Introduction
The immigration of the Koreans into American dates back to the 1960s and was largely influenced by the good relationship between the U.S. and Korea at the time (O’Connor & Batalova, 2019). Over the years, the Korean population in the U.S. has increased considerably making up about 2.4% of the total immigrants populace of 44.5 million. Even so, Koreans mostly prefer settling in areas where they can also find people of similar nationality. This is why they are mostly found in ethnic enclaves called Koreatowns, which are scattered in migrant-friendly states, such as the New York City, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Chicago (O’Connor & Batalova, 2019; Asian American Federation, 2013). This paper examines the spatial patterns, residential and commercial types, demographics, language, and culture of the Koreatown in the New York City.
Spatial Patterns
Koreatown stretches all the way from the New York City’s 5th avenue to the Madison Square Garden (Expedia, 2019). For that reason, the entire stretch of the neighbourhood is a walking distance with well demarcated roads. As regards spatial distribution, the Koreatown appears like a clumped neighbourhood within the New York City, but its buildings are spaced uniformly with the space between them being that occupied by walkways, roads, feeder roads, and other critical infrastructure.
Residential/Commercial Types
Most of the buildings in Koreatown in the New York City are high-rise but with mixed residential and commercial uses (Dawkins, 2011). Although the New York City was traditionally zoned into residential and commercial area, the expansion of most urban areas in the country led to a combination of the two types of uses. Korean immigrants prefer mixed use buildings because they enable them to arrive at their workplaces quickly. In this regard, they utilize the first six floors for commercial purposes and reserve the rest for residential use. They also put up businesses that complement each other within the same building block (Spaces of Migration, 2011). The Olympic Tower is a good example of a mixed-use building as it harbors residential apartments, hotels, and restaurants among other businesses. Millennium Tower, which is located in Manhattan in the 67th street, is another that has combines retail stores, condominiums, and other residential and commercial spaces (Dawkins, 2011).
Demographic Information of Residents
Koreans have continued to increase in number because of the influx of more immigrants over the years as well as an increase in the number of American born Koreans. For example, Koreatown in the New York City has a populace of about 100,000 Korean-Americans, which is among the largest nationally (Asian American Federation, 2013). Most of the Koreans in the city, just like in other parts of the U.S., are mainly from South Korea, with a small portion of them coming from North Korea. Their birth rate has also increased significantly as their population grew by 11% from 2008 to 2011 (Asian American Federation, 2013). The Korean-Americans in Koreatwon are also mostly between 18 and 64 years, which means they are largely at their working age. Only 16% and 9% of them are under the age of 18 years and above 65 years in that order. Thus, their average age of 34.7 years is relatively lower compared to the national average of 35.5 years (Asian American Federation, 2013). Conversely, their employment rate is 75%, which is high given the national average of 66% (Asian American Federation, 2013). Their business acumen has also seen them record lower levels of poverty compared to other ethnic groups. In this regard, only 17.7% of the said Korean-Americans live below the federal poverty level, which below the 20.1% national figure representing American residents from all, they have a relatively high income per household of $53,840 (Asian American Federation, 2013).
Language Spoken
Approximately 82% of Koreans, including those in Koreatown in the New York City speak Korean at home (Wolpin, 2008). This comes as no surprise as most of them experience Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Even so, the most affected by the problem are the older Koreans and children who are taught Korean from an early age. According to a report by the Asian American Federation (2013), LEP is a major issue for about 20% and 50 % of young children and adults of Korean origin respectively.
Cultural Landscapes of the Asian Ethnic Community
Similar to other Asians, most Koreans, including those in Koreatown in the New York City, live together with family members of multiple generations (Choi & Kim, 2010). The family unit is an important part of their life where young people are tasked with caring for their older family members to keep families intact. Although they tried to adapt to the American culture when they moved into the New York City, they retained a considerable part of their culture. Besides speaking their language at home, they enjoy eating Korean food as well as holding various traditional ceremonies (Kim & Wolpin, 2008). They are able to maintain their cultural values because they have common cultural practices even back in their home country. Additionally, the U.S has a strong affiliation with Korean churches, which presents a meeting point for Koreans to exchange and maintain their cultural values. For instance, in New York City, Korean churches include the Korean Methodist Church & Institute, the United Korean Church of New York, and Manhattan Korean Presbyterian Church. However, according to Foner (2012), young Koreans have been influenced more by the U.S. culture than their older counterparts.
Conclusion
Koreatown, which is a clumped up neighbourhood in the New York City stretching from 5th Avenue all the way to Madison Square Garden, is one of the locations with the largest number of Koreans in the U.S. It has mixed-use high-rise buildings containing businesses, such as restaurants and small retail stores, which supplement each other in the lower floors and residential spaces, including apartments and condominiums among others, in the upper ones making it convenient for the residents who love buildings where they can live and work at the same time. It has 100,000 Korean-Americans most of whom are either employed or work in their own businesses making the poverty levels in the neighbourhood lower than the national average. 82% of the Korean-Americans in the neighbourhood speak their mother tongue at home, which is probably why 20% and 50% of their youths and adults have low English proficiency. Although some Koreans have been affected by the American culture, particularly the younger ones, most of them maintain their culture of living with family members of multiple generations and eating Korean food as they are able to keep in touch in the common gathering places in the area, particularly churches.
