How many bulgarians in chicago

Between those two waves, because of the U. Bulgarians initially formed a distinct community centered on Adams Street, just east of Halsted. The first two Bulgarian bookstores in the United States opened there, as well as a growing number of bakeries, taverns, and travel and employment agencies.

Later, numerous Bulgarian families that had traveled to America through Germany settled among Germans in Lincoln Square or in Albany Park before moving to the northern suburbs. In , the first Bulgarian newspaper, Struggle, appeared in Chicago, followed by Bulgarian News a year later. Around , the first Bulgarian Protestant Group was organized. An evangelical mission Zhivot Life , a neighborhood cultural club, and a few fraternal and mutual benefit societies were started in The two Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox churches, St.

Sophia, established in , and St. John of Rila, founded in , have been not only religious places but also social centers devoted to maintaining ethnic awareness, language, and traditions through Sunday schools and social gatherings. Radio Bulgaria News. Petar Haralampiev.

More from category. EC permits Bulgaria to make payments to businesses to compensate for high electricity bills The European Commission has informed the Bulgarian government that the payments to businesses, amounting to Leva per MWh 56 euro , do not constitute state aid and Bulgaria can apply this measure to protect non-household consumers against high.. Mostly Cloudy Min: 2 Max: Partly Cloudy Min: 5 Max: Mostly Cloudy Min: -2 Max: Clear Min: -1 Max: Clear Min: -2 Max: Partly Cloudy Min: 0 Max: Partly Cloudy Min: -1 Max: As the poorest member of the EU, Bulgarians are leaving their native land in droves, looking for other opportunities to work, life and travel Credit: Alamy.

Some Bulgarians are working hard to change the tide of population decline, starting programmes and initiatives to keep residents at home. Anthony Hristov, 58, is among them. He believes that strong education, job opportunities and higher incomes could reverse the trends of migration.

Last year, he moved back to Sofia to start Arc Academy, a tertiary school for digital creative professions, such as gaming and animated movie design. The school, Hristov says, is his contribution to enable young, talented Bulgarians to get an education on a par with — or even better than in — other EU countries.

Arc Academy will start its first year in October, and Hristov says that some of the 80 newly enrolled students wrote in their application letters that they, too, had intended to leave Bulgaria to study and eventually work abroad, and were excited to see a school open that would enable them to stay close to home.

And although GDP grew by 3. As Davidkov points out, even highly skilled professionals often leave, knowing they can make more money abroad doing work that requires fewer skills and less education.

The ability to work, reside and travel openly throughout the European Union has also been a significant factor in Bulgarian population decline. Hristo Boyadzhiev, 33, is a Bulgarian returnee who runs not-for-profit Tuk Tam to help other Bugarians feel positive about coming back home, too Credit: Hristo Boyadzhiev.