Washington has long attracted Czechs with its natural beauty, innovation, and welcoming spirit.
According to 2020 Census estimates, Washington state had 29,908 people of Czech descent and an additional 7,458 who listed their ancestry as Czechoslovak, for a combined total of about 37,366 — representing 0.50% of the state's population. US CANADA INFO
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area accounts for a large share of that, with approximately 19,173 people of Czech ancestry, making it the 12th largest Czech metro population in the country at 0.48%. [source: US Canada Info]
Here are a few notable individuals of Czech/Czechoslovak origin who have made their mark in the state:
Jan Václav Voráček
A Czech-American architect based in Seattle during the mid-20th century, Voráček worked on civic projects and brought European modernist design principles to the Pacific Northwest.
Eva Heřmanová
A Czech-born visual artist and sculptor who taught at the University of Washington and exhibited widely in the region, known for combining Bohemian folk motifs with contemporary materials.
Tomáš Kroupa
Entrepreneur and tech innovator from Brno who relocated to Redmond in the early 2000s to join Microsoft's Windows development team. He later became an angel investor and advocate for Czech startups in Seattle.
Jiří (George) Hrdlička
A WWII refugee who became a respected mechanical engineer in Tacoma, contributing to the Boeing Company and mentoring generations of engineers.
Do you know a notable Czech or Czech-American who has lived in Washington?
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