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History of Bosnian Americans in St. Louis

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Sebilj in St. Louis, a replica of the Sebilj in Sarajevo, June 2018
"Little Bosnia" in the neighborhood of Bevo Mill, July 2017

The city of St. Louis, Missouri, and the metropolitan area is tied with Chicago, Illinois for the largest Bosnian American population in the United States, and has the largest Bosnian population outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The highest concentration of Bosnians in St. Louis is in the "Little Bosnia" neighborhood of Bevo Mill. The Bosnian cultural imprint can be seen in the numerous Bosnian restaurants, bakeries, and cafes, as well as several Bosnian mosques and religious organizations.

History

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St. Louis Bosnian Chamber of Commerce, April 2013

The first wave of Bosnians arrived in the 1990s as refugees of the Bosnian War.[1] According to the refugee organization International Institute of St. Louis, the metropolitan area had about 70,000 people of Bosnian origin circa the late 1990s and early 2000s, the highest recorded number as of date.[2]

On September 29, 2013, the Bosnian community donated a replica of the Sebilj (kiosk-shaped public fountain) to the city of St. Louis for its 250th anniversary.[3] It was modeled after the famous 18th century one in Sarajevo, to mark the center of their community.

In 2014, a Bosniak-American named Zemir Begić was beaten to death with hammers. The murder caused shock in the Bosnian community of St. Louis and protests were held against violent crime. Because Begić was white and his suspected assailants were black and Latino, some claimed that the murder of Begić was an example of "black-on-white" crime while others claimed it was a "a targeted attack on Bosnians". While the belief that Begić was targeted due to his ethnicity or race contributed to racial tensions between the Black community and white Muslims of Bosnian descent, St. Louis police did not believe the attack had any ethnic or racial basis.[4][5]

Demographics

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As of 2013 there were 70,000 Bosnians in St. Louis. This was the largest population of Bosnians in the United States and the largest Bosnian population outside of Europe. Most are Bosniak and practice Islam, but a minority composed of Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats practice other religions including Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

As of 2013 the highest concentrations of Bosnians are in the neighborhood of Bevo Mill.[6]

According to the 2022 5 Year American Community Survey, there were 7,686 foreign-born residents in the St. Louis Metropolitan region that were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 10,588 foreign-born residents in Chicago that were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[7]

Place of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in the United States
Place Chicago MSA Margin of Error St. Louis MSA Margin of Error
Bosnia and Herzegovina 10,588 ±1,260 7,686 ±797

[8] These numbers raise questions about the official count used in popular magazines.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Keeping Up With the Jasarevics". The Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  2. ^ Delkic, Melina (2019-08-18). "'It's Not the Same': Why War Refugees Who Helped Revive St. Louis Are Leaving". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  3. ^ In Little Bosnia, a gift from immigrants -
  4. ^ "Are the media ignoring another St Louis killing?". BBC. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  5. ^ "St. Louis Bosnians Have Been Dragged to the Forefront of the City's Racial Tensions". Vice News. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  6. ^ Gilsinan, Kathy. "Why Are There So Many Bosnians in St. Louis?". The Atlantic Cities. Atlantic Media Company. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. ^ Bureau, US Census. "Census.gov". Census.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-28. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "Place of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in the United States". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-28.

Further reading

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