Russian District in New York: the history of "Little Odessa"

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Ask any American where Russians live in New York, and without a shadow of a doubt he will point you in the direction of Long Island, where Brooklyn and its separate administrative districts are located. It is here that the area, popularly referred to as "Little Odessa", is located, in which mainly immigrants from the former USSR live. It is called Brighton Beach, and most of the restaurants, shops and even newspapers have Russian-language names.

History of the area

The area of Brooklyn received its current name in honor of the resort of the same name, located in the UK. Soon a railroad was laid here, which later became a branch of the New York subway. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the area attracted tourists, and later Brighton Beach became a fashionable resort where rich Europeans came to relax.

Everything changed dramatically during the Second World War. The area went from popular to poor and for some time was considered depressing. Over time, the birth rate in Brooklyn rose and the area gradually becamedevelop again. To a greater extent, this was facilitated by the influx of immigrants from the Soviet Union. Soon a kind of Russian district in New York was formed here. Brooklyn attracted immigrants from Eastern Europe with its low cost, as well as good infrastructure, good transport interchange and location near the coast.

Unprestigious Brighton remained until the end of the last century, when the collapse of the USSR and further restructuring followed. It's a paradox, but it was these events that gave a powerful impetus to the development of "Little Odessa", because along with poor Soviet citizens, a stream of former Russian businessmen also poured into the States.

Infrastructure

The first generations who moved to Brighton did everything so that their children not only knew English, but also did not forget Russian. Already at the beginning of the new century, the Russian district in New York was very often filled with shops and restaurants, where Russian-speaking staff worked and Russian products could be purchased. The magnificent Millennium Theater was built near the coast, and the entire post-Soviet beau monde lived in the luxurious Oceana residential complex. Brooklyn's transport interchange remains one of the best in New York to this day.

Little Odessa

In most local banks, offices, entertainment and shopping centers, Russian is the norm rather than the exception, and you can hear it here more often than English. Every week in "Little Odessa" there are performances of the stars of the Russianstage, so there is practically no need to talk about nostalgia for the locals.

With 100 meters of white sand separating Brighton from the coast, is it necessary to say that in the summer it is just a paradise for tourists? All beaches are equipped with free toilets and soda machines. Lifeguards are on duty at the sea around the clock, and along the coastline there are specially designated places for fishing enthusiasts.

Prospects for development

Today, the Russian district in New York, along with neighboring Coney Island, is considered one of the rapidly developing areas. According to experts, these two administrative centers are the most promising in terms of investment for the next decade.

Population

According to the latest census data, a little over 23,000 people live in Little Odessa. It should be noted right away that this figure is nothing more than a formality, because not all residents enter into lease agreements and, accordingly, are not included in the statistics. In addition, in the summer season, the population of the district increases by 2-3 times due to visiting tourists. In terms of gender, men and women are roughly equal in Brighton.

The Russian district in New York fully justifies its name: 36% of the residents of the administrative center do not speak or have poor command of English, while in the agglomeration as a whole this figure does not exceed 7%. About 73% of the inhabitants of "Little Odessa" are emigrants, and according toNew York, this figure is within 22%.

Despite the fact that Brooklyn as a whole has a very high number of people with upper-middle incomes, the Russian district in New York as a whole shows a low standard of living. So, for example, about 30% of the population here lives in poverty, and the number of cars per capita is almost two times less than directly in New York.

This is not surprising. A similar spread is characteristic of today's Russia and most countries of the post-Soviet space. While some bathe in luxury, the latter are forced to look for a livelihood.

Along with this, it is the width of the stratum of the population with an average income that determines the quality of life in the country as a whole.

Well, for now, Brighton Beach is really "Little Odessa" or "Moscow" rather than the largest agglomeration of the United States on the Mediterranean coast.