Sweden Room March 24, 2009

Swedish immigration to the United States began in the 1840s. The early immigrants settled mainly in the Midwest. The Pacific coast began to attract attention particularly after the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883. In 1889, the Swedish population in Washington totaled a few thousand, but by 1910 it had grown to 32,000 and by 1930 to 77,000 - almost 5 percent of the state's population. In the 1980 census 225,780 Washingtonians claimed Swedish heritage.