- Tehrangeles
Tehrangeles is a
portmanteau deriving from the combination ofTehran , the capital ofIran , and Los Angeles. It is used when referring to the large number (est. 900,000) of former Iranian nationals and their descendants residing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In common usage, it usually refers to the proportionally larger Persian-American subset of Iranian immigrants, many of whom are second generation citizens.The Persian community in the L.A. area originally centered in the Westwood neighborhood of west Los Angeles, particularly Westwood Boulevard between Pico Boulevard and the
UCLA campus, often referred to as Little Persia. Immigration to the area increased several-fold due to the events surrounding the1979 Iranian Revolution . Westwood Boulevard became known for its many Persian shops and restaurants; and the Persian expatriate community of Los Angeles entered all forms of media including magazines, newspapers, radio and television stations.As the population grew, many Persians have moved all over Los Angeles, with other large neighborhoods forming in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Woodland Hills and Encino in the
San Fernando Valley andBeverly Hills, California ; the city of Irvine as well throughout Orange County and Persians also made their homes inSan Diego and thePalm Springs area (Coachella Valley ).An
NPR report recently put the Persian population of nearbyBeverly Hills as high as 30% of the total population. [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5459468]Tehrangeles in pop culture
The large Persian population in Los Angeles, particularly in and around Beverly Hills, has found its way into several mediums:
*In the
1995 comedy film "Clueless" a Persian student at the fictionalized Bronson Alcott High School curses out a teacher in Persian and a later scene where the protagonist explicitly describes the "Persian Mafia": :"And that's the Persian mafia. You can't hang with them unless you own aBMW orMercedes Benz , and acellular phone ."
*In the1994 action-comedy film "Beverly Hills Cop III ", an automated gate at theBeverly Hills Police Department offers a selection of languages that include Persian.
*The2005 Oscar Best Picture winner, "Crash," dealt with racism, stereotyping, hypocrisy, and crime in the L.A. area and among the central characters, all of whom are of different races, one is a Persian, stereotyped as one who doesn't trust others. The film contains some dialog in Persian.
*In the pilot for the remake of Beverly Hills, 90210, there is a main character named Navid Shirazi, who is Persian.ee also
*
American Iranian Council promoting the American-Persian community
*Iranian American References
*Neil MacFarquhar, [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/us/09exiles.html Exiles in 'Tehrangeles' Are Split on Iran] , "
The New York Times ", May 9, 2006, "Accessed May 9, 2006"
*Renée Montagne, [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5459468 Living in Tehrangeles: L.A.'s Persian Community] , "Morning Edition" (NPR), June 8, 2006
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