California

Estonian: California has the largest Estonian population in the United States. The majority of Estonians in California are concentrated in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Diego, which are all served by the Estonian Society of Los Angeles. West Coast Estonian Days have been an active part of the California Estonian community for more than 70 years, serving communities across California, including in the Central Valley. 

The community remains highly active and organized through cultural, educational, and social institutions such as Estonian schools, choirs, and dance groups. Los Angeles also has one of the only kannel (a traditional Estonian folk instrument) ensembles in the country. Korporatsioon Vironia, an Estonian fraternity, is the oldest student corps in Estonia and still plays a large role in the San Francisco community. 

Annual Estonian gatherings include a ski event on Mammoth Mountain between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a Christmas fair held at the Latvian house that has been advertised as one of the ten best Christmas fairs in San Francisco, and, recently, Estonian participation in the event “Europe in the Park,” an outdoor festival celebrating European culture in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Latvian: In addition to holding the largest Estonian population, California is also home to the greatest number of Latvians in the United States.The Latvian American Association of Southern California hosts annual commemorative programs and a New Year’s Eve dance. Other Latvian Associations across the state also host a variety of lectures, concerts, and meetings with authors, artists, and representatives of civic organizations. Members of these boards are typically volunteers who wish to contribute to their Latvian communities.  

There are several Latvian gathering areas, such as the San Diego Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Latvian Lutheran Church of Northern California, and a community center in Los Angeles. The Latvian Theater group, which was founded in 1950, conducts performances spotlighting traditional Latvian culture. Over the years about 100 Latvians from Los Angeles and the surrounding area have performed with the theater group. The community also shares a strong musical tradition, having hosted multiple West Coast Song Festivals over the decades to celebrate its traditional performing arts. Furthermore, community engagement extends into recreation through organized athletics, ranging from volleyball and basketball teams to more traditional Latvian games such as novuss. 

Lithuanian: The Lithuanian community in California consistently ranks among the largest three in the country, with over 45,000 residents. Los Angeles is the largest Lithuanian community west of Chicago, with roughly 38,000 Lithuanians residing in the area. This presence dates back to waves of immigration after WWII, but the community continues to grow as California’s technology and entertainment industries attract professionals. Los Angeles has established a sister city relationship with Kaunas, Lithuania. 

Southern California serves as the anchor for this community. The neighborhood around St. Casimir Lithuanian Catholic Church in Los Angeles has been the geographic and spiritual heart of the diaspora, hosting weekly Lithuanian language school sessions for children and traditional scouting activities. Each autumn, the community organizes “Lithuanian Days,” a massive cultural festival that draws thousands of visitors. The event transforms local grounds into a marketplace filled with traditional folk dancing, vocal performances, and authentic culinary staples like kugelis (potato pudding) and cepelinai (potato dumplings).

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to a network of Lithuanian engineers, entrepreneurs, and academics. The local Lithuanian community coordinates cultural meetups, independent film screenings, and formal holiday commemorations for occasions like Lithuanian Independence Day.

Universities such as Stanford and UC Berkeley are connected to the Baltic community, with collaborative Eastern European Studies programs. UC Berkeley is a member of the Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI) Consortium. BALSSI is an annual program offering intensive courses in all three languages, as well as classes on Baltic history and culture. Stanford’s Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies offers courses on the Baltics, as well as fellowships for Estonian scholars and an exchange program with The Museum of Occupations and Freedom VABAMU in Estonia. Additionally, Stanford offers students multiple opportunities to intern in each of the three Baltic countries.Universities such as Stanford and UC Berkeley are connected to the Baltic community, with collaborative Eastern European Studies programs.

California has welcomed numerous Latvian officials and dignitaries. Most notably, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs visited California in 2024 as part of a business and technology mission that included meetings with leading technology companies and California officials. During that visit, he also honored distinguished Latvian-American artist Raimonds Staprāns in the San Francisco Bay Area. Other recent visitors have included Minister of Economy Viktors Valainis and parliamentary leaders, who have come to California to promote trade, investment, research cooperation, and educational exchanges. These visits reflect the increasingly strong relationship between Latvia and California in business, technology, and cultural affairs.

Estonia currently has honorary consuls in major California cities. From 2020 to 2023, a consulate general resided in San Francisco.

California ties with Baltic states are growing rapidly. The Baltics are a primary trading partner for the state. In 2024, the California State Treasurer’s office and the Latvian Chamber of Commerce signed a Memorandum on Understanding to promote the advancement of economic ties between California and Latvia. Then, in 2025, Latvia’s Foreign Ministry and Stanford University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the academic and business exchange between Stanford and Latvia.

Key business ties include technology, green energy, and agricultural goods. California’s partnership with the Baltics is also strengthened by shared goals in defense innovation. California tech giants and venture capitalists regularly partner with Baltic software and cybersecurity firms. Most Estonian businesses operate in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as Starship Technologies, a delivery company from the founders of Skype; Pactum AI, a firm using artificial intelligence to automate corporate negotiations; and Nortal, a global digital transformation and software company that built most of Estonia’s government e-systems. Notable Latvian companies include Aranet, an air quality monitor used in California schools, and Printful, a print-on-demand giant that runs its main U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles. 

California exported $234 million worth of goods to Lithuania in 2024, and imported $173 million from Lithuania in the same year, with the majority of goods being used or secondhand merchandise, and agricultural products. Business forums are held annually in California, with representatives from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania consistently present. The current California State Treasurer, Fiona Ma, has visited Latvia and has met with Latvian business representatives and government dignitaries as they have visited the state.

Baltic Americans have been in California since the Gold Rush. Since then, there have been a large number of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian-American people in the state including actors, scientists, artists, athletes, and more such as Jacob Davis, a Latvian-American who invented the famous rivet in Levi Strauss jeans.