Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
Group	Greek Americans ''Ελληνοαμερικανοί''
Popplace	Northeast, West, South
Langs	American English, Greek
Rels	Greek Orthodox Christianity }}

Greek Americans (, ''Ellinoamerikani'' also known, affectionately, as Wog Americans) are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent. In addition, the 2000 census revealed that Greek was spoken at home by 365,436 people older than five. Greek Americans have a heavy concentration in the New York City metropolitan area, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Baltimore, and Cleveland. Tarpon Springs, Florida is also home to a large Greek American community and the highest concentration of Greek-Americans in the country (11%). The United States is home to the largest overseas Greek community, ahead of Cyprus and the United Kingdom, which despite having a Greek population of less than 1 million has a larger percentage of Greeks than the U.S.

History

The first Greek known to have been to what is now the United States was Don Theodoro, a sailor who landed on Florida with the Narváez expedition in 1528. He died during the expedition, as did most of his companions.

In 1592, Greek captain Juan de Fuca (Ioannis Fokas or Apostolos Valerianos) sailed up the Pacific coast under the Spanish flag, in search of the fabled Northwest Passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. He reported discovering a body of water, a strait which today bears his name: the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which today forms part of the Canada – United States border.

In 1768, about 500 Greeks from Smyrna, Crete and Mani settled in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The colony was unsuccessful, and the settlers moved to St. Augustine in 1776, where their traces were lost to history.

The first significant Greek community to develop was in New Orleans, Louisiana during the 1850s. By 1866, the community was numerous and prosperous enough to have a Greek consulate and the first Greek Orthodox Church in the United States. During that period, most Greek immigrants to the New World came from Asia Minor and those Aegean Islands still under Ottoman rule. By 1890, there were almost 15,000 Greeks living in the U.S.

Immigration picked up again in the 1890s, due largely to economic opportunity in the U.S., displacement caused by the hardships of Ottoman rule, the Balkan Wars and World War I. 450,000 Greeks arrived to the States between 1890 and 1917, most working in the cities of the Northeast; others labored on railroad construction and in mines of the Western United States; another 70,000 arrived between 1918 and 1924. Each wave of immigration contributed to the growth of Hellenism in the U.S.

Greek immigration at this time was over 90% male, contrasted with most other European immigration to the U.S., such as Italian and Irish immigration which averaged 50% to 60% male. Many Greek immigrants expected to work and return to their homeland after earning capital and dowries for their families. Two factors changed attitudes and facilitated permanent immigration: 1) Loss of homeland: In 1885, Eastern Rumelia, a Ottoman autonomous territory with a Greek minority became de-facto part of the Principality of Bulgaria (de-jure from 1908). Then, in 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, a population exchange was agreed between Greece and Turkey, resulting in the flee of some 1,500,000 Greeks from Anatolia, Eastern Thrace and Pontus. In both cases, these Greeks were de jure denaturalized from those homelands and lost the right to return and their families were made refugees. 2) The first widely implemented U.S. immigration limits against Europeans were made in 1923, creating an impetus for immigrants to apply for citizenship, bring their families and permanently settle in the U.S. Fewer than 30,000 Greek immigrants arrived in the U.S. between 1925 and 1945, many of whom were "picture brides" for single Greek men.

The events of the early 1920s also provided the stimulus for the first permanent national Greek American religious and civic organizations. Greeks again began to arrive in large numbers after 1945, fleeing the economic devastation caused by World War II and the Greek Civil War. From 1946 until 1982, approximately 211,000 Greeks emigrated to the United States. These later immigrants were less influenced by the powerful assimilation pressures of the 1920s and 1930s and revitalized Greek American identity, especially in areas such as Greek language media.

Greek immigrants founded more than 600 diners in the New York region in the 1950s through the 1970s. Immigration to the United States from Greece peaked between the 1950s and 1970. After the 1981 admission of Greece to the European Union, annual U.S. immigration numbers fell to less than 2,000. In recent years, Greek immigration to the United States has been minimal; in fact, net migration has been towards Greece. Over 72,000 U.S. citizens currently live in Greece (1999); most of them are Greek Americans.

The predominant religion among Greeks and Greek Americans is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. There are also a number of Americans who descend from Greece's smaller Sephardic and Romaniote Jewish communities.

