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How Ohio became a welcoming home for many Hungarian migrants
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Ohio has become home away from home for Hungarians with swathes of the population taking up residence in the Buckeye State over the last two centuries. In fact, following the end of WW2, Ohio officially became the state with the largest percentage of Hungarians living in it out of the whole of America.
Chiefly, this was down to Hungarians opting for a new start following the unsettled times that the war brought with it, which led to many deciding to begin life in the northeastern edge of the Midwest region of the United States.
So, why did so many Hungarians decide on Ohio out of all the options they had when leaving central Europe all those years ago?
Innovation
Hungary has always been a country with a large appetite for innovation and the state of Ohio is no different, which surely must have made Hungarians feel at home upon arrival in the Buckeye State.
In particular, Ohio is the birthplace of aviation after the Wright brothers successfully flew the first plane in 1903 into the skies of Dayton. The pair also designed the plane, which was known as the Wright Flyer, in the same city.
On this day in 1903, the Wright brothers made the first powered flight in history, staying airborne for 120 feet. Orville and Wilbur flew the Wright Flyer three more times that day, before its final flight that measured 852 feet in 59 seconds. #AviationHistory pic.twitter.com/tZt5dVfs55
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) December 17, 2021
This type of astonishing breakthrough in human ingenuity undoubtedly put Ohio on the map. This, among many other reasons, could have been a factor in the decision for Hungarians to begin their life in a place where dreams quite literally take flight.
Sports
Ask any Hungarian you find on the street if they have a passion for sports and they will respond emphatically in the affirmative. Yes, this is a country that lives and breathes sport, but it tends to play more sports that are aligned with North American culture rather than European.