residents: 383,595
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.67%
- #8 most common country of origin
3 / 37

#3. Canada

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 3,295
- Percent of foreign born residents: 11.84%
National
- Number of residents: 1,183,225
- Percent of foreign born residents: 11.31%
- #3 most common country of origin
4 / 37

#4. Ireland

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 2,684
- Percent of foreign born residents: 9.65%
National
- Number of residents: 1,619,409
- Percent of foreign born residents: 15.48%
- #2 most common country of origin
5 / 37

#5. England

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 1,636
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.88%
National
- Number of residents: 843,491
- Percent of foreign born residents: 8.06%
- #4 most common country of origin

You may also like: Highest-rated dessert shops in the Toledo area by diners

6 / 37

#6. Switzerland

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 698
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.51%
National
- Number of residents: 115,959
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.11%
- #15 most common country of origin
7 / 37

#7. Hungary

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 647
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.33%
National
- Number of residents: 145,815
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.39%
- #14 most common country of origin
8 / 37

#8. Russia

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 516
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.85%
National
- Number of residents: 424,372
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.06%
- #7 most common country of origin
9 / 37

#9. Austria

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 275
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.99%
National
- Number of residents: 276,702
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.65%
- #10 most common country of origin
10 / 37

#10. Scotland

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 256
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.92%
National
- Number of residents: 234,699
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.24%
- #11 most common country of origin

You may also like: Highest-rated steak restaurants in the Toledo area by diners

11 / 37

#11. France

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 248
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.89%
National
- Number of residents: 104,534
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.00%
- #18 most common country of origin
12 / 37

#12. Sweden

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 112
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.40%
National
- Number of residents: 574,625
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.49%
- #5 most common country of origin
13 / 37

#13. Denmark

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 97
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.35%
National
- Number of residents: 154,616
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.48%
- #13 most common country of origin
14 / 37

#14. Wales

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 78
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.28%
National
- Number of residents: 93,744
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.90%
- #20 most common country of origin
16 / 37

#16. Asia (except China, Japan, and India)

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 61
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.22%
National
- Number of residents: 11,928
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #27 most common country of origin
17 / 37

#17. Holland

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 51
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.18%
National
- Number of residents: 105,098
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.00%
- #17 most common country of origin
18 / 37

#18. Belgium

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 49
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.18%
National
- Number of residents: 29,848
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.29%
- #24 most common country of origin
19 / 37

#19. Norway

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 45
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.16%
National
- Number of residents: 338,426
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.24%
- #9 most common country of origin
21 / 37

#21. China

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 25
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.09%
National
- Number of residents: 106,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.02%
- #16 most common country of origin
22 / 37

#22. Greece

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 20
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
National
- Number of residents: 8,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #31 most common country of origin
23 / 37

#23. Bohemia

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 15
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.05%
National
- Number of residents: 156,999
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.50%
- #12 most common country of origin
24 / 37

#24. Luxemburg

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 13
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.05%
National
- Number of residents: 3,049
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
- #37 most common country of origin
26 / 37

#26. Europe (not otherwise specified)

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 9
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
National
- Number of residents: 2,272
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #41 most common country of origin
27 / 37

#27. Cuba

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 8
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
National
- Number of residents: 11,159
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #28 most common country of origin
28 / 37

#28. Spain

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 7
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
National
- Number of residents: 7,284
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #33 most common country of origin
29 / 37

#29. India

Toledo, Ohio
- 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
31 / 37

#31. Portugal

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 37,144
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.36%
- #23 most common country of origin
32 / 37

#32. Central America

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 3,911
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
- #36 most common country of origin
33 / 37

#33. West Indies (except Cuba and Puerto Rico)

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 2
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 14,468
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
- #26 most common country of origin
34 / 37

#34. South America

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 2
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 4,814
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.05%
- #35 most common country of origin
36 / 37

#36. Australia

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 2
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.01%
National
- Number of residents: 7,041
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #34 most common country of origin
37 / 37

#37. Pacific Islands (except Phillipine Islands)

Toledo, Ohio
- Number of residents: 1
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.00%
National
- Number of residents: 2,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
- #38 most common country of origin