Koreatown (Manhattan)

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The so-called Korea Way on 32nd Street in Manhattan's Koreatown (2009).

Koreatown , also known colloquially as K-town , is a neighborhood in New York City 's Manhattan .

location

Koreatown is bordered by 31st Street to the south, 36th Street to the north, Fifth Avenue to the west, and Sixth Avenue to the east. Koreatown lies between Chelsea , Murray Hill , Midtown and Downtown Manhattan and is a holdover from the old Textile District . This Midtown Manhattan location means that this neighborhood is overshadowed by the appeal of the Empire State Building or the nearby Macy’s .

history

Koreatown in Midtown Manhattan

In the 1890s, according to New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission, this area was especially known for chic shops, theaters, clubs and homes. In 1931 the Empire State Building was built nearby. In the 1950s, the rough flair of this area in Midtown South was captured by Michael Chabon in " The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay ". In the late 1970s, Korean businessmen upgraded West 32nd Street, so that part of 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway was officially renamed " Korea Way " in 1995 .

Koreatown was originally designed to meet the needs of the growing number of Korean immigrants in the New York metropolitan area . Currently, about 201,393 Americans with Korean roots live in this region, according to the 2009 American Community Survey - the second largest concentration of people with Korean roots outside of Korea after Koreatown in Los Angeles . Nonetheless, non-Korean trade has increased in the area in recent years.

Although there was never an official plan or resolution to create a Korean business district in Manhattan, the low rents and high footfall due to the proximity to the Empire State Building , the Garment District or the Flower District made Korean immigrants choose to be active here.

It all started with a Korean bookstore and a handful of Korean restaurants. Its success and the influx of Korean immigrants to New York City brought more and more businesses to this area, which were run by Koreans. Today there are numerous restaurants, small grocery stores, hairdressing salons, nail salons, karaoke bars, which are called Noraebang here as in Korea , as well as internet cafes, banks and hotels. Koreatown is still mainly a Korean business district as there is relatively little resident population here. In fact, there are more Korean restaurants in Koreatown than there are Korean residents. Most Koreans in New York City do not live in Manhattan, but in the other parts of the city - especially in Queens . However, in recent years, Americans of Korean origin have increasingly moved to Koreatown as housing has been increasingly created there.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Living in Koreatown - Exotic Flavor, Beyond Just the Food . New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  2. ↑ [ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=33000US408&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_DP5&-context=adp&-ds_name=&-tree_id=309&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2009] . US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ Little Korea . In: All City New York . Retrieved October 17, 2009.

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