Koreatown, Dallas, Texas

A sizeable Koreatown can be found in northwest Dallas, Texas (USA), though this mostly commercial area of the city has not been officially designated as such. Dallas has the largest Korean American community in Texas and in the Southern States. Instead, large signs situated at the intersection of Harry Hines Boulevard and Royal Lane proclaim the area as the "Asian Trade District." However, many Koreans refer to the area as the "Korean Trade District," since the majority of businesses in the area are Korean. The signs also feature depictions of a red and blue "taeguk," a symbol that is prominently featured on the national flag of South Korea, thereby acknowledging the specifically Korean affiliation of the district. This area in the northwest part of the city is characterized by a large number of Korean-owned businesses serving the city's sizeable Korean American community.

The [http://www.dart.org/ Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART)] is currently working to complete a rail station on the northeast corner of Denton Road and Royal Lane. Designed with input from the surrounding community and businesses, DART attempted to incorporate many Asian themes in the design of the new rail station. The expected completion date of this new rail station is December 2010. In addition, there has been rapid growth in recent years in the development of additional retail and office space in the area to provide further growth for the area. Street repairs and development along Royal Lane and Harry Hines Boulevard are expected to greatly improve transportation and provide easier sidewalk access between the various shopping centers in the area. In 2006, Dallas residents also approved a $1.35 billion bond package that designated funds for a feasibility study on the establishment of a new Asian Cultural Center, which, if finally approved and funded, would likely be built in the Koreatown area.

A lot of Korean Americans do not actually reside in Koreatown, despite the concentration of Korean American commercial enterprise there. Most of the Korean Americans in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area reside elsewhere in the two cities or in their many suburbs, but most live in the northern part of the DFW Metroplex area and large concentrations of Korean Americans reside in Carrollton, Coppell, Irving, Arlington, Plano and Frisco. As such, there are relatively few Korean churches, often considered the social centers of Korean American communities, in the Koreatown area. However, one can find a large number of Korean restaurants, cafes, Korean-style karaoke bars ("noraebang") featuring song selections in Korean and English, bars serving soju and fried chicken, Korean grocery stores (including the large Komart grocery store on Royal Lane), gift shops featuring popular Asian cartoon paraphernalia, and discount retail stores. In effect, if one cannot find a Korean item for purchase in the Koreatown area, one would be hard-pressed to find it anywhere else, except to obtain it directly from Korea or possibly from the slightly larger Koreatown in Los Angeles.

Additionally, a large number of Korean American organizations operate in this area. These organizations include the Korean American Coalition - Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Area Chapter (KAC-DFW), the Korean Society of Dallas, the Korean Trade Association, the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce, the Korean Senior Citizens Association of Dallas, the Korean Women's Association, the Asian District Development Association of Dallas and numerous others.

The influx of these Korean-owned businesses into the area within the past two decades has been credited with revitalizing a once-deteriorating Dallas neighborhoodFact|date=March 2007, previously characterized by adult entertainment centers and prostitution. Some remnants of this past can still be seen in the area today.

The [http://www.sammoongroup.com/retail/retail.asp Sam Moon shopping center] (northeast corner of the highly visible intersection of the LBJ Freeway and I-35E), specializing in leather goods and household items, is one Koreatown establishment that proved remarkably popular with non-Korean Americans. Its proprietor has since opened store locations in outlying Dallas suburbs, such as Frisco.

In addition to Koreatown, larger concentrations of Korean businesses can be found in the Dallas suburbs of Garland (most notably at the intersection of Walnut Street and Plano Road) and Richardson (more notable for its large Chinese and Vietnamese American shopping centers along Greenville Avenue between Arapaho Road and Belt Line Road), Irving, and the Fort Worth suburb of Arlington, among others.

External links

* [http://www.kamr.org/churches/search_maps?q=dallas%2C+tx&r=100 Korean Churches in the Dallas/Forth Worth area ]
* [http://www.kacdfw.org/ Korean American Coalition - Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Area Chapter (KAC-DFW)]
* [http://www.asiantradingdistrict.com/ Official District Website]
* [http://www.gdaacc.com/ Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce (GDAACC)]
* [http://www.koreanchamber.org/home.php Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://dallaskorea.org/home.php Korean Society of Dallas]