Coming to America

When the 11,250 Meskhetian-Turks emigrated to the United States, they were disbursed to communities throughout the country. In 2005-2006, over 100 were resettled in central Vermont, in communities surrounding the state capital of Montpelier, where Russian Life has its publishing offices. 

Gulzada Shaibov was a teenager when her family resettled to Barre, Vermont. In 2008 she graduated from Spaulding High School and soon married Raim Kachaliyev, whose family (including his parents and brothers) had also resettled here. By all appearances just two families have stayed in Central Vermont.

“Almost all the families have moved away, to other states” Gulzada said. “Some have moved because of jobs, some because it is just too expensive to buy a house in Vermont, so they moved to places like Michigan, where it is cheaper.”