Greek settlements in the US

States by percentage of people of Greek ancestry

(according to the 2000 U.S. Census) # New Hampshire 1.24% # Massachusetts 1.23% # New York 0.84% # Connecticut 0.81% # Illinois 0.77% # New Jersey 0.73% # Rhode Island 0.62% # Maryland 0.59% # Utah 0.52% # Florida 0.48%

States by number of people of Greek ancestry

(according to the 2000 U.S. Census) # New York 159,763 # California 125,284 # Illinois 95,064 # Massachusetts 78,172 # Florida 76,908 # New Jersey 61,510 # Pennsylvania 56,911 # Ohio 50,609 # Michigan 44,214 # Texas 32,319

Communities by percentage of people of Greek ancestry

The US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Greek ancestry are: # Tarpon Springs, Florida 10.40% # Campbell, Ohio 9.30% # Lincolnwood, Illinois 7.60% # Plandome Manor, New York 7.50% # Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 7.20% # Allenwood, New Jersey 6.60% # South Barrington, Illinois 6.00% # Palos Hills, Illinois 5.40% # Nahant, Massachusetts 5.30% # Holiday, Florida, Munsey Park, New York and Alpine, New Jersey 5.20% # East Marion, New York 5.00% # Palos Park, Illinois, Upper Brookville, New York, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan and Grosse Pointe Township, Michigan 4.90% # Harbor Isle, New York 4.70% # Lake Dalecarlia, Indiana 4.50% # Barnum Island, New York 4.40% # Peabody, Massachusetts 4.30% # Livingston Manor, New York and University Gardens, New York 4.20% # Oak Brook, Illinois 4.00% # Dracut, Massachusetts 3.90% # Oyster Bay Cove, New York and Harwood Heights, Illinois 3.80% # Yorkville, Ohio, Hiller, Pennsylvania, Fort Lee, New Jersey, Long Grove, Illinois, Oakhurst, New Jersey and Ipswich, Massachusetts 3.70% # Garden City South, New York, Plandome, New York, Broomall, Pennsylvania and Norwood Park, Chicago, Illinois (neighborhood) 3.60% # Manhasset, New York, Palisades Park, New Jersey, Palos Township, IL, Windham, New York, Norridge, Illinois, Monte Sereno, California and Flower Hill, New York 3.50% # Morton Grove, Illinois, Wellington, Utah and Terryville, New York 3.40% # Plandome Heights, New York, Watertown, Massachusetts, Banks Township, PA (Carbon County, PA) and Harmony, Pennsylvania (Beaver County, PA) 3.30% # Niles Township, Illinois and Niles, Illinois 3.20% # Groveland, Massachusetts 3.10% # Albertson, New York, Stanhope, New Jersey, Caroline, New York, Graeagle, California, Marple Township, Pennsylvania and Lynnfield, Massachusetts 3.00% # Manhasset Hills, New York, West Falmouth, Massachusetts, Winfield, Indiana, Foster Township, Pennsylvania and Worth Township, Indiana (Boone County, IN) 2.90%

