Koreatown

Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운) is a term to describe the Korean ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area.

Argentina

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires´ primary Koreatown is in the neighborhood of Flores, specifically within the enclave called Bajo Flores. The primary artery of this Koreatown is Carabobo Avenue, which houses various Korean businesses and organizations, including restaurants, beauty salons, and churches, among others.

The nearest stop on the Subte metro system is Medalla Milagrosa.

Australia

Sydney, New South Wales

Sydney's primary Korea Town is located in the heavily immigrant populated sub-urban areas of Campsie, New South Wales, Eastwood, New South Wales and Strathfield, New South Wales. These suburbs and surrounding areas are famous for their Korean population which have created a strong cultural identity for the community. These areas are home to a number of Korean speaking business and retail stores which include the commonly found Korean restaurants, video stores, hairdressers and supermarkets.

Other important Korean commercial areas are located the suburbs of Parramatta and Chatswood which are relatively in the West and North CBDs of Sydney. The intersection of Bathurst Street and Pitt Street in Sydney City CBD (Central Business District) is also becoming a popular area for Korean commercial activity which once again include restaurants, karaoke, supermarkets and hairdressers.

Australia's Korean population is estimated to be around 150,000.

Canada

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto's primary Korea Town is located on Bloor Street, roughly between Bathurst and Christie Streets; very few Koreans, however, actually live in this area. The first Korean store in Toronto (Barton Premium Supermarket or Hangook Shikpoom Bonjom closed October 2004 but moved to its current location, P.A.T. Central Mkt @675 Bloor St W) was situated at 721 Palmerston Avenue just north of Bloor in this area in the early 1970s, eventually leading to more stores and restaurants concentrating in this area. The first Korean restaurant, Korea House, is still located on 666 Bloor Street West.

A secondary concentration may be found on Yonge Street, between Sheppard Avenue East and north of Steeles Avenue East A large Korean supermarket, Galleria Supermarket is located on Yonge and is now developing into a Korean Cultural Centre as well. The success of Galleria has led to a brand new supermarket called H-Mart, located on Yonge St. just south of Major Mackenzie Dr., which opened in December 2007.

It is estimated that there are around 130,000 Koreans living in Toronto. The Korean community continues to have a strong presence in Canada's largest city. There are a large number of Korean students who study in Toronto, thus the frequency of seeing Koreans not only in Koreatowns but everywhere across the city and its suburbs.

Chile

=Santiago=

The Korean population is mostly concentrated in Patronato. Currently, approximately 3000 Koreans live in Chile.The Korean community is well organized and united. Colonia Coreana organizes several events annually. Among these events are: soccer tournaments, Korean festivals, and the annual Mr. and Ms. Patronato. The winners of the 2007 Mr. and Ms. Patronato were Mr. Rokyun Ha and Ms. Bokion Kim.

China

Beijing

There are more than 120,000 Koreans live in Beijing. Prominent areas include Wudaokou (Chinese: 五道口; pinyin: Wǔdàokǒu; Korean: 오도구(우따오커우)), and Wangjing (Chinese: 望京; pinyin: Wàngjīng, Korean: 망경(왕징)).

Hong Kong

The Koreatown is located in Kimberley Street in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Also there is a Korean settlement in Lei King Wan, Shau Kei Wan

Qingdao

100,000 Koreans live in Qingdao.

Shenyang

Shenyang has a large Koreatown known as Xita/Seotap (Chinese: 西塔, Korean: 서탑) meaning Western Pagoda.

Shanghai

65,000 Koreans live in Shanghai. Longbai in the Minhang district, to the west of the city, has a Korean oriented neighborhood.

Germany

Frankfurt

Approximately 7,000 Koreans (over 20% of Germany's Korean population) live in this banking city.

