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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, 05:56:38 PM)
"Most AA don't read Maxim, since Maxim is LCD. The handful of AA that read Maxim are insecure, identity challenged, and will latch onto anything that will make them feel hip. How AA confuse hip with LCD just goes to show that some AA are not as intelligent as the stereotype makes many of us out to be."
Most asians don't read Maxim? Almost everyone I know bought that Kelly Hu edition. =)
TSJ fan
Saturday, May 04, 2002 at 11:32:54 (PDT)
seattle dojo mojo: you bag on white boys, yet you live in one of the whitest major cities in america. what gives? how can seatown be great for asians if white boys don't even like it?
big fan of TSJ
Friday, May 03, 2002 at 16:01:57 (PDT)
We are really getting tired of Texas' intense heat and its desert like surroundings. My wife and I would like to move to a warm place. Seattle seems to be a good candidate.
Our first concern is job. My wife is an Oracle specialist and I work in networking software development. How tough is it to find a job there for us?
Other concers are schools, housing, crime, tax.
Thanks a lot for your advice.
S Yuan
Friday, May 03, 2002 at 09:27:55 (PDT)
Tired of TSJ:
I agree that it is dumb to use a frivolous magazine such as Maxim to endorse the best city for AA to live. I don't think there are any AA that will move to San Francisco because of Maxim, but I could be wrong.
The magazine is run by WM and are not targeting AA as a demographic. The target demographic is 18-34 WM, which means Maxim is targeting the lowest common denominator (LCD)!
Most AA don't read Maxim, since Maxim is LCD. The handful of AA that read Maxim are insecure, identity challenged, and will latch onto anything that will make them feel hip. How AA confuse hip with LCD just goes to show that some AA are not as intelligent as the stereotype makes many of us out to be.
The sad part is that those few AA that read Maxim religiously will probably buy those racist Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts, which also caters to LCD. I guess every racial group is entitled to have its share of idiots, including AA.
Seattle didn't get endorsed by Maxim, FHM, or any other LCD magazine. And I am thankful.
Seattle Sodo Mojo
Monday, April 29, 2002 at 18:43:49 (PDT)
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