Illinois Albanians

The first wave of Albanian immigration to the United States occurred between 1892 and 1914.
Chicago's Albanians, like their compatriots elsewhere, were ardent nationalists and in 1908 formed a patriotic organization, Flamuri i Shqipërisë (The Albanian Flag), to promote Albanian independence. In 1913, it merged as Chicago's chapter of the newly established (1912) Pan-Albanian Federation of America (VATRA).
Since the late 1960s several thousands of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece have significantly enlarged Chicago's Albanian community. A steady flow of migrants moved from Albania to Illinois in the 1990s. Also, a growing number of Albanian Americans are pursuing careers in the professions.
Among the most prominent Americans with roots in the Chicago-area Albanian community are Ferid Murad, a 1998 recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine, and the actor/comedians John and James Belushi.

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