The majority of Kannada people in North America originated from the Karnataka state. There are large Kannada communities in various larger metro areas in North America. At present, there are about twenty Kannada associations, or Kannada Koota. Two larger Kannada associations are the Association of Kannada Kootas of America (AKKA) and the North America Vishwa Kannada Association. Both reinforce and maintain their unique Kannada identity.

They speak the Kannada language. Kannada (also called Kanarese) is a language of the Dravidian family. It is spoken in southwestern India, and is the official language of the state of Karnataka. In addition to having several regional dialects, Kannada has three social dialects (Brahman, non-Brahman, and Harijan [Untouchable]). A so-called “diglossia” (or dichotomy) exists between the formal literary Kannada and the informal, colloquial version. Kannada’s alphabet is closely related to that of the Telugu language

In India, many well-known actors on Bollywood movies are Kannada. Often their skin color is lighter than other South Asian Indian people. Their "spring festival" is a very popular event and attracts the best musicians, dancers and cultural artists from across India. The Kannada in the United States celebrate this festival in similar fashion.