Little Canada (French: le petit Canada ) is a name for any of the various communities where French Canadians congregated upon emigrating to the United States , in particular New England , in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A variant of Canadian French known as New England French is still spoken in parts of New England.
31-586: Little Canada may refer to: Little Canada (term) , a term for any community in the United States to which French Canadians emigrated, particularly in the 1800s and early 1900s Little Canada (attraction) , a tourist attraction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Little Canada, Minnesota , a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States Little Canada, South Yorkshire ,
62-568: A "boom or bust" cycle each month when EBT payments were deposited. At the 2000 census, 46.1% of Woonsocket's population were identified as being of French or French-Canadian ethnic heritage. The city has referred to itself as La ville la plus française aux États-Unis , 'the most French city in the United States';. Properties and districts in Woonsocket listed on National Register of Historic Places : Woonsocket has served as
93-457: A bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 12.4% of the population. 21.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 104.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 107.8 males. The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that
124-563: A hamlet in England Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Little Canada . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_Canada&oldid=1062615477 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
155-492: A household in the city was $ 30,819, and the median income for a family was $ 38,353. Males had a median income of $ 31,465 versus $ 24,638 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 16,223. About 16.7% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over. In March 2013, The Washington Post reported that one-third of Woonsocket's population used food stamps , putting local merchants on
186-591: A housing shortage. In contrast, novelist Robert Cormier of Leominster, Massachusetts , highlighted the culture of fictitious but representative Little Canadas in New England in many of his works, notably "Frenchtown Summer." Revlon founder Charles Revson , of Russian-Jewish extraction, grew up in a cold-water tenement in Manchester's Little Canada. Other prominent Little Canadas were found in Lowell, Massachusetts ,
217-524: A large French Canadian community in 1900. One of the more famous "Little Canadas" was the West Side of Manchester, New Hampshire, a city with a large French-speaking population due to the recruitment of laborers in Quebec to work in the textile mills in the 19th and 20th centuries. "La Caisse Populaire Ste. Marie", or St. Mary's Bank , located in Manchester's Little Canada, was the first credit union chartered in
248-476: A letter referred to modern day Woonsocket as Niswosakit . Other possible derivations of the name include several Nipmuc geographic names from nearby Massachusetts . These include Woonksechocksett , from Worcester County meaning "fox country", and Wannashowatuckqut , also from Worcester County, meaning "at the fork of the river". Another theory proposes that the city was named after Woonsocket Hill in neighboring North Smithfield . Woonsocket Falls Village
279-558: A national cultural and benefit society in 1899, the Union Saint-Jean-Baptiste d’Amérique , Woonsocket, with its proximity to several industrial areas having large French-Canadian populations, was chosen for the organization's headquarters. By 1913, a survey by the American Association of Foreign Language Newspapers found the city had to have the 6th-largest population of French or French-Canadian foreign nationals in
310-824: A result of a poor economy over-reliant on agriculture . In the 19th century, the United States was one of the most industrialised and prosperous nations on earth. The emigrants left behind a traditional rural society to enter an industrial world. Centers of the New England textile and other manufacturing industries such as Lowell, Massachusetts ; Gardner, Massachusetts ; Holyoke, Massachusetts ; Manchester, New Hampshire ; Lewiston, Maine ; and Woonsocket, Rhode Island were major destinations for Quebec laborers. French Canadians from other provinces often moved elsewhere: those from Ontario typically emigrated to Illinois and Michigan , while those from Manitoba and other Western provinces usually emigrated to Minnesota and Wisconsin . Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota , boasted
341-472: Is a part of the Providence metropolitan area , which has an estimated population of 1,622,520. There were 17,750 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. Of all households, 32.7% were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who
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#1732870048274372-572: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Little Canada (term) Some early emigrants relocated to the United States because they had chosen to side with the Americans during the American Revolution . Parish archives of Old St. Joseph's Church in Philadelphia record trips made by Jesuit Father Ferdinand Steinmeyer (Father Farmer) to
403-505: Is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km ) (3.14%) is water. Woonsocket is drained by the Blackstone River . Adjacent communities include Blackstone and Bellingham , Massachusetts , along with Cumberland and North Smithfield , Rhode Island . Woonsocket has a strong humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ) with four distinct seasons. Being influenced by both the sea and the interior during winter, diurnal temperature variation
434-765: Is relatively high, with days most often being above freezing before severe frosts hit at night. The 2020 United States census counted 43,240 people, 18,287 households, and 9,497 families in Woonsocket. The population density was 5,582.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,155.3/km ). There were 19,754 housing units at an average density of 2,550.2 per square mile (984.6/km ). The racial makeup was 64.41% (27,850) white or European American (59.68% non-Hispanic white ), 7.86% (3,399) black or African-American , 0.62% (267) Native American or Alaska Native , 5.79% (2,502) Asian , 0.06% (28) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian , 9.64% (4,167) from other races , and 11.63% (5,027) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race
465-479: The 2020 census , making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts state line and constitutes part of both the Providence metropolitan area and the larger Greater Boston Combined Statistical Area . The city is the corporate headquarters of CVS Health , a pharmacy services provider. It is home to Landmark Medical Center ,
