User:Dr Gangrene/Emigration

The history of migration to and from Luxembourg can be divided into distinct phases.

During the period from 1840 to 1890, Luxembourg was clearly a country of emigration, with a large pre-industrial economy and archaic socio-economic structures. Total net migration (that is, immigrants minus emigrants, regardless of nationality) during this period was minus 66,580. This migration deficit was considerable in a country with a population of 170,000 in 1840 and 210,000 in 1890.

The second major period was from 1890 to 1940; during thus period, the industrial revolution was turning Luxembourg into one of the richest economies in Europe. In this phase, on the whole one can observe a migration balance that is more in equilibrium, which comes from an alternating of strong periods of immigration and emigration. The last 10 years of the 19th century saw decreased emigration to the United States from Luxembourg, and a massive influx of workers into the mining basin in the south of Luxembourg. This influx continued from 1900 to 1914, but those same years also saw the last wave of emigration to America.

After World War II, the phenomenon of emigration from Luxembourg began to die off.

Emigration to neighbouring countries
One of the biggest destinations for emigration in the 19th century was France. Many Luxembourgers departed for France to find jobs as domestic servants or manual workers. France's large cities drew many migrants, especially Paris. According to an 1882 article, 25,000 Luxembourgers lived and worked there. Many Luxembourgers in France worked in wood-related crafts, as woodworkers or cabinetmakers. Then there were those who went there to enter domestic service.

Emigration to the Americas
Within the first phase mentioned above, there were several highpoints to be mentioned: the periods of 1852-1857, 1866-1873, and 1885-1890 saw emigration to the American continent, particularly the United States, proceed at a strong rate.

The last decade of the 19th century saw decreased emigration to the United States, which was going through an industrial crisis. 1900-1913 was the last big wave of Luxembourgish emigration to the United States. Emigration to America would continue in the interwar period, but to a lesser extent.

From 1843 to 1847, on average 250 passports were issued per year in the Grand Duchy for travel to America. In 1870-1880, the immigration authorities in New York City registered 4,532 Luxembourgers arriving, about 400 per year. In Luxembourg's local government statistics, in 1876-1900 10,126 inhabitants declared that they were emigrating to the United States.

Luxembourgish emigrants to the United States in this period generally settled in a small number of specific locations. Coming from a profoundly rural country, those Luxembourgers in the first wave of emigration settled in Ohio, then for the most part in the Midwestern United States, where pockets of Luxembourgers emerged from the mid-19th century.