page_title: Somali Americans
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Somali Americans / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Row houses located at 1804&#8211;1808 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. 1804 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. (left) &#8211; Built in 1896, the home reflects a combination of the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque architectural styles. Previous occupants include William S. Knox and Michel O. Dumas (physician, president of the National Medical Association, member of Howard University's board of trustees). 1806 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. (center) &#8211; Built in 1901, the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque property currently serves as headquarters for the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs. Previous occupants include George Evan Roberts (director of the U.S. Mint, president of the Commercial National Bank of Chicago, and author), John Kerfoot Souther (an artist and member of the Cosmos Club), Mary A. Kirkup (an artist), the Persian National Association of America (headquarters), the Arab States Delegation (headquarters), Charles E. Miller (CPA, banker, and U.S. ambassador to Liberia), and the Embassy of Somalia. 1808 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. (right) &#8211; Built in 1883 for Walter Paris, an architect and artist, the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque property has operated as the Swann House bed and breakfast since 1996; the innkeepers are Mary Lotto Ross and Rick Verkler. In addition to the original and current owners, previous occupants include Colonel Theodore W. Tyrer, Eva Roberts Cromwell (the widow of Oliver Eaton Cromwell; her marriage to Edward T. Stotesbury in 1912 took place at the New Hampshire Avenue property; wedding guests included U.S. President William Howard Taft, First Lady Helen Herron Taft, and J. P. Morgan), David F. Houston, Edward Philip Farley (chairman of the U.S. Shipping Board), Edith Cummings, George A. Garrett, and a large number of residents when the property operated as a boarding house from the 1940s&#8211;1990s. All three buildings are designated as contributing properties to the Dupont Circle Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
context_page_description: Somali Americans are Americans of Somali ancestry. The first ethnic Somalis to arrive in the U.S. were sailors who came in the 1920s from British Somaliland. They were followed by students pursuing higher studies in the 1960s and 1970s, by the late 1970s through the late 1980s and early 1990s more Somalis arrived. However, it was not until the mid and late 1990s when the civil war in Somalia broke out that the majority of Somalis arrived in the United States. The Somali community in the U.S is now among the largest in the Somali diaspora.
context_section_description: The earliest ethnic Somali immigrants to the United States were sailors who arrived in the 1920s, mainly from British Somaliland. Eventually acquiring American citizenship, they actively participated in the Somali independence movement and served as key liaisons whenever Somali political figures visited the UN headquarters. For their substantial contributions to Somali society, these early Somali expatriates were rewarded with medals by the Somali government and some were also issued land back home. Following independence in 1960, Somali students began arriving in the US to pursue higher studies while living with relatives or on scholarships. Many of the youngsters returned to Somalia after graduation and went on to play an important role in the development of their nation. During the 1980s, a small number of Somalis settled in the United States. They were later joined by many other ethnic Somalis from different backgrounds, who sought asylum in the US after the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia or emigrated from other parts of Greater Somalia.
  A large number of the Somali immigrants settled in Minnesota, which in 2002 harbored the largest population of Somalis in North America. Many of the newer arrivals came through voluntary agencies (VOLAGS) contracted with the State Department, who helped them settle in. By 2006, Somalis in the state accounted for $164–$394 million in purchasing power and owned 600 businesses. The city of Minneapolis in particular hosts hundreds of Somali-owned and operated commercial ventures. As of the 2015 American Community Survey, there are 57,000 residents in the state who are of Somali ancestry, among whom 31,400 were born in Somalia.
  Somalis in the United States often send resources to their extended families abroad, remittances that were facilitated by the signing of the Money Remittances Improvement Act. Following a greatly improved security situation in Somalia in 2012, many Somali U.S. residents have also begun returning to Mogadishu and other parts of the country. A few of the homeward-bound immigrants along with some American-born associates have been sought and/or prosecuted for allegedly providing material support to the Al-Shabaab and Islamic State political militant groups. However, according to intelligence officials, fewer expatriates were joining the groups' ranks by late 2013. Most of the returnees have instead repatriated for investment opportunities and to take part in the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process in Somalia. Participating in the renovation of schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure, they have played a leading role in the capital's recovery and have also helped propel the local real estate market.
caption: Former Somali embassy in Washington, D.C..
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