Guatemala

Guatemala City

The Korean population in Guatemala is estimated between 7,000 to 50,000 individuals, with the numbers quickly on the rise. Koreans make up the among the greatest number of immigrants to Guatemala [http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2004/agosto/29/96392.html] , and according the Korean Ambassador to Guatemala, Guatemala is the country in Central America with the greatest number of Korean residents [http://www.skyscrapercity.com/archive/index.php/t-472335.html] . Koreans have immigrated to Guatemala because of the concentration of Korean owned-textile factories, the already existing Korean population, Korean investments in Guatemala, and opportunities in Guatemala. President Berger is also on his way, with the help of Taiwan, Korea, and Guatemala's Asian community, in creating a neighborhood in Guatemala City of 30 thousand Asian investors and civilians to aid Guatemalan-Asian relations [http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2005/septiembre/20/lectura_nego.html] .The Korean population in Guatemala City is disbursed throughout the city and in nearby Mixco. There are, due to high immigration, Korean enclaves forming throughout the city. Roosevelt and Colonia Monte Maria are embellished with Korean shops, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants and Karaoki bars. Zone 9 and Zone 15 are also prominent Korean centers [http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/domingo/archivo/domingo/pdfs/do230901.pdf] .

Indonesia

A 31,000 M² Koreatown block is being constructed on north Jakarta Pulomas. Upon its completion, it will be the first artificially-made KoreanTown in the world with 7 blocks and 9 buildings.

Koreans in Indonesia number approximately 40,000, which makes Indonesia the 12th largest country with Koreans living outside of Korea. [ [http://sg.rumah123.com/front_end/news_property_detil.php?articleID=87 Rumah123.com - Berita seputar Rumah123.com ] ]

Japan

During the 1910 to 1945 colonial period, approximately 2.4 million ethnic Koreans emigrated to Japan, some brought over forcibly during the Second World War to work as laborers. While most departed after the war, many chose to remain in hopes of better economic prospects, and were joined in the 1950s by a wave of refugees from Jeju Island. Today, Koreans, known as "Zainichi Koreans" (재일조선인, who on paper retain the nationality of the old Korea)" or Zainichi Koreans" (재일한국인, who have adopted South Korean nationality), are the largest ethnic minority in Japan, amounting to 620,000 in 2002. Those with North Korean ties are a key source of remittances to North Korea. There is a separate group of more recent migrants from South Korea with strong links to their home country, and there is a considerable cultural gap between these so-called "new-comers" and Zainichi Koreans.

Osaka

The Korean enclave in the city of Osaka, numbering over 90,000, is by far the largest in Japan, concentrated in the Ikuno Ward, where 25% of the inhabitants are of Korean origin. Tsuruhashi in the Ward is the most famous Koreatown in Japan, and is dominated by Jeju Islanders. Imazato-Shinchi is an area increasingly dominated by recent South Korean "new-comers". The total Korean population in Osaka prefecture amounted to 150,000 in 2002.

Tokyo

According to official statistics in 2002, the Korean population in Tokyo amounted to 80,000, which was the second largest following that of Osaka.

Unlike other Japanese Koreatowns, the Korean-oriented commercial district around Shin-Okubo Station in Shinjuku Ward developed after World War II, and is dominated by "new-comers" - recent immigrants from South Korea who have retained their ethnic and cultural identity, as can be seen from the ubiquitous signs written in hangul. Other immigrants from China, Taiwan, South East Asia and various other nationalities makes this one of the most colourful and multicultural areas in Tokyo.

The area around Mikawashima station on the Jōban Line, to the north of the city, is a Koreatown dominated by Zainichi immigrants from Jeju island.

Also noteworthy is a smaller-scale Zainichi Korean quarter to the southeast of Ueno station, and to the southwest, a community of South Korean "new-comers".

= Kawasaki =

Approximately 60,000 ethnic Koreans live in Kawasaki. Although most have assimilated, it remains one of the largest concentrations of Korean-Japanese in Eastern Japan.

