Thread: Immigration news: Russian is third most common language in Oregon

Finnish language distribution in the United States.

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Russian language distribution in the United States.

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Current distribution of the Italian language in the United States.

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Swedish language distribution in the United States.

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Tagalog language distribution in the United States.

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Welsh language distribution in the United States.

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Russian is the most common language in Oregon behind English and Spanish. Surprised?


Vitali Bobrisev is a 74-year-old immigrant from Moldova. Like many Russian-speaking immigrants he lives in a tight-knit community in East Portland. Here, he laughs with friends at a volunteer event to clean up a local garden where he grows his own produce. (Melissa Binder/The Oregonian)

By Melissa Binder | mbinder@oregonian.com
on May 16, 2014 at 6:30 AM, updated May 16, 2014 at 6:32 AM

Did you know Russian is the most commonly spoken language in Oregon behind English and Spanish? It's is the only state where Russian is so popular.

In case you missed it, Slate published a collection of maps Tuesday that show common languages by state. The data come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which includes, among other things, languages spoken at home.

The most common language behind English and Spanish in Louisiana is French. In New Mexico, it's Navajo. In New Jersey, Italian. None of those are surprising. But would you have guessed Russian in Oregon?

Tatiana Osipovich

Melissa Binder/The Oregonian

Tatiana Osipovich, a professor of Russian at Lewis & Clark College, said immigrants from the former Soviet Union were attracted to Oregon because it looks like home.

Russian-speaking immigrants in Oregon are largely invisible and isolated, she said, though it's not unheard of for them to throw a party once in a while.

They are one of the largest immigrant groups in Portland, Osipovich said. Immigrants from the former Soviet Union tend to live on the outskirts of the city (many are in outer Southeast) in tight-knit communities.

Generally, the children only socialize with other Russian-speaking children in their neighborhoods or churches, she said. Some struggle with English and perform poorly in school, and then seek low-paying jobs instead of going to college.

Russian-speaking immigrants also tend to distrust government, Osipovich said, particularly the police. They often do not report crimes because they believe the police will ignore the problem or be unjust. They may be reluctant to participate in local elections or public forums.

But the biggest contributor to their invisibility, she said, is their appearance. They're mainly white Caucasians.

"Unless we wear clothes like from old Ukrainian village," she said, "we blend."

Want to know more about this immigrant group?

Read about problems the group faces and what Osipovich says is necessary to move forward.

Learn how so many Russian-speaking immigrants got to Oregon in the first place.

If you really want to dive in, check out Osipovich's research.
-- Melissa Binder

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i...n_languag.html

http://www.alipac.us/f9/more-hispani...-white-303231/

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