496-640: The Museum of Work and Culture , and the American-French Genealogical Society . Before the arrival of European settlers in northern Rhode Island during the 17th century, today's Woonsocket region was inhabited by three Native American tribes: the Nipmuc (Cowesett), Wampanoag , and Narragansett . In 1661, the English theologian Roger Williams purchased the area from the "Coweset and Nipmucks", and in
527-575: The 20th century the city's fortunes ebbed and flowed with national trends. During the Great Depression the textile economy of Woonsocket came to an effective standstill; however, it was revived during World War II . The city became a major center of fabric manufacturing for the war effort, including production of military uniforms. In the postwar years, the Woonsocket economy diversified as manufacturing declined, and other commercial sectors, such as retail, technology and financial services took hold. In
558-517: The Franco-American community. Today, New England French (essentially a variety of Canadian French ) is spoken in parts of New England, in particular Maine . Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( / w ʊ n ˈ s ɒ k ɪ t , w ə n -/ wuun- SOK -it, wən- ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island , United States. The population was 43,240 at
589-644: The Revolutionary War depot near Fishkill, New York , where he baptized over a dozen children of French-Canadian and Acadian parents. Most of the men were members of the 1st Canadian Regiment of the Continental Army , recruited in 1775 by James Livingston in anticipation of an invasion of northeastern Quebec . As the expedition failed, they, their families, and the American militias were driven out of Canada. Approximately 900,000 French-Canadians emigrated to
620-490: The United States in the period of 1840-1930 as part of the Quebec diaspora . The vast majority of these francophones settled in the six New England states: Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont , as well as northern New York state . Emigrants moved to states close to Quebec, particularly those bordering the province, because of their generally impoverished condition and lack of jobs as
651-810: The United States, specifically founded to serve the French Canadian population. The credit union, or "people's bank" ("la caisse populaire") was a financial institution pioneered in Quebec by Quebecers who had difficulty obtaining credit from banks controlled by anglophone Canadians . The most noted resident of Manchester's "petit Canada" was Grace Metalious , author of the best-selling novel Peyton Place . Metalious denied her French Canadian heritage and mostly lived in non-French Canadian neighborhoods in Manchester, due to her mother's desire to avoid prejudice. During World War II , Metalious eventually had to live in Little Canada after her husband went off to war due to
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#1732870048274682-417: The age of 18 and 15.1% of those ages 65 or over. At the 2010 census Woonsocket had a population of 41,186. The population was 71.3% non-Hispanic white , 14.2% Hispanic or Latino , 6.4% African American, 5.4% Asian, 0.4% Native American and 4.3% reporting two or more races. At the 2000 census , there were 43,224 people, 17,750 households, and 10,774 families residing in the city. The population density
713-635: The country. In the decades that followed this population grew, and by time the local textile industry shuttered during the Great Depression , ethnic French Canadians comprised 75 percent of the population. French-language newspapers were published; radio programs, movies, and most public conversations were conducted in French. As recently as 1980, 70% of Woonsocket's population was of French-Canadian descent. The New England French language their ancestors spoke gradually vanished from public discourse. Throughout
744-554: The early 1980s Woonsocket was struggling with high unemployment rates. Beginning in 1979, Woonsocket sponsored Autumnfest, an annual cultural festival that takes place on Columbus Day weekend, at World War II Veteran's Memorial State Park. It has become one of the city's most popular events, attracting thousands of attendees. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (21 km ), of which 7.7 square miles (20 km )
775-635: The home of novelist Jack Kerouac , and Lewiston, Maine . Another notable Franco-American community sprang up in Fall River in southeastern Massachusetts. As a result, a number of cultural and charitable organizations, such as the Franco-American Civic League, the Club Richelieu, La Fédération Catholique Franco-Américaine de Fall River, and L'Association Culturelle Française de Fall River, were founded to foster French language and culture within
806-422: The median household income was $ 44,310 (with a margin of error of +/- $ 2,816) and the median family income was $ 55,818 (+/- $ 4,785). Males had a median income of $ 38,889 (+/- $ 2,065) versus $ 27,544 (+/- $ 2,343) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $ 33,424 (+/- $ 2,183). Approximately, 15.0% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 34.8% of those under
837-498: The town of Woonsocket. In 1871, three additional industrial villages from Smithfield– Hamlet, Bernon, and Globe, were added to the town, establishing its present boundaries. Woonsocket was incorporated as city in 1888. The growth of industries and associated jobs attracted numerous immigrants, predominantly Québecois and French-Canadians from other provinces. When the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste d'Holyoke organized
868-430: Was 21.01% (9,086) of the population. Of the 18,287 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18; 30.2% were married couples living together; 33.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 34.6% of households consisted of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2. The percent of those with
899-424: Was 5,608.8 inhabitants per square mile (2,165.6/km ). There were 18,757 housing units at an average density of 2,433.9 per square mile (939.7/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 83.14% White , 4.44% African American , 0.32% Native American , 4.06% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 4.86% from other races , and 3.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.32% of the population. Woonsocket
930-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. The median income for
961-531: Was founded in the 1820s. Its fortunes expanded as the Industrial Revolution developed in nearby Pawtucket . With the Blackstone River providing ample water power, the region became a prime location for textile mills . In 1831 Edward Harris built his first textile mill in Woonsocket. The town of Woonsocket was not established until 1867, when three villages in the town of Cumberland , namely Woonsocket Falls, Social and Jenckesville, officially became