Nordic and Scandinavian Americans in the context of Greenlandic Americans

⭐ Core Definition: Nordic and Scandinavian Americans

Nordic and Scandinavian Americans are Americans of Scandinavian and/or Nordic ancestry, including Danish Americans (estimate: 1,453,897), Faroese Americans, Finnish Americans (estimate: 653,222), Greenlandic Americans, Icelandic Americans (estimate: 49,442), Norwegian Americans (estimate: 4,602,337), and Swedish Americans (estimate: 4,293,208). Also included are persons who reported 'Scandinavian' ancestry (estimate: 582,549) on their census. According to 2021 census estimates, there are approximately 9,365,489 people of Scandinavian ancestry in the United States.

Norsemen had explored the eastern coast of North America as early as the 11th century, though they created no lasting settlements. Later, a Swedish colony briefly existed on the Delaware River during the 17th century. The vast majority of Americans of Nordic or Scandinavian ancestry, however, are descended from immigrants of the 19th century. This era saw mass emigration from Scandinavia following a population increase that the region's existing infrastructure could not support. Many prevailing traditions observed by Nordic and Scandinavian Americans are from this era, and are reflective of the lifestyle of rural immigrant communities during the late 19th century.

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Nordic and Scandinavian Americans in the context of Swedish American

Swedish Americans (Swedish: Svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arriving between 1865 and 1915. These immigrants settled predominantly in the Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin, in similarity with other Nordic and Scandinavian Americans. Populations also grew in the Pacific Northwest in the states of Oregon and Washington at the turn of the twentieth century.

As a community, Swedish Americans have contributed to various aspects of American life, including politics, the arts, sciences, and business. They brought with them distinct cultural traditions like unique culinary practices, language, and celebrations such as Midsummer. These traditions are preserved by institutions such as the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, Chicago's Swedish American Museum, and the Gammelgården Museum in Scandia, Minnesota.

View the full Wikipedia page for Swedish American

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