Oregon Humanities

Geographer looks at impact of Russian and Ukrainian refugees in Oregon

University of Oregon professor uses maps and first-person stories in Spring 2007 Commonplace Lecture in Salem.

23 April 2008

Although much of the recent discussion about immigration has focused on the state’s predominantly Hispanic migrant worker population, Oregon’s Willamette Valley is also home to more than 80,000 Russian and Ukrainian refugees—the second largest population of post-Soviet-era Russians and Ukrainians in the country.
According to University of Oregon geography professor Susan Hardwick, these new residents were, in large part, drawn to the region by “religious networks forged at home, economic opportunities, and the hope of finding freedom and prosperity for their children.” She says that this sizable population has the potential to play a major role in shaping the future of the state.
Hardwick will deliver a free public lecture,... More