Kyoto

A small Koreatown has developed in the Gion neighborhood (the Geisha district) of Kyoto. Kyoto prefecture is home to approximately 38,000 ethnic Koreans in 2002.

There are several Korean restaurants, businesses, churches and organizations, in the west of Kyoto city, in the neighborhoods south of Saiin station, on the Hankyu Railway line.

Shimonoseki

Green Mall in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi is a Koreatown. It is also known as "Little Pusan" partly because of the Kanpu Line, a regular ferry that goes to Pusan, and annually holds the Little Pusan Festival.

Malaysia

Ampang

Ampang is an area long known for its large number of Korean expatriates. Koreans in Malaysia have opened restaurants, churches, and grocery stores there, specifically in the area around Ampang Point. [cite news|last=Rhee|first=Hyun Ah|title=Koreans find green pastures in Ampang|url=http://www.malaysiakini.com/rentakini/61135|publisher=Malaysiakini|date=2006-12-18|accessdate=2007-05-04] Mont Kiara located southwestern of downtown Kuala Lumpur also houses a significant numberQuantify|date=August 2008 of Korean businesses.

Peru

Lima, Peru

Lima has a sizable Korean Peruvian community, their neighborhoods are in proximity to Chinatown where the bulk of Chinese Peruvians live and Koreans are the 3rd largest Asian group behind Japanese Peruvians. About 20,000 of Korean descent live in Peru alone. Fact|date=August 2008

Poland

Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie

Wroclaw (Breslau) Korean Church, Korean Buddhist Temple.
note: there are barely 1,000 Koreans living in Poland

Philippines

Metro Manila

Ironically, many Korean establishments such as restaurants and bars can be found in Makati City's Burgos St. which is regarded as the area's red light district. Korean video stores, groceries, and even spas can be found in the aforementioned locale. Those who frequent these places range from Korean tourists in the Philippines to long time residents. Due to the popularity of English language schools that cater specifically to Koreans, many such institutions, with varying degrees of credentials are found sprinkled all over the Metro.

Other cities

The Philippines is the host country of the largest Korean community in Southeast Asia (numbering between 50,000 to 70,000). Other cities that have a significantly large number of Korean expatriates are Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, and Iloilo.

Thailand

Bangkok

A few blocks of Sukhumvit Rd, one of Bangkok's main streets, is filled with Korean Restaurants, Stores, PC rooms and Karaoke lounges.

United Kingdom

London, England

New Malden has probably the largest single expatriate community of South Koreans in Europe. According to the Korean Residents Society, the Korean population in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is about 3,500 to 4,500, mostly in New Malden; some sources cite the population as high as 20,000 to 32,000. There is also a growing population in Golders Green, North-West London.

United States

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is now home to the fastest-growing Korean community in the United States; migrants include not only those from Korea itself, but also Korean-Americans from other parts of the country, notably New York/New Jersey, California, Illinois, and the Washington D.C. area. From 1990 to 2000, Georgia experienced an 88.2% growth in its Korean population, far surpassing the growth rate of any other state. [http://www.naka.org/resources/index.asp] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Koreans in Georgia was 30,000 in 2000, but this number has grown drastically and is now expected to be a maximum of 150,000, which would make Georgia the state with the second-largest Korean population in the United States, behind California. [http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200611/200611200008.html] Estimates show that this number is expected to rise to more than 200,000 in the next two or three years. [http://www.wikigwinnett.com/content.cfm?Action=wiki&WikiID=3761&CFID=2988614&CFTOKEN=18351524]

