
The first Russian immigrants to the United States arrived in the end of the 18th century (one of the first immigrants from Russia was Demetrius Galitzen, a Russian noble who became a Catholic priest in Mount Savage, Md.

Brighton Beach has been nicknamed Little Odessa due to its population of Russian-speaking immigrants from Ukraine and Russia. The largest Russian-American communities in New York City are located in Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.

New York City is home to the largest Russian population and Russian-speaking population in the Western Hemisphere.