Communities by percentage of those born in Greece

The U.S. communities with the largest percentage of residents born in Greece are: # Horse Heaven, Washington 3.8% # Tarpon Springs, Florida 3.2% # Palos Hills, Illinois 3.1% # Harbor Isle, New York 3.1% # Campbell, Ohio 3.1% # Lincolnwood, Illinois 2.7% # Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 2.5% # Bedford Park, Illinois 2.3% # Twin Lakes, Florida 2.3% # Holiday, Florida 2.1% # Great Neck Gardens, New York 2.1% # Norridge, Illinois 2.0% # Palos Park, Illinois 1.9% # Barnum Island, New York 1.9% # Munsey Park, New York 1.8% # Foxfield, Colorado 1.7% # Cedar Glen West, New Jersey 1.7% # Raynham Center, Massachusetts 1.6% # Broomall, Pennsylvania 1.6% # Flower Hill, New York 1.6% # Alpine, New Jersey 1.6% # Millbourne, Pennsylvania 1.6% # Niles, Illinois 1.6% # Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan 1.6% # East Marion, New York 1.6% # West Falmouth, Massachusetts 1.6% # Golden Triangle, New Jersey 1.5% # Palisades Park, New Jersey 1.5% # Garden City South, New York 1.5% # Harwood Heights, Illinois 1.5% # Watertown, Massachusetts 1.5% # Morton Grove, Illinois 1.5% # East Ithaca, New York 1.4% # Fort Lee, New Jersey 1.4% # Saddle Rock, New York 1.4% # Oakhurst, New Jersey 1.4% # Plandome Manor, New York 1.3% # White Lake, North Carolina 1.3% # Old Brookville, New York 1.2% # Plandome Heights, New York 1.2% # South Barrington, Illinois 1.2% # North Lakeville, Massachusetts 1.2% # Terryville, New York 1.2% # Jefferson, West Virginia 1.2% # Ridgefield, New Jersey 1.2% # East Norwich, New York 1.2% # Skokie, Illinois 1.1% # Arlington Heights, Pennsylvania 1.1% # Pomona, New York 1.1% # Spring House, Pennsylvania 1.1% # Hickory Hills, Illinois 1.1% # Cliffside Park, New Jersey 1.1% # Friendship Village, Maryland 1.1% # Kingsville, Maryland 1.1% # Arlington, Massachusetts 1.1% # Mount Prospect, Illinois 1.1% # Midland Park, New Jersey 1.0% # Lake Dalecarlia, Indiana 1.0% # Pinedale, Wyoming 1.0% # Glenview, Illinois 1.0% # Dunn Loring, Virginia 1.0% # West Kennebunk, Maine 1.0% # Shokan, New York 1.0% # Beacon Square, Florida 1.0% # Peabody, Massachusetts 1.0% # Dedham, Massachusetts 1.0% # North Key Largo, Florida 1.0% # Hillside, New York 1.0% # Orland Park, Illinois 1.0% # Eddystone, Pennsylvania 1.0% # South Hempstead, New York 1.0% # Redington Beach, Florida 1.0% # Hillsmere Shores, Maryland 1.0%

Popular culture

Greek American novelist Jeffrey Eugenides won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for his novel Middlesex, about a Greek American family in Detroit.

The 1970s television-series ''Arnie'' depicted aspects of Greek American life.

In 1967, Academy Award-winning film-director Elia Kazan published a novel, The Arrangement: A Novel, about a conflicted Greek American living a double life as an advertising executive and muckraking journalist. Kazan, who died in September 2003, was a Greek American.

The popular 1970s show ''Kojak'', featured Telly Savalas as Greek American police detective Theo Kojak, and his brother George as detective Stavros. Kojak was originally supposed to be Polish (hence the name), but this was changed to match Savalas' profile.

The 2002 comedy film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' portrayed the love story of a Greek American woman (portrayed by Greek Canadian Nia Vardalos) and a non-Greek American man (specifically a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant). It also examines the protagonist's troubled love/hate relationship with her cultural heritage and value system. The movie spawned an unsuccessful TV series, ''My Big Fat Greek Life''.

''The Famous Teddy Z'' was an acclaimed but short-lived TV series about a fictional talent agent named Teddy Zakalakis, portrayed by Jon Cryer.

The TV series ''Full House'' was about a family that included Greek American Uncle Jesse, portrayed by John Stamos. Jesse's Greek dad was also a recurring character.

The Olympia Cafe was a recurring sketch in the early years of ''Saturday Night Live''. More recently, Tina Fey has often joked about her Greek heritage on the show.

Tom's Restaurant, a Greek American owned business, has become one of the symbols of urban New York life.

Elektra Natchios is a Marvel Comics superhero, portrayed by Jennifer Garner in the 2003 movie ''Daredevil'' and the 2005 movie ''Elektra''.

In the 1973 blockbuster ''The Exorcist'', Jason Miller starred as Greek American Father Damien Karras, one of the priests who exorcised young Regan. In one scene, Karras’ mother, played by Greek actress Vasiliki Maliaros, is listening to a Greek radio station broadcasting the song ''Ιστορία μου αμαρτία μου'' (''My Story, My sin'') by the late popular Greek singer Rita Sakellariou.

Several entertainers and other performing artists including Alexander Frey, John Aniston, Jennifer Aniston, Melina Kanakaredes, Zach Galifianakis, Tommy Lee, Demitri Martin, Paul Cavonis, Criss Angel, Elias Koteas, Amy Sedaris, Andy Milonakis and Billy Zane are of Greek descent.

Writer, performer and radio-commentator David Sedaris satirizes growing up in a Greek American household in Suburban North Carolina in several of his essays.