An older Korean commercial district is located in in Doraville, on a six-mile stretch of Buford Highway that is home to the greatest concentration of ethnic businesses in the Southeast. However, the area is not exclusively Korean; in the area are also many Chinese and Vietnamese businesses. A second center for ethnic Koreans has arisen further north in suburban Duluth near the Gwinnett Place area. In 2002-2003, no fewer than four large-size retailers like Super H-Mart opened in the region, and this number continues to grow steadily today. The Park Village shopping center anchored by the flagship Super-H Mart in the area remains the core of this development, though many Korean businesses and shopping centers now dominate the triangle formed by Pleasant Hill Road, Steve Reynolds Boulevard, and Satellite Boulevard. The area along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard further west in the city of Duluth also has shopping centers with majority Korean businesses. Various Korean shops have also sprouted up next to the new Super-H Mart in Johns Creek and near Assi Plaza on the Duluth-Suwanee border. With the construction of H&Y Marketplace off North Berkeley Lake Road and a new Assi Plaza off Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, as well as a new Super-H Mart in Suwanee, the new Koreatown in Gwinnett County will likely continue its explosive growth.

Korean retailer Mega Mart has just announced plans to lease a 240,000-square-foot space in Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth for its first store in the United States. [http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=C704E2A9B5C817319E804F37B124AFCE]

The vast majority of Koreans in the metro Atlanta area live in western Gwinnett County, home to 43% of the region's Koreans and 32% of the Koreans living in Georgia. The cities of Duluth and Suwanee have particularly large Korean populations. North Fulton County also has a large population, particularly in Johns Creek and Alpharetta. There are also substantial populations in Dekalb County and east Cobb County, with a growing presence in south Forsyth County.

Aurora, Colorado

The concentration of Korean restaurants, shops, churches and grocery stores in "Original Aurora", the city's original business district, is the heart of the Denver-Aurora metro area's Korean community.

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore's Little Korea (often referred to, perhaps redundantly, as "Little Koreatown") is a collection of Korean restaurants, groceries, bars and some residences that straddles the Charles Village and Charles North neighborhoods. The area is not recognized by city government and thus has no official boundaries, but it is generally located between North Avenue and 25th Street to the south and north and Howard Street and Calvert Street to the west and east.

There is a large Korean population in the northern suburb Cockeysville, and in Ellicott City and Columbia, MD.

Bergen County, New Jersey

A significant numberQuantify|date=August 2008 of Korean immigrants and their descendants now live in Bergen County, New Jersey, where the New Jersey terminus of the George Washington Bridge is located. The Korean population is largest in the cities of Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Leonia, and Palisades Park. In 2000, 36.38% of Palisades Park residents identified as being of Korean heritage, the highest percentage of Korean Americans of any place in the country with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. [ [http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Korean.html Korean Communities] , Epodunk. Accessed August 23, 2006.]

During the 1990s, several cities in Bergen County passed ordinances that were accused of discriminating against the Korean newcomers. In addition, existing zoning laws were allegedly enforced so as to impact only the Korean immigrant population. [ [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=887434 "Sign Language: Colonialism and the Battle Over Text"; Social Science Research Center] ] After a period of conflict, community leaders persuaded local legislators and mayors to repeal the discriminatory ordinances and to cease the biased enforcement of existing laws.

Boston, Massachusetts

Although Boston doesn't have an official Korea Town, the Boston neighborhood of Allston (Streets: Harvard Ave. and Brighton Ave.) features many Korean restaurants, PC rooms, salons/barber shops, cosmetic stores, bakeries, karaoke bangs, etc. that cater to the thousands of Korean college/grad students in the greater Boston area. Convenient T stop: Harvard Ave - Green B Line

Boston's Chinatown also features about 5 Korean-Japanese restaurants.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's main Korean commercial district lies on a particular stretch of West Lawrence Avenue in the Albany Park community area. In the 1990s, the city officially nicknamed the stretch "Seoul Drive," and added brown street signs proclaiming the honorary name above the regular green Lawrence Avenue street signs at certain intersections. Other Korean commercial districts exist on Bryn Mawr Avenue, Lincoln Avenue between Foster and Devon, and in the suburbs of Niles and Morton Grove, where one of Chicagoland's two Super H Mart stores is located.

