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 Charleston, South Carolina 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: The most expensive homes sold in Charleston, South Carolina this year
1 / 35
#1. Germany
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 1,129
- Percent of foreign born residents: 43.56%
National
- Number of residents: 2,669,164
- Percent of foreign born residents: 25.52%
- #1 most common country of origin
2 / 35
#2. Ireland
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 621
- Percent of foreign born residents: 23.96%
National
- Number of residents: 1,619,409
- Percent of foreign born residents: 15.48%
- #2 most common country of origin
3 / 35
#3. England
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 144
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.56%
National
- Number of residents: 843,491
- Percent of foreign born residents: 8.06%
- #4 most common country of origin
4 / 35
#4. Italy
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 116
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.48%
National
- Number of residents: 484,703
- Percent of foreign born residents: 4.63%
- #6 most common country of origin
6 / 35
#6. Norway
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 83
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.20%
National
- Number of residents: 338,426
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.24%
- #9 most common country of origin
7 / 35
#7. Poland
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 69
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.66%
National
- Number of residents: 383,595
- Percent of foreign born residents: 3.67%
- #8 most common country of origin
8 / 35
#8. Scotland
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 64
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.47%
National
- Number of residents: 234,699
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.24%
- #11 most common country of origin
9 / 35
#9. Canada
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 47
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.81%
National
- Number of residents: 1,183,225
- Percent of foreign born residents: 11.31%
- #3 most common country of origin
11 / 35
#11. Greece
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 38
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.47%
National
- Number of residents: 8,655
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #31 most common country of origin
12 / 35
#12. China
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 35
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.35%
National
- Number of residents: 106,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.02%
- #16 most common country of origin
13 / 35
#13. Austria
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 30
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.16%
National
- Number of residents: 276,702
- Percent of foreign born residents: 2.65%
- #10 most common country of origin
14 / 35
#14. Sweden
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 23
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.89%
National
- Number of residents: 574,625
- Percent of foreign born residents: 5.49%
- #5 most common country of origin
16 / 35
#16. Spain
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 13
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.50%
National
- Number of residents: 7,284
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.07%
- #33 most common country of origin
17 / 35
#17. India
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 11
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.42%
National
- Number of residents: 2,069
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #42 most common country of origin
18 / 35
#18. West Indies (except Cuba and Puerto Rico)
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 9
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.35%
National
- Number of residents: 14,468
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.14%
- #26 most common country of origin
19 / 35
#19. South America
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 8
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.31%
National
- Number of residents: 4,814
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.05%
- #35 most common country of origin
20 / 35
#20. Central America
21 / 35
#21. Hungary
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 6
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.23%
National
- Number of residents: 145,815
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.39%
- #14 most common country of origin
22 / 35
#22. Cuba
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 6
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.23%
National
- Number of residents: 11,159
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #28 most common country of origin
23 / 35
#23. Asia (except China, Japan, and India)
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 6
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.23%
National
- Number of residents: 11,928
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.11%
- #27 most common country of origin
24 / 35
#24. Switzerland
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 5
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.19%
National
- Number of residents: 115,959
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.11%
- #15 most common country of origin
26 / 35
#26. Other countries
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 4
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.15%
National
- Number of residents: 2,587
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #39 most common country of origin
27 / 35
#27. Belgium
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 4
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.15%
National
- Number of residents: 29,848
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.29%
- #24 most common country of origin
28 / 35
#28. Atlantic Islands
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 4
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.15%
National
- Number of residents: 10,955
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.10%
- #29 most common country of origin
29 / 35
#29. Africa
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 3
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.12%
National
- Number of residents: 2,577
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.02%
- #40 most common country of origin
31 / 35
#31. Pacific Islands (except Phillipine Islands)
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 2
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
National
- Number of residents: 2,659
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.03%
- #38 most common country of origin
32 / 35
#32. Finland
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 2
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
National
- Number of residents: 63,440
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.61%
- #22 most common country of origin
33 / 35
#33. Bohemia
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 2
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
National
- Number of residents: 156,999
- Percent of foreign born residents: 1.50%
- #12 most common country of origin
34 / 35
#34. Born at sea
Charleston, South Carolina
- Number of residents: 1
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.04%
National
- Number of residents: 8,310
- Percent of foreign born residents: 0.08%
- #32 most common country of origin
