Hungarians began arriving in West Virginia after 1900 to work in mining and manufacturing. Many were recruited by companies and promised travel costs that they had to work off. Most of these immigrants were single men who planned to return home after saving money, but many stayed.

By 1900, over 1,000 Hungarians lived in West Virginia, mostly mining coal. Their numbers grew to nearly 6,000 by 1910. They preserved their language and customs, teaching their children Hungarian first. After World War I, immigration slowed, and Hungarian communities began to disperse.