Dallas, Texas

A sizable Koreatown can be found in Dallas, though this mostly commercial area of the city has not been officially designated as such. Instead, large signs situated at the intersection of Harry Hines Boulevard and Royal Lane proclaim the area as the "Asian Trade District." 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 sizable Korean American community. Although, Korean business is undoubtedly the most dominant in the area, there are isolated Chinese and Vietnamese businesses as well.

Many Korean Americans don't actually reside in the Dallas Koreatown, despite the concentration of Korean American commercial enterprise there. Most of the Korean Americans in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area reside in the urban areas out and around the district, such as Irving and Arlington. As a result of this, there are relatively few Korean churches in the actual district, often considered the social centers of Korean American communities. Most Korean churches are scattered throughout the metroplex throughout cities such as Fort Worth, Arlington, Euless, Plano, Carrollton, Irving etc. Instead, 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 Ln.), gift shops featuring popular Asian cartoon paraphernalia, and discount retail stores throughout the district.

The influx of these Korean-owned businesses into the area within the past two decades has been credited with revitalizing a once-deteriorating Dallas neighborhood, previously characterized by adult entertainment centers and prostitution. Some remnants of this past can still be seen in the area today. The Sam Moon shopping center, 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, smaller concentrations of Korean businesses can be found in the Dallas suburbs of Garland (most notably at the intersection of Walnut St. and Plano Rd.) and Richardson (more notable for its large Chinese and Vietnamese American shopping centers along Greenville Ave. between Arapaho Rd. and Belt Line Rd.), Irving, and the Ft. Worth suburb of Arlington, among others. The newest and fastest growing Korean business district is clustered around the Super H Mart located at the intersection of the President George Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road in Carrollton.

Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County is a suburb of Washington, DC and is home to the vast majority of Korean Americans in Northern Virginia.

=Annandale=

Although not officially titled a Koreatown, it is considered the "Korean Town" of the Washington, DC metropolitan area, which hosts the third highest number of Korean Americans in the United States after Los Angeles and New York City. There is a significant numberQuantify|date=August 2008 of Korean-owned businesses along Little River Turnpike, mainly restaurants. Annandale has just under 1,000 Korean operated businesses. 90% of the Korean business in the Washington DC Area is conducted in this town. In Annandale, one can find a desirable number of Korean restaurants, bakeries, barber shops, cafes, noraebangs(Korean-style karaoke), etc.

Terming this area "Koreatown" offends some members of the area's civic associations who are mostly non-Asian and who protest whenever their hometown is referred to as a Korean enclave. Although there was a significant numberQuantify|date=August 2008 of Korean Americans living in the area in past decades, it has declined in proportion to the rapidly increasing Hispanic population since the 1990s.

Congressman Thomas M. Davis, Republican Congressman, who administers the district in which Annandale exists, has recently supported a bill in Congress that allows the creation of "National Korean Day." This day of honor to the Korean-American community will be celebrated on January 13th.

=Centreville=

There is a significant numberQuantify|date=August 2008 of Korean Americans living in the Centreville, Virginia section of Fairfax County, located in the southwestern part of Fairfax County, and this number has increased fivefold since 1990. Shopping centers surrounding the State Route 28 and U.S. Route 29 intersection have recently acquired many small Korean businesses as well as large scale Korean supermarkets, such as Grand Mart. Centreville has recently become a shopping option for Korean Americans who live in western Fairfax, as well as Koreans who live west of Centreville in Loudoun County which has a small Korean American population and thus has very few Korean-targeted businesses.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Not officially considered a Koreatown, although one part of the city has had a strong Korean influence since the late 1980s. It is located in the northeastern part of Indianapolis. Korean churches are spread out and scattered throughout the Lawrence and Warren township areas.

The intersection of Pendleton Pike and Post Road (just a block from Fort Benjamin Harrison) is considered the heart of "Koreatown" because of the many Korean businesses consisting of popular restaurants, grocery stores, and Korean video stores which specialize in the rental of imported TV shows and films. These stores also combine as gift shop selling imported Korean items. Since the early 2000s, the Hispanic community has made a growing presence in the "heart" of "Koreatown" making the area much more ethnically diverse.

