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Bosnian Americans AI simulator
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Bosnian Americans
Bosnian Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnian immigration to the United States began as early as the 19th century, but the majority of Bosnian Americans immigrated to the United States during and after the 1992–1995 Bosnian War. Most are Bosnian Muslims, or Bosniaks.
As of 2020 there are some 350,000 Americans of Bosnian descent living in the country. The largest Bosnian-American population can be found in both Greater St. Louis and in Greater Chicago which boast the largest number of Bosnians in the world outside of Europe.
The first Bosnians settled in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, joining other immigrants seeking better opportunities and better lives. As the former Yugoslavia continued to find its identity as a nation over the last century, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina sought stability and new beginnings in the city of Chicago, many intending to return to their homeland. Those who were of the Islamic faith were early leaders in the establishment of Chicago's Islamic community. In 1906, they established the Dzemijetul Hajrije (The Benevolent Society) of Illinois to preserve the community's religious and national traditions, as well as to provide mutual assistance for funerals and illnesses. The organization established branches in Gary, Indiana, in 1913, and Butte, Montana, in 1916, and is the oldest existing Islamic organization in the United States.
Chicago's Bosnian community received a new influx of migrants after World War II who were displaced by the war and the communist takeover of Yugoslavia. This new wave of refugees included many well-educated professionals, some of whom were forced to take low-skilled jobs as taxi cab drivers, factory workers, chauffeurs, and janitors. As the population increased in the early 1950s, the Muslim community invited Shaykh Kamil Avdich (Ćamil Avdić), a prominent Muslim scholar, to become the first permanent imam (religious minister). Under Imam Kamil's leadership, the Bosnian Muslim Religious and Cultural Home was established to raise funds for a mosque, which opened on Halsted Street in 1957. In 1968, the organization's name was changed to the Bosnian American Cultural Association, and in the early 1970s it purchased land in Northbrook to build a larger mosque and cultural center. The Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago has remained an important center for Bosnian Muslim religious activity, serving Bosnians and non-Bosnian Muslims in the Chicago metropolitan area.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 brought the largest influx of Bosnians to St. Louis, which became the most popular United States destination for Bosnian refugees. It is estimated that 40,000 refugees moved to the St. Louis area in the 1990s and early 2000s, bringing the total St. Louis Bosnian population to some 70,000. In Chicago, the Bosnian community has largely settled in the northern part of the city, between Lawrence and Howard, from Clark to Lake Michigan. Many refugees suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of gruesome experiences in concentration camps and the death of family and friends. The Illinois Department of Human Services founded the Bosnian Refugee Center in 1994 with the help of public and private agencies to assist the newcomers, and in 1997 it became the nonprofit Bosnian & American Community Center. Staffed by Bosnian refugees from all backgrounds, the center serves all refugees by providing community services that include educational and family programs, counseling, and cultural activities.
The largest Bosnian-American communities in the US are found in St. Louis (Bevo Mill's "Little Bosnia"); followed by Chicago, Jacksonville, New York City, Detroit and Houston. Atlanta has Georgia's largest Bosnian-American community with over 10,000 in the metro area, most of whom can be found in Gwinnett County's Lawrenceville. An estimated 10,000 Bosnians live in Phoenix, Arizona. 36.8% of the residents of Utica, New York report having Bosnian ancestry. Several small suburban towns in Missouri contain a Bosnian-born population that surpasses 10% of its population (not including those born in the U.S. or born in another country of Bosnian descent). There is a growing Bosnian community in Bowling Green, Kentucky. There is a Bosnian community in San Jose, California and the surrounding Silicon Valley region. There is also a Bosnian Muslim Roma community in St. Louis.
Population counts are complicated by historical and ethnic factors. Immigrants from before the breakup of Yugoslavia would have been identified only as Yugoslavs. Bosnian Croat or Bosnian Serb immigrants may identify solely as Croatian or Serbian.