Greek nationality

Any person who is ethnically Greek born outside of Greece may become a Greek citizen through naturalization, providing he/she can prove a parent or grandparent was born as a national of Greece. The Greek ancestor's birth certificate and marriage certificate are required, along with the applicant's birth certificate, and the birth certificates of all generations in between until the relation between the applicant and the person with Greek citizenship is proven.

Major Greek American organizations

There are hundreds of regional, religious and professional Greek American organizations. Some of the largest and most notable include:

The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association is the largest community organization of Greek Americans. It was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1922 to counter the anti-Greek attacks by the Ku Klux Klan during that time period. Its current membership exceeds 18,000.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the religious organization most closely associated with the Greek American community. It was established in 1921, and is under the leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The church operates the Greek Orthodox Youth of America, the largest Orthodox Christian youth group in the United States.

The American Hellenic Institute, an advocacy group for Greek Americans, and its lobbying arm, the American Hellenic Institute Public Affairs Committee.

The Next Generation Initiative, a foundation that works with prominent Greek American leaders and executives to offer educational opportunities such as internships and master classes through a network of more than 5,500 Greek American students and 2,500 professors on 200+ college campuses.

The Council of Hellenes Abroad is a Greek government sponsored umbrella organization for Greek immigrant organizations worldwide.

The PAIDEIA-USA Organization is an organization promoting the preservation of Hellenic education and culture in the United States. The National Hellenic Student Association (NHSA) is the independent network of the Hellenic Student Associations (HSAs) across the United States. By linking all the Greek, Greek-American and Cypriot students of the American educational institutions, the organization can promote ideas and projects and enrich the Hellenic spirit on campuses nationwide.

Many ''topika somatea'' or clubs representing the local regional homeland of Greeks in America. Among the scores of such clubs, larger "umbrella" organizations include the Pan Macedonian Association, the Panepirotic Federation, the Pan Cretan Association, the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood, the Pan Pontian Federation of U.S.A-Canada, the Chios Societies of America & Canada, the Cyprus Federation of America, the Pan-Laconian Federation of the USA & Canada, the Pan-Messinian Federation of the USA & Canada, the Pan-Arcadian Federation of America and several associations of refugees from areas in the former Ottoman territories.

The National Hellenic Museum

Other famous Greek Americans

See also

List of Greek-Americans

Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska

Greeks

Greek diaspora

Diaspora politics in the United States

European American

Grecian Echoes

Greek Cypriots

Greek Festival

Greektown

Hyphenated American

Greek Canadians

Greek British

Greek Australians

Greeks in New Zealand

References

External links

;Embassy and Consulates

Embassy

General Consulate Los Angeles

;Charitable organizations

AHEPA home page - American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association

Greek America Foundation

National Hellenic Society

Onassis Foundation (USA)

Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund

; Libraries and museums

National Hellenic Museum

Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection at California State University, Sacramento

Basil J. Vlavianos manuscript collection at California State University, Sacramento

;Trade organizations

Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce

Greek-American Chamber of Commerce

;Affiliate trade organizations

Hellenic Canadian Board of Trade

Hellenic Canadian Lawyers Association

Hellenic-Argentine Chamber of Industry and Commerce (C.I.C.H.A.)

;Websites

Famous Greek-Americans - A comprehensive list of famous Greeks and Greek Americans.

;Media

KUED - Tribute to Utah's Greek-Americans

United States Category:Ethnic groups in the United States

el:Ελληνοαμερικανοί es:Inmigración griega en Estados Unidos fr:Gréco-Américains ko:그리스계 미국인

Coordinates	40°26′30″N80°00′00″N
name	The Greek
media	The Wire
portrayer	Bill Raymond
creator	David Simon
gender	Male
first	"Ebb Tide" ''(episode 2.01)''
last	"–30–" ''(episode 5.10)''
occupation	International smuggling/Organized Crime Boss
footnotes	}}

The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking. The Greek is a mysterious figure involved in numerous criminal activities. His given name is never mentioned on the show, and though he is known only as "The Greek", he has stated (in the episode Port in a Storm) that he is not actually Greek. A quiet and unassuming man, the Greek prefers to keep a low profile, operating all of his business through his lieutenant Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos. His smuggling organization operated from a small diner in Baltimore for years, and while Vondas would conduct business the Greek would listen in quietly at the counter. Nick Sobotka, upon seeing the Greek identify himself, was amazed that the shadowy figure had been in plain sight the entire time.

