What ethnic heritage do you associate most with Oregon? (Bend: transplants, deal)

[belmont22]

I think Oregon feels like a pretty even mix of Anglo-Celtic, German and Scandinavian. Hispanics form a significant portion of the population but I don't feel like they really 'define' the culture of the state though of course they do form a part of it.

[Fiddlehead]

My impression is that it is largely the white, northern European mix of English, German, Scots-Irish, and Irish. With all the intermarriage, those have all more or less merged. People seem surprisingly pasty here, but maybe it is the weather too. We have a few French-Canadian, Jewish, blacks, asians, and a rapidly growing hispanic population. The character seems pretty English-German in the northwest and eastern parts of the state, and Scots-Irish in the smaller logging towns and much of Southwest Oregon (folks came out from the South to work in the woods). I think the Scandinavian influence is smaller here than in Washington state, and it probably centered in the NW part of the state.

There are several native tribes scattered around the state (Umatilla, Grande Ronde, Nez Perce, Klamath, etc.) There is a little island of Irish in the south central part of the state, centered on Lakeview.

Ashland and Bend are largely recent Californian and east coast transplants of the "N. European mix" variety. Though there seem to be a few more Jewish, Italian, and mixed race people among the new immigrants.

http://names.mongabay.com/ancestry/Oregon.html

This site suggests that German is largest single group, but if you add English, Irish, and "American" (descendants of the old Scots-Irish immigrants who hate the English and Irish in similar measures..) you get about 30% from the British Isles.

[Steve Pickering]

Mid-Western

[hamellr]

...American?

[Steve97415]

Where I grew up in the Midwest, people were very conscious of the exact countries in northern Europe that their ancestors came from. You weren't just "Scandinavian-American," you were Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Finnish, or combinations thereof.

When I moved out West, I was just "white." I think a lot of westerners see it that way. With the face of immigration having changed from primarily European origin to primarily Asian and Latin American, the minor distinctions of Caucasian ethnicity have faded. The old paradigm of keeping track of 19th century Euro-national bloodlines..."I'm half Irish, one-quarter Swedish, one-eighth German, and one-eight Polish"...is from a bygone era. In today's realities if you're white, you're just white.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

Where I grew up in the Midwest, people were very conscious of the exact countries in northern Europe that their ancestors came from. You weren't just "Scandinavian-American," you were Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Finnish, or combinations thereof.

When I moved out West, I was just "white." I think a lot of westerners see it that way. With the face of immigration having changed from primarily European origin to primarily Asian and Latin American, the minor distinctions of Caucasian ethnicity have faded. The old paradigm of keeping track of 19th century Euro-national bloodlines..."I'm half Irish, one-quarter Swedish, one-eighth German, and one-eight Polish"...is from a bygone era. In today's realities if you're white, you're just white.

Interesting. I've always thought of myself as more English, Irish and Welsh than simply being 'white'. I don't think of all whites from Ireland to Poland as a homogenous block.

Would you say Russian identity is still considered distinct from 'generic white' in the West?

[Fiddlehead]

Yea, we make something of a big deal about it in our family because my wife is 100% Rhode Island Irish Catholic. It does not hurt that the Irish are born raconteurs and shameless self-promoters (who ever heard of "Kiss me I am German!" ). Her family's surnames come from the extreme north and south of Ireland. I am the opposite. German surname, but complete mixture (English, Dutch, French, Scots-Irish, Irish,etc.). My Grandmother, adopted in the Midwest, is rumored to be half Native American. I think that is true. She was short, smart, merry, and plump. I keep track for my son, as I know he is at least 55% Irish. But it is largely for conversational purposes. I suspect the German, English, French, Dutch, Scots-Irish, and Native American (Souix?) branches of the family have great stories too, but they are lost to history at this point.

For the asians and hispanics, their appearance, language, and culture set them apart, but that is lost for the N. European groups.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Yea, we make something of a big deal about it in our family because my wife is 100% Rhode Island Irish Catholic. It does not hurt that the Irish are born raconteurs and shameless self-promoters (who ever heard of "Kiss me I am German!" ). Her family's surnames come from the extreme north and south of Ireland. I am the opposite. German surname, but complete mixture (English, Dutch, French, Scots-Irish, Irish,etc.). My Grandmother, adopted in the Midwest, is rumored to be half Native American. I think that is true. She was short, smart, merry, and plump. I keep track for my son, as I know he is at least 55% Irish. But it is largely for conversational purposes. I suspect the German, English, French, Dutch, Scots-Irish, and Native American (Souix?) branches of the family have great stories too, but they are lost to history at this point.

For the asians and hispanics, their appearance, language, and culture set them apart, but that is lost for the N. European groups.

I was born in California but my ancestors came from the north of Ireland and south and middle of England mostly. There's a bit of Welsh and probably a bit of Scots-Irish (a mix of Scottish and Geordie more or less) in there as well.

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by belmont22

Interesting. I've always thought of myself as more English, Irish and Welsh than simply being 'white'. I don't think of all whites from Ireland to Poland as a homogenous block.

I would guess that you're over the age of 50, then.

[belmont22]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

I would guess that you're over the age of 50, then.

Nope, I'm 23 next month. I just have a sense of place and history.

Seriously though, I find this whole concept of "whiteness" annoying. Like people from Iceland to Russia, from Italy to Finland, are somehow basically all the same. Nonsense, I say! Not to mention if I identify as white I have to carry the burden of "privilege" while if I identity with the Irish side of my past, I don't have so much "guilt" on my shoulders because there was a time Irish people were treated pretty badly, probably a lot worse than Hispanics are today and not much better than blacks were 50 years ago.