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LA is obviously the largest korean community in the nation by a very wide margin, but nyc is still a solid #2. the DC area surpassed the chicago area to become the #3 population center for koreans during the 1990s (a distant but rapidly growing #3), while chicago fell to #4 and the bay area was #5. i'll bet that when the 2010 census data are released, the top 3 spots remain the same, with atlanta revealed to be #4 (not too far behind the DC area, and catching up fast), the bay area #5 (not too far behind atlanta, but losing ground), and chicago #6 (their korean population has grown very slowly for years now, but they're still the primary korean population center of the midwest).
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Originally Posted by Lifeshadower
I have different numbers from the US American Community Survey
Korean American
Total Population: 1,555,293 (1,344,171 alone), of which 64.9% are foreign born
Top 5 CSA's
1. Los Angeles CSA: 303,064
2. New York CSA: 197,528
3. Washington DC CSA: 93,036
4. Bay Area CSA: 76,455
5. Seattle CSA: 54,454 6. Chicago CSA: 53,555
7. Atlanta CSA: 40,464
Sometime in the 2000s, Seattle overtook Chicago as the 5th largest area with the most Koreans. I believe it too, because most of the sushi and teriyaki places there (especially the closer you get to UW) are owned by Koreans.
i think i should clarify what i meant in the bolded statement above - apologies that this wasn't apparent in my original post (d@mn multitasking).
my bolded statement above - about the chicago CSA being #4 and bay area CSA #5 with respect to their korean populations - refers to the 2000 census data, but i think your numbers refer to the 2009 census estimates, if i'm not mistaken? in other words, i think we're referring to two different sets (and timeframes) of data, nearly 10 years apart.
immediately following the bolded statement, i then transitioned into my 2010 census predictions about the korean community; sorry for the confusion.
for what it's worth, my 2010 census predictions about the korean community were not at all based on the 2009 census estimates. my projected rankings were educated guesses based on what i've heard from korean community leaders and read in korean publications rather than hard census data. so that's why i forgot about seattle's korean population, which i'd been hearing is still slightly behind chicago's (although the census data obviously suggest otherwise). also, the estimates of the korean community leaders - which are obviously highly unscientific - have atlanta's korean population ranking as much higher than 7th, and certainly ahead of seattle and chicago, if not the bay area as well. for several years now, i've been hearing that atlanta's korean population is now at least the fifth largest in the nation, if not #4, so it's interesting to note the large discrepancy between the korean community's estimates and those of the census bureau.
needless to say, i'm very anxious to see the official 2010 data when they're finally released.
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And outside of Korea, I think there are places in China, Japan, and the former Soviet Union that have more Koreans than most American cities (except MAYBE LA)
i think when people say that "LA has more koreans than any place outside of korea", they're only comparing cities or metropolitan areas. in other words, there isn't a single metro area outside of korea which has more koreans than the greater LA area. but as you noted, there are certainly entire nations with larger korean populations than the LA area - most notably china (~2 million ethnic koreans) and japan (~600K ethnic koreans).
if i'm not mistaken (and i'm too lazy to look it up - i'm not the stathead that you are, lifeshadower), the u.s. has the third largest ethnic korean population in the world after the korean peninsula (south + north korea) and china (mainly northeast china near the korean border). i don't know which metro area outside of korea has the second largest korean population, but i'm 99% sure that the LA area is still #1 in that regard.
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Koreans in the Bay Area...well, there are some. There's a Koreatown in Oakland (with MIGHTY tasty food, I might add) but they aren't as concentrated as they are in places like LA and NY. That's why its not as noticeable as in places like Chicago or Atlanta.
i agree 100%. every bay area korean i've ever met has told me how the korean community there is not nearly as concentrated or unified as LA or nyc. seems that the largest population of koreans in the bay area these days is in the santa clara/silicon valley area, followed by the east bay. the city of sf really doesn't have much of a korean population at all, which largely explains why the korean food there is so awful.
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Man, all this talk about Koreans..I might get some Korean BBQ for lunch! Thanks for the idea, CD!
if you ever need suggestions for korean restaurants in LA, send me a DM. i've got plenty of ktown recommendations, but unfortunately i don't know anything about the valley's korean food scene. i do know that most of the authentic places are in the northridge area, but i haven't been to any of them.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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I won't argue the validity of the 150,000 Koreans claim as it is basically unprovable until the Census comes out. With population estimates, you can only really guess at the composition of the change occurring in a metro and won't get solid data until everyone fills out a form and sends it in.
