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You wanna see Polish people? Come to Chicago. Chicago has always had a HUGE Polish population and still does. And I don't think it will change any time soon either. Chicago has more Poles than Warsaw (no joke, look it up).
People from Chicago are really into repeating this statement, but it still isn't true.
In the 2000 Census, about 800,000 people in the Chicago area reported Polish ancestry-- about 606,000 in the suburbs and about 194,000 in the city itself. About 68,000 were actual Polish immigrants.
The population of Warszawa itself is about 1.7 million, and the metropolitan area is about 2.7 million. As you can see, by no measure of Chicago's Poles is Chicago more Polish than Warszawa.
There is no demographic data yet available for national ancestry at a city level for the 2010 Census. I would expect the suburban/urban balance to shift and the absolute number to stay about the same.
As for Buffalo, there is still a small population of Poles in the East Side Polonia neighborhood around Broadway/Fillmore and Broadway Market, along with a small number of Polish businesses in the blocks around the market, but they are open only sporadically. There is a Polish library and social club still operating on Fillmore in Buffalo Polonia. If you are Polish and want to preserve your heritage, please stop by and join. Like much of the East Side, a lot of Polonia was abandoned by people moving to Cheektowaga and other suburbs, and many houses have been demolished or are just empty shells.
Other areas of the city still have Polish businesses: Black Rock, Kaisertown.
The big Polish festival is Dyngus Day, on Easter Monday. Basically a Polish Mardi Gras, except its on the other side of Lent.
95% of every white person I know (and many mixed race people) who were born in Buffalo are either Italian, German, Irish or Polish, with about half of them being part or completely of Polish ancestry. Thus, I'm super confused why you are asking where all the "Polish people" went. Black Rock, Riverside, Cheektowaga and some other parts of the city and it's 'burbs are so predominantly Polish it's actually the source of many good-natured jabs (some, sadly, related to pink flamingos).
I'm sorry Buffalo isn't a bunch of super strict ethnic/racial enclaves who don't intermarry or talk to each other like it's 50 years ago *rolls eyes*. Also your comment about "head covering types" smacks of racism. Amherst clearly hasn't suffered in the SLIGHTEST from being diverse, as it is one of the wealthiest suburbs and repeatedly makes the top 50 safest places to live in the country (taking first not so long ago). The most prosperous cities are often the most diverse (NYC, Toronto, etc). Diversity is something Buffalo should strive towards, not be afraid of. Personally I love that when I walk down the street I see all different types of people and that I have dozens of cuisine types available to me. I have often asked why there aren't more Polish restaurants here but the answer is obvious - people go out for ethnic food they can't get at home, and like a quarter of the Buffalo-area population has an aunt or grandma or cousin or friend who is making all this stuff you miss in their kitchen right now.
Wow, I had to go back to page 1 to get some context on the thread.
The Polski is alive and well in Buffalo. Now, there is a lot of Polskis in Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee. I have a number of surname (like myself) in Brazil, of all place.
The Polish are pretty close to the chinese, in terms of provinces, eg Mandarin, Szechuan, etc.
So, the Polskis in Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo etc, are all related, however, slightly, albeit extreme in some cases, different. If there is a factory job (steel, manufacturing) or fish, you are gonna find Polskis. Quite a few in Halifax, NF I might add.
As for Buffalo, I have run into a number of Polskis. So yes, we are alive and well!
The Polish of Buffalo are still holding strong in Buffalo. You need to get out more. Asians of all religious and cultural backgrounds who can afford homes in Amherst are picking that area strictly for the schools. If Buffalo had guaranteed slots in Olmstead, Hutch Tech, City Honors many would stick to the city of Buffalo. And many parents are not even impressed with those schools and are paying like 20k a year for private schooling. I attended an auction at the beginning of the year with an Indian man who had 1 million in cash to purchase homes in the Amherst, Williamsville and Orchard Park area. He left a happy man with like 10 houses, a few lots of land and money left over. And many of the new minority families relocating to this area are coming from NYC and they are smart investors. They know what they want and the old blue collar suburbs dont appeal to them. They view Tonawanda as a poor investment since the homes are so old, in need of updates and the taxes are way higher than Amherst. Cheektowaga is frowned on because they homes are small, schools are questionable, and the neighborhoods have high poverty rates for burbs. Same goes for Lackawanna with high poverty rate.
12buttons, I hope you are being hyperbolic in your blatant racism; however, Polskis are alive and well in Buffalo. Kaisertown is full, illustrated with a fresh Pirogi shop (K Sisters).
In Amherst I see many Asians and Indians and third world head covered types ...oh yeah and a few Caucasians turn up every now and then...mostly in Wegmans take out section! I went to an open house on Sunday in Amherst and I was the only non Asian in the house! What brings them to Buffalo in such numbers? Suny? I know Buffalo lost a lot of population due to the loss of their manufacturing and anyone with a pulse has been welcome with open arms as long as they pay these super duper taxes and keep the coffers filled but still...have we lost part of what made us so cool as a city? Our character? Are we just another hybrid rust belt city trying to transition into biotech and shale today?
I wanna a pierogi! A real babka!
Buffalo has changed so much since I knew it as a kid...so where did all the Polish people go? North Carolina? Florida? Are there parts of the city still rich in their polish population? If so which parts? Have the "hipsters driven Stash and Stella out of Black Rock? I know the westside is no longer Italian...the Eastside is the "hood"
Kenmore has a lot of Italian population...maybe Cheektowaga? Somebody once posted a demographic landscape of the burbs of Buffalo..
and please don't say the Broadway Market is the mecca of Polish culture- that place is a joke and a very dicey location...I did not feel very safe the one time I did go there. Most of the food looked like it had been sitting around since 1962...oh yeah this isn't a post that's asking where to go for pierogies..the question runs a little deeper than that! Paging Stella! cheers!
Lol, your first sentence is hilarious. Button up your xenophobia a little, please, 12 times if needed. I'm Polish, though an actual native of Poland once told me I was Russian. Further genealogical inquiry (some random family member who cared to do research...I think every family has one of these) revealed that the Marcinkiewiczes hail from the Poland-Russia border area. Honestly given the freedom to choose I'm definitely choosing to identify as Russian because I have a lot of respect for different Russian historical/cultural figures throughout the years. But I remain Polish, so, there.
As for Amherst, like many upper-middle class suburbs that were once primarily Jewish, are becoming increasingly Asian. I see the exact same thing where I live in Long Island. Many of the north shore Long Island communities like Roslyn, Port Washington, Plainview, and Dix Hills are seeing a rapid growth in the Asian population. My son's pre-school is over 1/2 Asian. My cousin who lives in East Amherst reports a similar demographic changeover, same with family in Fairfax County Virginia. It's a national trend in well educated higher income communities.
Hate to stray from the OP's topic but is there any chance that an "Asiatown" can develop in Greater Buffalo?
Hate to stray from the OP's topic but is there any chance that an "Asiatown" can develop in Greater Buffalo?
Not in the city, but Amherst will probably become heavily Asian sometime within the next few decades; some parts already have Asian populations in the Williamsville Schools Schools in the 20% range.
Most of the foods you are citing are available at the larger Tops or Wegmans supermarkets
The frozen food section is NOTHING like authentic handmade right off the boat people. Not just Polish food, but with all ethnic cuisine. No grocery store pierogi has anything on the ones my grandmother makes! And her mom was straight off the boat and didn't speak English.
That's like saying Wegman's has bread as good a Jewish bakery. Oh dear god! If anyone thinks that, please have your tastebuds checked by a doctor. You're in serious need of medical attention!
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