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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is Seattle a Haven for Asian Americans?
he Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area is only 11th largest in the size of its Asian American population (285,000, or about 11.4% of the area's 2.5 million), but it claims one of the oldest and richest slices of Asian American history. Its Chinatown was home to America's first Asian-owned manufacturing business, the Wa Chong Co. The company produced, among other things, a very fine grade of opium, some of which was probably exported to China with the U.S. government's blessings.
Best city for AA?
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Since its birth in 1910 Seattle's atmospheric International District was settled by generations of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Vietnamese immigrants. In the late 70s the aging District began enjoying a rebirth into its modern incarnation thanks to Asian American activism in seeking to preserve it as a historical and cultural site. More recently an influx of trendy young AA professionals, entrepreneurs and artists has helped transform it into a vibrant part of downtown Seattle's cultural and night life. The District hosts the Northwest Asian American Theater Company and the Wing Luke Asian American Museum, named after a Chinese American elected to the Seattle City Council in 1965.
On the far end of the Seattle area's cultural spectrum is lush, ultra-modern Bellevue, one of the nation's most affluent communities. Asians make up 20.3% of the students of the Bellevue School District, thrice the 7.3% concentration in the general population of Washington state. This points up the fact that Seattle hosts one of the nation's best established Asian populations. Unlike some urban areas dominated by one or two Asian nationalities, Seattle's AA population is highly diversified, comprising the nations 7th largest Japanese (31,000), the 8th largest Vietnamese (44,000), 9th largest Corean (38,000), and the 11th largest Chinese (58,000) and Filipino (53,000) communities.
The area's Asian Americans take pride in their high degree of acceptance and integration. The fact that the state's governor is a Chinese American named Gary Locke doesn't hurt, of course. Or that the city's major league baseball team is owned by Nintendo chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi and sparked by Ichiro. Even on the grassroots level, one sees signs of acceptance. The ratio of AM/WF couples is noticeably higher than in most other metro areas. A cop who was rude in issuing a jaywalking ticket to a group of Asian Americans last year was reprimanded by the police department. And the ticket was dismissed by the judge.
Is the Seattle area really a haven for Asian Americans? What are the best and worst aspects of AA life there?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:56:45 PM)
Damn... sounds like a slice of heaven to me!
I need to check this city out
Wednesday, March 13, 2002 at 04:59:04 (PST)
I've always loved Seattle. I used to go there all the time just to hang out. I love the rainy weather. However, many of the things that people complain about in the Bay Area are turning up in Seattle.
The traffic is now actually worse than the Bay's. Housing prices are going through the roof. And you know what? Local Seattlites blame everything on California people moving up there, bringing with them all their excess baggage. So, if you are from CA, you better change your license plate the second you get there!
I would rather live in Vancouver, myself. It is a lot cleaner, and has a significantly larger Chinese influence.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, March 13, 2002 at 00:18:42 (PST)
I think Seattle has got to be one of the best cities if you are an asain. Its an asain friendly town, with friendly people and a community of whites who accept asains. Hey they go crazy over Ichiro there!!!! I've lived in California all my life and most people here stick to their own race. Theres hardly any integration when you go to the clubs, or anywhere else. You hardly ever see AM with WF in California. But its different when you are in Seattle. Thus I don't see how you could go wrong with this town. Other than the bad weather (rain) the city is clean, it has lots of jobs, affordable housing, and less discrimination because of diversity. You gotta love that town!!!!!
Ichiro Fan
Tuesday, March 12, 2002 at 23:07:20 (PST)
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