However, I will say that I have heard this figure from more than just community group boosters. Local governments, as well as diplomat friend of mine, have basically confirmed this. Now it's just a matter of making it official. Also, you must understand that Metro Atlanta itself has gained about 1.2 million residents from 2000 to 2010. If the Korean population has grown by 100,000 since 2000, that would only represent about 8.3% of the overall growth of the Metro in the last 10 years and in that light does not sound out of the question at all. Especially when you consider that in the same time frame, 450,000 african-americans have either relocated or have been born in Metro Atlanta. Around here, adding a few hundred thousand people in a short period of time is not out of the ordinary.
Also on the ground, you can see the major change. It's like a Korean bomb went off and truly did catch people by surprise. Mainly due to the fact that there seems to be no reason as to why it occurred. The best explanation I've heard was that of a friend of mine who migrated here from Chicago 8 years ago which was: "You want to know why there are so many Koreans moving here? It's because you can buy a big house and start a business all for a fraction of what it costs you in NYC or LA." Which is a big reason why we see so much migration from all groups of people. Cant argue with economics.
For now though, I will not belabor the point. My personal gut feeling is that the true number is around 80,000 to 90,000 but over 100,000 wouldn't surprise me. Although, I do understand the skepticism. For now, here is some light reading on the subject:
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f1000
I visisted Atlanta a couple yours ago, and remember Buford Hwy. I was surprised by the seeminly growing presence of Asian-Americans in parts of that area, more Korean and Vietnamese presence if i recall. Coming from the West Coast, Buford Hwy was a surprise to me....
However, Atlanta (among most other places of the US) had all these Asian restaurants that served Thai/ Sushi/ Chinese food all under the same roof! Which is virtually non-existent along all of the West Coast (I don't think even Portland has that!)...like the restaurants are unlikely to "lump" all Asian food into one cuisine. That always make me laugh (grimace even).
LOL, yes the "Pan-multiple asian food" restaurants bug me to no end, but not as much as the so called "Asian salad" some restaurants serve. As far as I can tell their idea of "Asian" is peanuts and mandarin orange slices.
The situation when it comes to restaurants has been improving quite significantly here over the last few years though. The Asian population is now large enough to support it as well as transplants who are used to getting that sort of thing like they did in LA or NYC, and locals who are starting to come around to the fact that bulgolgi or banh mi tastes waaaay better than "egg foo yung" or orange chicken. Wait, orange chicken is alright in my book
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jluke65780
If Atlanta has 150,000 Koreans; Houston has 300,000 Nigerians.
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Originally Posted by HtownLove
and 120 000 Indians 85 000 Vietnamese and 40 000 Koreans
plus the 12 Japanese guys I saw at the club the other night.
Must everything be a pi$$ing contest on C-D?
I fail to see what discussing how many Koreans there may be (or aren't) in Atlanta has anything to do with how many {insert ethnicity here} there are in Houston.
^^^I have spent significant time in the Atlanta area for work and fun. There is no denying, the Korean community there is extremely significant and I dont want to take away from that. However, there is no way the Atlanta area has 150,000 Koreans. I can believe 80 or 90k and I can also believe Atlanta will creep into the top 5 in Korean population at some point, but having 150k Koreans would mean that Atlanta would have almost as many as New York. Its not quite there yet.
Right now, Dallas is going through the same things with Indians that Atlanta is going through with Koreans. A big reason for the mass Indian migration here is the huge amout of tech jobs here. I have several clients that have moved as many as 8 or 9 families a piece from India here in the last year. Im curious, what draws Koreans to Atlanta? Its obvious something does.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justme02
^^^I have spent significant time in the Atlanta area for work and fun. There is no denying, the Korean community there is extremely significant and I dont want to take away from that. However, there is no way the Atlanta area has 150,000 Koreans. I can believe 80 or 90k and I can also believe Atlanta will creep into the top 5 in Korean population at some point, but having 150k Koreans would mean that Atlanta would have almost as many as New York. Its not quite there yet.
Right now, Dallas is going through the same things with Indians that Atlanta is going through with Koreans. A big reason for the mass Indian migration here is the huge amout of tech jobs here. I have several clients that have moved as many as 8 or 9 families a piece from India here in the last year. Im curious, what draws Koreans to Atlanta? Its obvious something does.
I fail to see what discussing how many Koreans there may be (or aren't) in Atlanta has anything to do with how many {insert ethnicity here} there are in Houston.
This isn't a versus thread guys...
lol, do all jokes just completely fly over your head???
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), the u.s. has the third largest ethnic korean population in the world after the korean peninsula (south + north korea) and china (mainly northeast china near the korean border). i don't know which metro area outside of korea has the second largest korean population, but i'm 99% sure that the LA area is still #1 in that regard.