Despite his calm appearance, the Greek is cunning and ruthless, and only interested in facts that make him more money. Series creator David Simon has said that The Greek is an embodiment of raw unencumbered capitalism. Anyone interfering in this process is eliminated immediately, and he prefers to leave victims headless and handless to hinder identification.

The Greek's smuggling operation includes importing sex trade workers, illicit drugs, stolen goods and chemicals for drug processing. He bribes union stevedores to move containers through the Baltimore port for him and uses his muscle, Sergei "Serge" Malatov, to run containers back and forth from the port to his warehouse, a front managed by "Double G" Glekas. The Greek supplies the major drug dealers in East Baltimore with pure cocaine and heroin, using Eton Ben-Eleazer to move his drugs. His chief client is Proposition Joe, but he is also affiliated with smaller drug dealing organizations like those run by "White Mike" McArdle. His sex trade interests in Baltimore include a brothel run by a madam named Ilona Petrovitch, bringing in girls from eastern Europe. He manages to avoid prosecution for his crimes because an FBI counter-terrorism agent named Kristos Koutris tips him off if a criminal investigation gets too close. It is suggested he and Vondas may serve as federal informants.

Biography

Season 2

thumb|right|250px|The Greeks The Greek began to draw police attention in Baltimore when his contact at the docks, Frank Sobotka, became the target of an investigation. At the same time a container of thirteen dead young women intended for the sex trade was discovered at the docks, triggering a high-profile homicide investigation. The container belonged to the Greek and the girls were killed by a crewman onboard the vessel that had delivered them. The ship's crew had been paying the girls for sex and when one of the girls refused, she was killed. The crewman responsible dumped her overboard and collapsed the air pipe to kill the remaining women. The Greek had Sergei track the crewman down, interrogated him personally, and had Vondas kill him.

As the investigation continued the police were able to link Eton and Sergei to the drug smuggling operation. When police began tracking containers as they left the port, The Greek and Vondas began to close down the operation temporarily by dumping their cell phones and stealing "clean" containers. Persuading Sobotka to keep the smuggling operation going he bought further protection from Agent Koutris by betraying a load of Colombian cocaine, giving him time to destroy incriminating evidence in the warehouse and Glekas' store.

The Greek recognized that the investigation was too extensive to stop and made plans to leave, sending Vondas to assure Proposition Joe that supply of drugs would continue albeit with new faces. He attempted to buy Sobotka's silence with promised legal aid for his son, but when he learned from Koutris that Frank was planning to turn informant he had the union man killed. Although Frank's nephew Nick Sobotka was able to identify The Greek in a photo and Sergei was pressured to give up the location of his hotel suite, Vondas and the Greek had already boarded a flight to Chicago. Aware that the Greek and Vondas were gone, the police left the investigation behind and moved on to the drug dealers he supplied.

Seasons 4 & 5

The Greek continued to supply "Proposition Joe" Stewart, who formed an organization with other drug dealers called the New Day Co-Op to provide The Greek's product to them in exchange for reduced violence and sharing of territory. When Omar Little steals an entire shipment of heroin from the Greek's men as it is being delivered to Stewart's people, Marlo Stanfield demands a meeting with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos in order to allay his fears that Stewart was responsible. Once Stanfield is satisfied, he waits for the Major Crimes Unit's investigation into his activities to cease and then moves to establish a direct relationship with Vondas and the Greek. After getting in communication with Vondas through former soldier Sergei, Marlo eventually sells himself as Joe's replacement by convincing the Greek that he requires an insurance policy in the form of a replacement for Proposition Joe, in the event that anything should happen to him. Realizing that Stanfield will move against Stewart regardless of his approval, the Greek accepts Marlo's proposal to act as an "insurance policy," knowing that it will mean Joe's death.

After Stewart's murder, Stanfield meets with Vondas to initiate their new business relationship. Stanfield's tenure proves short lived when he is forced into retirement by an investigation, and the other Co-Op members purchase the connection from Stanfield. In the closing scenes of the series finale, Slim Charles and Fat-Face Rick take over meeting with Vondas while the Greek listens quietly in the background.

References

Category:The Wire (TV series) characters Category:Fictional American people of Greek descent