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Russian-Speaking Community

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Strong and Unique in West Hollywood

The Russian-speaking population of West Hollywood is the most concentrated single Russian-speaking region in US outside of New York and consists primarily of émigrés from different Republics of the former Soviet Union: Russian Federation, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Latvia, Uzbekistan, etc.

Among the Russian-speaking community the family values are dominated most. This makes the community very strong and unique. Russian-speaking community also has extremely strong ties with the families and relatives left in the countries of their origin.

Community members are engaged in a wide variety of professions, including small business ownership, engineering, performing arts and almost any other profession that comes to mind. Perhaps, not surprisingly, aspiring Russian-American actors are drawn to Hollywood as much as other Americans looking for stardom.

The City of West Hollywood produced a short documentary video in recognition of the City’s 30th anniversary — City of West Hollywood: Celebrating 30 Years of Russian Culture.

Nowadays, according to a 2013 survey of the community in West Hollywood, there are nearly 4,000 people who live in the City (which has a total population of approximately 35,000 residents) who identify a former country of the Soviet Union as their primary ancestry. This represents approximately 11 percent of the City’s total population.

The City has a Russian-Speaking Advisory Board, which consists of nine Russian-speaking community members who advise the City Council on issues relating to the Russian-speaking Community. Five members are appointed by a Councilmember and four serve as at-large appointees.

Each year, the City hosts its Russian-speaking Community Cultural Heritage Month, which has become an integral part of the Russian-speaking community and the entire City of West Hollywood. The cultural and creative identity of the Russian-speaking community is embodied in its visual arts, history, and language.