Finnish Americans in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (in Finnish and English)

In English and Finnish

The greatest concentration of Finnish Americans is in Michigan Upper Peninsula.

One of the most puzzling things about The Upper Peninsula is that Finnish-Americans still cherish their roots. The opening of several copper mines in the area brought thousands of Finnish emigrants in the area between 1900 and 1910. The descendants of those early Finns still live in the area and many of them speak Finnish, even though they may have never even visited Finland. Andrea tells me though, that it is a tradition among these Finns to make at least once-in-a-lifetime sojourn to the land of their ancestors. We met local Finnish retirees at Suomi Restaurant in Hancock. They came from various backgrounds, having made their careers in business, civil engineering and farming. They have also kept their forefathers' faiths, whether Lutheran or Laestadian.

Most of the footage was taken at Hancock, Michigan, a city of 4,600 residents on the North shore of Portage Lake. It also has the title of the northernmost City in Michigan. Finnish influence in Hancock is everywhere. One can see it just by walking down its streets. The street signs are both in English and Finnish, and there are Finnish flags in each street corner. I would soon learn, that many of the locals also speak Finnish.

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Reference:
http://finntimes.com/?p=243