Why so many Eastern Europeans on the North Shore? (Chicago: school, to live)

[cohdane]

I recently moved to Highland Park and have been struck by the LARGE number of women I've met with Eastern European accents. They run the full range of ages-- young to old. I don't know if they're Polish or Russian or other. I'm going to estimate 50% of the women I've encountered here are first generation in this country.

What's up with this? Why the concentration in this area? Is it the whole North Shore or just Highland Park?

Any insight would be appreciated. I can't figure it out.

[Paige65]

I'm not sure. I haven't experienced this except at Nordstrom Rack or Marshall's in that shopping strip on Skokie. Many of the nannies in the park, of varying ages, appear Eastern European. There are less than a handful, maybe two or three families, that are Eastern European, in my kids school. My real familiarity with HP is with the SE part though, so it could be different in other areas.

I guess I can't really answer your question!

[Lookout Kid]

Eastern Europe is really the only major source of European immigration to the United States anymore. Highland Park has a high percentage of Jewish residents, so perhaps they are Eastern European Jews looking to live amongst other Jews? Just a theory...

But to me it seems like there are huge numbers of Eastern Europeans everywhere in Chicagoland these days.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by Paige65

Many of the nannies in the park, of varying ages, appear Eastern European.

Yea, I think its mostly nannies the OP is probably running into. Theres definitely a large foreign contingent of them (and a wealthy population base in those areas willing to pay for them).

[Shrimps]

Originally Posted by cohdane

I recently moved to Highland Park and have been struck by the LARGE number of women I've met with Eastern European accents. They run the full range of ages-- young to old. I don't know if they're Polish or Russian or other.

Poland is not in Eastern Europe. It's in Central Europe
But I agree, for someone unfamiliar with the languages, Russian and Polish can be hard to tell apart.

[cohdane]

Originally Posted by Shrimps

Poland is not in Eastern Europe. It's in Central Europe
But I agree, for someone unfamiliar with the languages, Russian and Polish can be hard to tell apart.

My geographical ignorance is showing . My great-grandparents would be horrified. They were from Poland.....

The accent sounds similar to me-- untrained ears I guess.

[Lookout Kid]

To me "Eastern Europe" is any country that was formerly behind the Iron Curtain. Though Polish culture is close to German culture in many ways...

[cd771]

I read that Chicagoland has the largest Polish concentration outside of Poland.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Shrimps

Poland is not in Eastern Europe. It's in Central Europe
But I agree, for someone unfamiliar with the languages, Russian and Polish can be hard to tell apart.

Poland is eastern Europe. Period. Any slavic or formerly communist country is eastern Europe. NOT central Europe.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by cd771

I read that Chicagoland has the largest Polish concentration outside of Poland.

Yes, definitely. On the far NW side of the city proper, and in adjacent suburbs in some areas its somewhat over half of the population is either Polish born, or at least Polish ancestry. It would be impossible not to notice in a place like Harwood Heights for example.