|
|
|
|
|
KoreatownKoreatown is a term to describe the Korean ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area. Main article: Koreatown, Toronto Toronto's primary Korea Town is located on Bloor Street, roughly between Bathurst and Christie Streets. The major Korean shopping enclave is located along North Road, on the border between Burnaby and Coquitlam. Other important Korean commercial areas include Kingsway in Vancouver and Robson Street in the West End. During the 1910 to 1945 colonial period, particularly during World War II, Japan forcibly imported approximately 2.4 million Koreans to work as laborers. While most departed after the war, many chose to remain in hopes of better economic prospects. Today, Koreans, or the zainichi chosenjin, are the largest ethnic minority in Japan, amounting to 620,000 in 2002. They are a key source of remittances to North Korea. Main article: Koreatown, 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 inhabitans are of Korean origin. Tsuruhasi in the Ward is the most famous Koreatown in Japan. The total Korean population in Osaka prefecture amounted to 150,000 in 2002. 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 small Korean-oriented commercial district in Shijuku Ward developed after World War II, and is dominated by immigrants who have retained their ethnic identity. Shin-Okubo Station is a famous area for these immigrants. Approximately 3000 ethnic Koreans live in Kawasaki. Although most have assimilated, it remains one of the largest concentrations of Korean-Japanese in Eastern Japan. 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. A small Korean commercial district has developed around Buford Highway in suburban Doraville. However, the area is not exclusively Korean; the area also includes many Chinese and Vietnamese businesses. A second center for ethnic Koreans has recently arisen in the Duluth district. Even here, there are over 45 dialects spoken. Other areas are developing rapidly along South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, the suburb of Norcross, and Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain. Atlanta is home to an estimated 100,000 Asians of all ethnicities, with Koreans being the most widely represented. Chicago's Koreatown is located along Lawrence Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood on the city's Northwest Side. A Koreatown can be found in Dallas near I-35 and Royal Lane. A Koreatown can be found in Houston along Gessner north of Interstate 10. Main article: Koreatown, Los Angeles, California Geographical Boundaries It is bounded by Hollywood on the north, Westlake and Pico-Union on the east, West Adams on the south, and Country Club Park and Hancock Park on the west. Major thoroughfares include Beverly, Wilshire, Olympic, and Pico Boulevards, Western, Normandie, and Vermont Avenues, and 3rd Street. The Hollywood Freeway runs very close to the district's northeast corner. Landmarks include the Wiltern Theatre and the historic Bullock's Wilshire department store building (now the Southwestern University School of Law library). History The area became dominated by Koreans during the 1960s, when restrictions on immigration to the United States from East Asia were lifted. By the late 1980s, the Korean community had become quite prosperous, owning many businesses in the district and throughout central Los Angeles. Allegations of discriminatory practices by Korean shopkeepers fostered a considerable degree of resentment toward the neighborhood among the African-American population of South Central Los Angeles; as a result, Koreatown was badly damaged during the 1992 L.A. Riots. In the aftermath, much of the Korean population decamped to the Crescenta and San Gabriel Valleys and Orange County. The vacuum has largely been filled by Mexican and Central American immigrants, particularly in the eastern portions of the neighborhood. Recent Developments The early 2000s saw a revitalization of the area with many Koreans returning. It is now brimming with vibrant nightlife and commerce, and the construction of mid-high end residential buildings, including numerous apartments and condominiums continues to attract new residents. The construction of the Aroma Wilshire Center, a $40 million spa, which opened in June of 2001, caters to the city's affluent Korean population. The five-story facility featuers a premium spa with imported mud baths, stone treatments, facials and massages. The center also features a 4-level, 60 tee station golf driving range, as well as 35 retail shops and an international food court. Another notable addition is the construction of Koreatown Galleria, a 124,000 square foot shopping complex, which opened in October, 2001. The 3-level complex boasts 65 retail stores and business services, including the Galleria Supermarket, the largest Korean supermarket outside of Korea. The community's presence has also notably expanded into Westlake and Country Club Park. The district has also prospered from the presence of the MTA Red Line subway, which has relieved some of its notable traffic congestion. Main article: Koreatown, Manhattan 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 significant Korean population and commercial center can be found in Queens, especially in neighborhoods such as Elmhurst and Flushing. 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 Koreans 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. A significant number of Korean immigrants and their descendants now live in Bergen County. They are most prevalent in communities such as Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs, Palisade Park, Cliffside Park, and Edgewater, communities near the NJ side of the George Washington Bridge. See also
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|