Kansas City, MO./KS.

Not officially called Koreatown, the affluent neighboring suburb of Overland Park, Kansas has a few grocery stores, restaurants, video stores, hair salons, and gift shops. The area with the highest concentration of Korean businesses is located off Interstate 435 and Metcalf Ave. The intersection is Metcalf Ave. and 103rd Street.

Korean churches are located on both sides of the Missouri and Kansas state lines. The vast majority of Korean Americans in the KC Metroplex reside on the Kansas side of the state line. The K.C. area is currently experiencing a large influx of Korean Americans from Korea and the U.S. who are attracted to the regions great public schools, safety, and affordable housing.

Houston, Texas

A long section of Korean businesses, such as, restaurants, grocery stores (including a Komart), and small family-owned stores reside on Gessner Boulevard (in between Interstate 10 and Kempwood) in the Spring Branch area. The area is trademarked with a wide selection of ethnic Korean restaurants such as Asiana Garden and Nam Gang restaurant specializing in authentic Korean cuisines. In addition, in early 2008, a Super H-Mart grocery store opened off Blalock Road, close to Interstate 10. Recently, many other Korean restaurants have opened near Bellaire Boulevard, off the Sam Houston Tollway.Fact|date=September 2008

Las Vegas, Nevada area

A group of Koreans lives in Paradise, an unincorporated area in Clark County, Nevada. The area has businesses located about mile east of the Las Vegas Strip in a Clark County-owned shopping plaza known as Commercial Center. Koreans also live in Nye County, in the Pahrump community, which has a single Korean business in the town center. Many Koreans in the Southern Nevada region of the state are relatives of Nellis Air Force Base personnel and of the numerous surrounding military installations thereof.

Los Angeles, California

The Greater Los Angeles Area is home to the largest number of ethnic Koreans outside of Asia. Koreatown is an officially recognized district of the city and contains probably the heaviest concentration of Korean residents and businesses. However, when the term "Koreatown" is used it usually refers to a larger area that includes the adjacent neighborhoods of Wilshire Center, Harvard Heights and Pico Heights. Koreans began to move into the area in the late 1960s after changes in the US Immigration laws, establishing numerous businesses although never outnumbering Latino residents. Other large Korean communities are Arcadia, Cerritos and Walnut. Also are found in North-central sections of Long Beach, the South Bay area in proximity to other east Asian neighborhoods, the San Gabriel Valley such as Korean language storefront signs in Alhambra, and the San Fernando Valley mostly in the community of North Hollywood.

Miami, Florida

There are two Korean Towns. The larger Korea Town is located around Hollywood Boulevard and U.S. Route 441 in Hollywood, Florida (near Florida's Turnpike). There are Korean grocery markets, hair salons, video stores, karaoke, and restaurants in the area, as well as several nearby Korean churches.

A smaller Korea Town is located in downtown Miami, just north of Overtown. It is predominantly an industrial area, with many warehouses and Korean import/export businesses. It also has a selection of Korean eateries.

New York City

The area around Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) and 32nd Street in Manhattan has emerged as an enclave of Korean restaurants and businesses. It is this neighborhood, near Herald Square, which is usually named as New York's Koreatown. However, a significantQuantify|date=August 2008 Korean population and commercial center can be found in Queens, especially in neighborhoods such as Sunnyside, Woodside, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Bayside, Fresh Meadows and Flushing. Another large concentration is located just over the George Washington Bridge in Bergen County, NJ.

Although commonly referred to as Koreatown, "K-Town" by locals, the proper nomenclature for the Sixth Avenue/32nd Street area is "Korea Way," as evidenced by the street signs there.

The neighborhood of Bedford Park in the Bronx has a small but established Korean community.

Also, New Springville, Staten Island has seen an influx of Korean-American transplants from the boroughs.

