Even Americans Became Curious and Pursued It: Yağlıdere's Population Moved to ABD

While the world's attention was turned to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, the agenda of CNN TÜRK's live broadcast from the city suddenly shifted to the district of Yağlıdere in Giresun. When Yağlıdere native journalist Türkan Kaya spoke about her hometown, it brought the striking migration story—from a small Black Sea district to America, which over the years has become a diaspora of thousands—back into the spotlight.

While the World Agenda Was Discussed, the Conversation Came to Yağlıdere

During the live broadcast from New York, while reviewing the United Nations General Assembly and global developments, a Yağlıdere surprise unfolded during the conversation.

Because journalist Türkan Kaya, who works at CNN TÜRK, is from Yağlıdere, the district’s unusual long‑standing relationship with the United States began to be discussed.

Due to the heavy migration from Yağlıdere to America, it is reported today in the United States that more Yağlıdere natives live there than the district’s own population.

Tens of Thousands of Yağlıdere Natives in America

The history of migration from Yağlıdere to the United States dates back to the 1960s. After the first waves of emigration, kinship and hometown ties came into play, and over the years a large Yağlıdere community formed especially around New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

According to a statement made earlier by Yağlıdere Mayor Yaşar İbaş, about 21,000 people from the district's population of roughly 15,800 had gone to the United States and completed consular procedures. İbaş said that, if those without residence permits were also counted, the number of Yağlıdere natives in America was estimated to be around 30,000.

It is also noted that Yağlıdere natives living in the United States work especially at gas stations, restaurants, and various businesses.

The curiosity of 'Where Is Yağlıdere Really?'

One of the most interesting stories told during the live broadcast was the Americans' curiosity about Yağlıdere.

According to the anecdote relayed in the broadcast, some Americans who answered 'I'm from Yağlıdere' when they met many Turks in America came to Turkey out of curiosity about the place they had heard about. It was recounted that visitors who wanted to see the district struggled even to find a hotel to stay in when they went to Yağlıdere.

However, the 'they couldn't find a hotel' part of this story has not been verified by independent sources. Therefore, that part stands out as an anecdote relayed live on broadcast.

American Researchers Went After Yağlıdere

The curiosity sparked by Yağlıdere in the United States, however, is not limited to this story alone.

American anthropologist Lisa DiCarlo studied the migration from Yağlıdere to America academically. Conducting fieldwork in the region, DiCarlo examined the social and hometown networks established by Yağlıdere residents in the United States. Her research was later published as a book titled Migration to America: Transnational Social Networks and Regional Identity among Turkish Migrants.

Thus, the migration movement that began in a small district in the Black Sea region turned into a socially striking story that would become the subject of academic research in America.

Yağlıdere's 'Second Address' Became America

The journey that began in the 1960s continued from generation to generation over the decades that passed. Today there is a strong bridge between Yağlıdere and the United States, shaped by family, trade, and hometown ties.

During the broadcast of the UN General Assembly in New York, Yağlıdere's sudden appearance amid global affairs became a striking reflection of this extraordinary relationship.

The name of Yağlıdere, a district in the Black Sea region with a population of about 16,000, was heard again in a live broadcast stretching from New York to Turkey, thanks to its tens of thousands of hometowns living thousands of kilometers away in America.