According to estimates from the American Community Survey for 2015–2019, there were 103,900 immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The top counties of residence were:
Bosnian Americans
Bosnian Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnian immigration to the United States began as early as the 19th century, but the majority of Bosnian Americans immigrated to the United States during and after the 1992–1995 Bosnian War. Most are Bosnian Muslims, or Bosniaks.
As of 2020 there are some 350,000 Americans of Bosnian descent living in the country. The largest Bosnian-American population can be found in both Greater St. Louis and in Greater Chicago which boast the largest number of Bosnians in the world outside of Europe.
The first Bosnians settled in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, joining other immigrants seeking better opportunities and better lives. As the former Yugoslavia continued to find its identity as a nation over the last century, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina sought stability and new beginnings in the city of Chicago, many intending to return to their homeland. Those who were of the Islamic faith were early leaders in the establishment of Chicago's Islamic community. In 1906, they established the Dzemijetul Hajrije (The Benevolent Society) of Illinois to preserve the community's religious and national traditions, as well as to provide mutual assistance for funerals and illnesses. The organization established branches in Gary, Indiana, in 1913, and Butte, Montana, in 1916, and is the oldest existing Islamic organization in the United States.
Chicago's Bosnian community received a new influx of migrants after World War II who were displaced by the war and the communist takeover of Yugoslavia. This new wave of refugees included many well-educated professionals, some of whom were forced to take low-skilled jobs as taxi cab drivers, factory workers, chauffeurs, and janitors. As the population increased in the early 1950s, the Muslim community invited Shaykh Kamil Avdich (Ćamil Avdić), a prominent Muslim scholar, to become the first permanent imam (religious minister). Under Imam Kamil's leadership, the Bosnian Muslim Religious and Cultural Home was established to raise funds for a mosque, which opened on Halsted Street in 1957. In 1968, the organization's name was changed to the Bosnian American Cultural Association, and in the early 1970s it purchased land in Northbrook to build a larger mosque and cultural center. The Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago has remained an important center for Bosnian Muslim religious activity, serving Bosnians and non-Bosnian Muslims in the Chicago metropolitan area.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 brought the largest influx of Bosnians to St. Louis, which became the most popular United States destination for Bosnian refugees. It is estimated that 40,000 refugees moved to the St. Louis area in the 1990s and early 2000s, bringing the total St. Louis Bosnian population to some 70,000. In Chicago, the Bosnian community has largely settled in the northern part of the city, between Lawrence and Howard, from Clark to Lake Michigan. Many refugees suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of gruesome experiences in concentration camps and the death of family and friends. The Illinois Department of Human Services founded the Bosnian Refugee Center in 1994 with the help of public and private agencies to assist the newcomers, and in 1997 it became the nonprofit Bosnian & American Community Center. Staffed by Bosnian refugees from all backgrounds, the center serves all refugees by providing community services that include educational and family programs, counseling, and cultural activities.
The largest Bosnian-American communities in the US are found in St. Louis (Bevo Mill's "Little Bosnia"); followed by Chicago, Jacksonville, New York City, Detroit and Houston. Atlanta has Georgia's largest Bosnian-American community with over 10,000 in the metro area, most of whom can be found in Gwinnett County's Lawrenceville. An estimated 10,000 Bosnians live in Phoenix, Arizona. 36.8% of the residents of Utica, New York report having Bosnian ancestry. Several small suburban towns in Missouri contain a Bosnian-born population that surpasses 10% of its population (not including those born in the U.S. or born in another country of Bosnian descent). There is a growing Bosnian community in Bowling Green, Kentucky. There is a Bosnian community in San Jose, California and the surrounding Silicon Valley region. There is also a Bosnian Muslim Roma community in St. Louis.
Population counts are complicated by historical and ethnic factors. Immigrants from before the breakup of Yugoslavia would have been identified only as Yugoslavs. Bosnian Croat or Bosnian Serb immigrants may identify solely as Croatian or Serbian.
According to estimates from the American Community Survey for 2015–2019, there were 103,900 immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The top counties of residence were: