French Canadians and Portuguese in Boston? (Worcester, Lowell: live in, shop, arena)

[tysmith95]

Ahh ok. I might have been mistaken.

Still the south coast of mass is very Portuguese.

[bostonguy1960]

A friend who taught high school French on the North Shore told me Salem, MA, had a French-Canaden section called The Point. It's been Hispanic for years, I think.

Not in Massachusetts, but didn't Woonsocket, RI and Manchester, NH, have French-Canaden areas? Maybe into the 80s or even 90s?

Not sure if they were very big in Portland or southern Maine, but maybe way up in Lewiston or Bangor? They still love summers in Old Orchard Beach and Ogunquit?

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

A friend who taught high school French on the North Shore told me Salem, MA, had a French-Canaden section called The Point. It's been Hispanic for years, I think.

Not in Massachusetts, but didn't Woonsocket, RI and Manchester, NH, have French-Canaden areas? Maybe into the 80s or even 90s?

Not sure if they were very big in Portland or southern Maine, but maybe way up in Lewiston or Bangor? They still love summers in Old Orchard Beach and Ogunquit?

Yes, you are right about Woonsocket and Manchester.

[robr2]

As a Portugee myself, the areas I recall that had many Portuguese in the 60's and 70's were the Somerville, Cambridge area and the North Shore as well as the south coast are around Fall River, New Bedford, Dartmouth, Wareham, Provincetown. Today there is still a strong Portuguese influence in those areas but you are talking about 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation who are Portuguese in heritage only - my kids are 2nd generation Portuguese American and they know a few words and have a Portuguese last name.

You'll see plenty of Brazilian influence in Framingham, Marlboro, Hudson.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Many of the Portuguese came from the Azores and Cape Verde, the latter being a former African colony. You will sometimes find black people in Massachusetts with Portuguese surnames.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Portuguese, many in Gloucester and Hudson, MA.
French Canadians would be Lowell, Fitchburg.

Hudson Portuguese is Azorean and Brazilian. A favorite of mine Old School House Pub in Hudson is a hidden gem for Azorean style food.

French Canadian, I forgot Plymouth. Many French Canadian settlers went there.

Outside Massachusetts, all of New Hampshire and the Acadian region in Northern Maine is very French.

[MassVt]

The Portuguese community is especially strong in SE Massachusetts, and in Rhode Island. There's also a definite Cape Verdean population, too. The French influence is a bit stronger in northern NE (VT, NH, ME), in communities near the Canadian border, and in old mill towns..

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

A friend who taught high school French on the North Shore told me Salem, MA, had a French-Canaden section called The Point. It's been Hispanic for years, I think.

Not in Massachusetts, but didn't Woonsocket, RI and Manchester, NH, have French-Canaden areas? Maybe into the 80s or even 90s?

Not sure if they were very big in Portland or southern Maine, but maybe way up in Lewiston or Bangor? They still love summers in Old Orchard Beach and Ogunquit?

Basically wherever the mills were, French Canadians settled. Some of the more famous ones were Woonsocket, RI; Fitchburg, MA; Manchester, NH; Lewiston and Biddeford, ME.

OOB is still mobbed every summer by vacationers from Quebec, not sure about Ogunquit.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

Many of the Portuguese came from the Azores and Cape Verde, the latter being a former African colony. You will sometimes find black people in Massachusetts with Portuguese surnames.

Those blacks with Portuguese surnames would be Cape Verdean. Not the same thing as Portuguese. Their language is related but not the same. Azoreans often fall under the Portuguese umbrella, but don't always consider themselves as such and even fewer Portuguese (from Portugal) do.

[Southshorebound]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

A friend who taught high school French on the North Shore told me Salem, MA, had a French-Canaden section called The Point. It's been Hispanic for years, I think.

Not in Massachusetts, but didn't Woonsocket, RI and Manchester, NH, have French-Canaden areas? Maybe into the 80s or even 90s?

Not sure if they were very big in Portland or southern Maine, but maybe way up in Lewiston or Bangor? They still love summers in Old Orchard Beach and Ogunquit?

My French Canadian family comes from Lewiston. I think there are still many people with French Canadian heritage in the Lewiston area as well as southern Maine. Kennebunkport/Wells/Ogunquit attract many French Canadians in the summer