Leaving Home, Building a Future: The Immigration Story of the PNW

Immigration has long shaped Issaquah and the Pacific Northwest, bringing both opportunity and hardship. From the mid-1800s to today, people have arrived in search of new beginnings—sometimes driven by necessity, sometimes by hope. Their presence transformed industries, impacted Indigenous communities, and influenced the cultural fabric of the region.

Early immigrants brought the traditions and expertise of their homelands. Chinese miners, hop farmers, and railroad workers carved out livelihoods despite exclusionary laws. Scandinavian immigrants contributed to fishing, boatbuilding, and logging industries. Irish and Welsh settlers pursued farming and coal mining, while Germans and Eastern Europeans applied themselves in many trades. Across industries, immigrants adapted, collaborated, and reshaped the region’s economy in complex ways that continue to influence the Northwest today.

Join Brian Casserly, an Irish immigrant and professor of history at Bellevue College, as he explores immigration’s role in the Pacific Northwest.