Albanians in New York City
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There is a sizeable Albanian population in New York City. Albanians are mostly concentrated in the Bronx, however, they can be found throughout the city. Staten Island also has a large Albanian community. The region in the Bronx is also known by the name Little Albania.[1] In Staten Island, Albanians are concentrated in Dongan Hills, Tompkinsville, New Dorp, and Grant City.[2][3] New York City is home to more than 100,000 Albanians according to the Albanian-American Society Foundation.[4]
Distribution
[edit]Pelham Parkway, Bronx has the highest concentrations of Albanians in NYC.
There are also Albanian communities in Westchester County, New York.
History
[edit]Albanian workers settled in New York in the early 20th century. Many of them found work in shoe, glass, and textile factories.[5] A second wave of Albanians arrived after World War II. Many of them were refugees from the Communist regime of Enver Hoxha. These refugees came from all regions of Albania and settled mainly in New York.[6] Albanians were attracted to the established Italian American communities of New York and often found work in Italian restaurants and Italian stores. Many owners of Italian American restaurants and pizza parlors in New York City are Albanian.[7]
Language and cultural community
[edit]New York City Public Schools would start teaching Albanian language in the late 2010s; the language was offered to PS 105 in Morris Park, Bronx.[8] Starting in 2024, Albanian language is taught at an Albanian and Montenegrin American cultural center to roughly 60 children in Ridgewood, Queens, NYC, entitled the "Fol Shqip School," and Mercy College is the only college known to be teaching Albanian courses in New York City.[9][10]
Notable New Yorkers of Albanian descent
[edit]- Action Bronson, rapper
- Gashi, rapper
- Mark Gjonaj, politician
- Peter Lumaj, attorney and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012
- Zef Mustafa, mobster
- Regis Philbin, television personality
- Bebe Rexha, singer and songwriter
- Alex Rudaj, mafia kingpin
- Martin Shkreli, financial investor and businessman
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ ""Little Albania" in the Bronx".
- ^ "Albanian Community - the Peopling of New York City".
- ^ "Albanians of New York City".
- ^ Little Albania | The Bronx Journal
- ^ Jackson, Kenneth T.; Keller, Lisa; Flood, Nancy (December 2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition. ISBN 978-0300182576.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of New York State. p. 40.
- ^ "The Albanian Connection; As Italians Move Up, a New Group Does the Pizza and Pasta".
- ^ "NYC schools to offer instruction in Albanian, numerous other languages". New York Post. 4 May 2018.
- ^ Redaksia, Shrkuar Nga (January 10, 2024). "USA: "Fol Shqip" school opens in Queens, New York". Vox News.
- ^ Ramirez, Noelle. "Mercy is the Only College Offering Albanian in New York". The Impact News.