Oakland, California

A strip of Korean businesses along Telegraph Avenue near the MacArthur BART station has developed into a genuine cultural center for the 60,000-odd ethnic Korean Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area. The emergence of this area has coincided with urban renewal and gentrification in downtown Oakland, provoking some conflict with the more established African-American population.

Another center is 14th Street, between Franklin and Jackson Streets next to Chinatown.

Orange County, California

Orange County's Koreatown (known as Little Seoul) is located in Garden Grove along Garden Grove Boulevard between Brookhurst Street and Beach Boulevard. Other significant Korean enclaves in Orange County include Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, Irvine, and La Palma. Neighboring Riverside and San Bernardino counties has a fast-growing Korean population and several Korean communities, but aren't officially called Koreatowns. They are Chino Hills, Corona, the Arlington-La Sierra sections of Riverside and Desert Hot Springs in the Palm Springs area.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Olney neighborhood in Philadelphia is recognized as the largest Korean American enclave in the city. Korean businesses are congregated on 5th Street, north of Roosevelt Boulevard. There are also other Korean business strips along Cheltenham Avenue, Tabor Road, and Castor Avenue. In the suburbs, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania (which is on the other side of the city line from Olney) and Upper Darby, Pennsylvania have significant Quantify|date=August 2008 Korean American populations and businesses that target the Korean American community.Koreans constitute one of the largest Asian groups in the Philadelphia region. Korean citizens can be found just about anywhere in the area, and have a very significant role in the communities.

San Diego, California

Korean businesses and institutions in San Diego are most concentrated in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood between Interstate 805 and State Route 163, particularly along Convoy Street between Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Balboa Avenue. The 2000 census reported approximately 12,000 residents of Korean ethnicity in San Diego County. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&geo_id=05000US06073]

San Francisco, California

Despite the lack of an officially designated Koreatown, San Francisco has a couple of neighborhoods with high concentrations of Korean businesses. Many Korean stores occupy Japantown and the surrounding blocks, and there are also many Korean businesses (especially restaurants) along Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District.

Seattle-Tacoma, Washington

There is a very high concentration of Korean businesses along State Route 99 in Tacoma as well as in the neighbouring suburbs of Lakewood and Federal Way. Along South Tacoma Way Blvd, a portion of the road is nicknamed "South Korea Way" in reference to the zone where it is unofficially a "Koreatown".

Other much smaller yet significant Korean areas are located in the suburbs of Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood around Seattle.

Santa Clara, California

The strip of El Camino Real between Fremont Ave. and San Tomas Expressway has a large amount of Korean owned shops. This includes Korean restaurants that specialize in a particular aspect of Korean cuisine, such as dumplings/noodles, fried chicken, or rice porridge. Korean residents of the Santa Clara County often congregate to this area, as all three Korean markets in the South Bay are located within this strip of El Camino. Even though it is not designated as such, this area can be defined as a Koreatown. A recent proposal by the Korean American Chamber of Commerce to designate the strip as a Koreatown was rejected by the Santa Clara City Council in January 2007. [http://www.metroactive.com/metro/02.07.07/koreatown-0706.html]

References

External links

* [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=887434"Ordinances discriminating against Korean immigrants."]
* [http://www.asian-nation.org/enclaves.shtml Asian-Nation: Asian American Ethnic Enclaves & Communities] by C.N. Le, Ph. D.
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32442-2005Mar13.html An article in the "Washington Post" about Washington, D.C.'s unofficial "Koreatown" in Annandale, Virginia.]
* [http://www.mindan.org/ Korean Residents Union in Japan (MINDAN)] (Korean, Japanese, English)
* [http://www.mindan.org/eng/newspaper/index.php Online Newspaper covering Zainichi Korean and Mindan] (English)

ee also

* Chinatown
* Little Manila
* Japantown
* Little Saigon
* Little India
* List of named ethnic enclaves in North American cities
* List of Korea-related topics