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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, 05:56:44 PM)
AAM:
Yeah, those lower taxes and less government regulation sure go a long way in driving businesses away.
T.H. Lien
Sunday, March 17, 2002 at 21:24:05 (PST)
The point of going to Seattle is it's non-Asianness compared to other west coast cities. The only major west coast city (among SF, Sac, SD, LA, Portland, VC, and Seattle) with a lower percentage of Asians is Portland. If you want to go to Seattle because of the Asian experience, forget about it. You are better served going to VC, which is only a few hours north, and a hundred times more Asian influenced.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Sunday, March 17, 2002 at 11:17:41 (PST)
I live in seattle and am dying to see what california is like :D
If there is a haven for AA, it would be Shanghai or Beijing :)
C. Li
Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 02:06:20 (PST)
I'm an Asian New Yorker and I've never been to the Emerald City. I 've been told that it's a gorgeous place in the summertime, in terms of the weather and the surroundings. I am thinking of making a trip out there this coming June. Any Asian or Non Asian Seattlelites out there with any recommendations for a 1st timer??
I also heard it's a great place to raise kids especially Asian kids. I have to say that New York is an exciting city for many Asians but it can really corrupt them with all the insane distractions and other things. Seattle probably wouldn't distract Asians in anyway close to that of NY.
I think Seattle has the realistic edge like that of New York, unlike its Southern West Coast Counterpart Cities like SF and LA, where everything seems kind of, hmmm...flaky or superficial...However, Seattle is a much milder city than NY, less hectic with more breathing space and less rudeness.
Asian New Yorker heading out to Seattle
Friday, March 15, 2002 at 16:38:04 (PST)
"Seattle is the best city for Asian Americans to live in. The clean air, natural surroundings, etc. mountains, ocean, etc. moderate climate. Makes Seattle a magnet for Asian Americans."
And the whites are among the least prejudiced...in fact I have encountered no prejudice at all in that city. They voted for a black mayor and Asian governor. Will never happen in Savannah, Boston or Chicago. However, there is a caveat and that is not connected with race. There is this watch dealer called Tim Eyman, whose anti-tax referendums frequently triumph to the great detriment of transport and education services. At the rate it is going, Seattle may become a ghost town...with Boeing, Microsoft, Nordstroms and Starbucks all moving out. Perhaps the good citizens of Seattle may need to approach Eyman for a job and work in his watch dealership.
Asian American Male
Friday, March 15, 2002 at 10:23:50 (PST)
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