Coming to America taught me that the country is a diverse destination for everyone.
Initially, I believed that my class would be filled with Native Americans, but I saw different tribes in my class.
Surprisingly, I met more blacks than whites in my class.
According to the American Community Survey, German Americans are considered the largest by the United States Census Bureau.
America is good with records and has kept the number of people coming to the country.
In terms of the most common ancestries in the country, Irish and Germans take the lead.
In this article, I will discuss the German city in the country and what makes the city unique.
What is the most German city in America?
New Ulm.
The City of New Ulm is regarded as the most German town in America.
This town resembles any typical Minnesotan town with a flair for German.
What is the Most German City in America?
However, once you drive past the Glockenspiel clock, you’ll see many German names on several businesses in the town.
You may even feel like you have left the United States entirely.
In the mid 1850s, the City of New Ulm was founded by two groups of German immigrants which sought to establish a Utopian German community.
As of today, about 66% of the residents have German ancestry.
After years of its founding, residents in New Ulm set out to preserve the city exclusively for Germans.
New Ulm’s history describes the struggles of preserving one’s cultures in a new land.
It explains the conflict encountered between assimilation and remembering one’s legacy.
Presently, New Ulm is a blend of both Americans and Germans.
Non-Germans are also accommodated here as well.
New Ulm is a beautiful and intriguing town with a lot of exciting things to offer.
The German Beer
During the move to Milwaukee, many settlers missed German beer.
Due to this, they decided to establish their own breweries in the city.
Today, Milwaukee is a traditional American brewing city.
However, it should be noted that the biggest companies no longer produce beer in the city.
You’ll find that many of the breweries have a German name.
For example, Miller, Pabst, Leinenkugel or Schlitz.
In 1860, about a third of the population in Milwaukee were native Germans.
Liberal minded Germans moved to the United States after the 1848 revolution in Europe.
Two of the cities which they settled in were Chicago and Cincinnati.
It was in these two states that the founders of New Ulm arose.
Owing to the discrimination which the Germans suffered, they sought the American frontier to create a safe and exclusive place for German immigrants.
What percent of America is German?
A 17% of the United States’ population is Germans.
The German-Americans consists of the largest self-reported ancestry group you can find in the country, which makes up at least 49 million Germans.
Texas and California have more population of the German-American in the United States.
The New Ulm
In 1854, a group known as “Chicago Land Society” selected the site of New Ulm.
Several people in this group came from Württemburg in Germany.
New Ulm was named after the largest city in Württemburg.
In 1856, a group of Turners who came from Cincinnati moved to New Ulm.
This group was a society of liberals and free thinkers.
They established gymnastic clubs like what they had in Europe in hopes to maintain their culture and practices.
The Turners were also against slavery and prohibition.
They sought for free public education and separation of church and state.
While the former group of Germans settlers had a lot of land, they did not have money.
On the flip side, the Turners had money but did not have land.
These two groups then merged to form New Ulm.
Some blocks which were reserved in the center of the town for a public school, courthouse and the Turner hall were used to design New Ulm.
Many parts of the present New Ulm Turner Hall go back a long way to 1873.
In the United States, it remains the old Turner, a hall which is still functioning for the same purpose in which it was built.
Moreso, the Rathskeller could possibly be the oldest and continuously used bar in Minnesota.
The oldest program in the state remains gymnastics.
Religious Problem
In the 1860s and 1870s, several families from the German province of Bohemia which is now a part of the Czech Republic moved into the area.
These families were Catholics and had issues with the Turners due to their religious beliefs.
The Bohemians settled in farmland outside the town but moved into the town as time passed and got accustomed and blended into New Ulm.
In its infant years, New Ulm encountered a lot of problems.
During the 1862 Dakota War (the largest Indian War in American History), it was attacked twice.
New Ulm also suffered locust infestations in the 1870s and a terrible tornado which destroyed parts of the town in 1881.
Regardless, the pioneers persisted.
Which US state has the most Germans?
Pennsylvania has the largest number of Germans in the United States.
The state has more than 3.5 people with German ancestry, making it a popular destination for Germans.
Many of these people have integrated into the American society, and many hardly speak German.
Meanwhile, many are showing off their German heritage with how they live.
You can find Germantown, a beautiful community of Germans found in 1683 in the state.
The town preserves the language, history, and culture of the people.
If you want to immerse yourself in the way of the Germans, you can come here.
Did you know that the United States have hot dogs, kindergartens, Christmas tree traditions, and hamburgers because of Germans?
They brought these to the United States.
Conclusion
If you want to explore educational and entertainment, you can visit some of Pennsylvania’s Germans communities.
You will feel at home with the rich German culture and the well-preserved ethnic identity of the people.
I recommend that you visit during the community annual festivals to enjoy the sumptuous meals, booze, and entertainment.
