Beginning in the 19th century, Czechs immigrated to the United States in significant numbers, forming cohesive communities in major cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, and Texas. However, it was the latter that would go on to retain their Czech residents permanently, most notably, in the small Texas city known as West.
West is a small city located in McLennan Country, Texas, and became a sanctuary for Czechs who were seeking to acquire land and begin their new life in the 1800s United States. It wasn’t too long before the Czech’s opened up their own European businesses, sharing their culture and customs with their American neighbours. By the end of the 1800s, businesses were starting to flourish in this city, with schools, churches, grocery stores, and doctor’s offices all widely available for this community, mostly at the hands of the former Czech citizens.
Over the years, West became iconic for its connection to the Czech culture, even forming the annual event known as ‘Westfest’, held every Labor Day weekend, in commemoration of the area’s Czech heritage. To date, Westfest has raised over $1 Million dollars to help fund community civic and cultural programs.
Building on this sentiment, there are even several renowned bakeries in this city, like the ‘Little Czech Bakery’, alongside the captivating hotel, previously known as ‘The Czech Inn’, serving as subtle tributes to its heritage.
Today, West still has one of the largest concentrations of Czech residents of any city in the state. Czech is still spoken by many of the older residents, with over 45% of its population being of Czech descent. It’s no wonder West has officially been designated the “Home of the Official Kolache of the Texas Legislature”, with Kolache being one of the most famous Czech pastries in existence.
If you dream of living in a town like ‘West’, why not settle for the real thing? Czech has a high standard of living and plenty of activities and customs to keep you entertained for a lifetime.
If you have Czech heritage, we can help you unlock your Czech citizenship. Take our free eligibility test today to find out if you qualify.