Asian Life in Houston | Asian American Poll

Asian Life in Houston
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:14:15 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which Houston area offers the best environment for Asian Americans?
Katy/West Houston | 26%
Sugar Land/Ft Bend Cty | 32%
Westside Chinatown | 7%
W Univ Pl/Inner Loop | 24%
The Woodlands | 11%

What's the best thing about living in the Houston area?
No Cold Winters | 3%
Many Good Asian Restaurants | 32%
Reasonable Cost of Living | 54%
Southern Hospitality | 11%

What's the worst thing about living in the Houston area?
Hot Muggy Summers | 56%
Pollution & Dominance by Big Oil | 25%
Rednecks in Outlying Areas | 19%
Asian Community Political Squabbling | 0%

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Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

Wordlyman:

Former City Councilwoman, Dr. Martha Wong won the Legislative House Seat for District 134 (West U/Montrose) handily defeating her Democratic incumbent opponent, Debra Danburg--a Jewish woman who attacked Dr. Wong with racial stereotypes. Dr. Wong has a long history in the Texas GOP and I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't become a congresswoman in the next five years.
Hank Lewis Monday, November 11, 2002 at 13:59:38 (PST) [161.159.4.35]

According to regurgitated stats in the Texas Monthly Magazine (Sept 2002), there are 6,700 Japanese in Houston.

It's in the food section where the food writer was talking about Japanese restaurants in Houston.
worldlyman Friday, November 08, 2002 at 21:08:17 (PST) [66.81.160.37]

Demography (note 1):

I once leafed through, at a used bookstore, some Houston area yearbooks: Alief Hastings High-1972 and 1979 and Spring Branch High-1969.

The Alief area had virtually no black or minority students in 72. By 79, there were some blacks and Latinos and yes, a few Asians. By 82 when I attended the rival Alief Elsik, there were already a lot of Asians though the student base was still white.

(Asians in Houston grew 75% from 1990 to 2000.)

Now Alief schools are a somewhat equal mix of white, black, Latino and Asian. Probably a slight edge to black.

Spring Branch area in 1969 was lily white. Now it's Latino and Korean with a few white holdovers. Spring Branch area.........just go on to Long Point and you'll see a lot shops with Korean signs.

Houston.......you've come a long way, baby.
worldlyman Friday, November 08, 2002 at 21:06:27 (PST) [66.81.160.37]

Pollution, Poor Metro & City Management, Stupid Transit on West Park to Katy (Waste Tax Payer $$$).
Agent X Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 21:01:41 (PDT) [66.140.131.140]

Asian-Americans, as members of Harris County's fastest-growing ethnic community, are enjoying economic success largely because most arrived in this country as well-educated adults, the 2002 Houston Area Survey shows.

The findings raise questions about the stereotype of Asian-Americans as a "model minority" who succeed solely because of hard work, high intelligence and strong family values, said Stephen Klineberg, the Rice University sociology professor who directs the survey.

This misconception of Asians as a homogenous community of affluent overachievers, fueled in part by the many Asian surnames among spelling bee winners and National Merit Scholars, may impede the availability of social services to Asians who need them, Klineberg said.

It also contributes, he said, to unfair attitudes about other minority groups, since Asians' successes create the notion that "by implication, Houston's blacks and Latinos have only themselves to blame if they have not achieved equal success."

Klineberg will release the survey findings with City Councilman Gordon Quan, a Chinese-American, at 5:30 p.m. today at the Southern Chinese News Building, 11122 Bellaire Blvd.

For more on this, visit this link:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1597750
Hank Lewis Tuesday, October 01, 2002 at 07:46:32 (PDT) [161.159.4.20]

Here's something laughable: I had a room-mate from India who toured the eastern part of Texas, and was treated like a black (e.g., refusal by restaurants to serve him, etc.), and he STILL claims that he has never faced racial discrimination in the U.S. He believes, like many laughable whites, that discrimination no longer exists in the U.S. He's darker than most blacks in America, has crap shoved up his butt, and he still believes in the propaganda generated by Hollywood and the Eurocentric media.
The Power of the Media Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 11:36:15 (PDT) [198.81.18.171]

I got a phone survey about who I would vote for in November.

I don't know anything about these people: Chris Bell, Tom Reiser??, guys for Senate, and Lt. governorship ...

Who are they? What are their positions?
Commentary Monday, September 16, 2002 at 13:00:34 (PDT) [152.163.188.164]

I don't know abot Japanese but with asians make up over a quarter of a millon people in Houston out of 4.5 million people.
Houston-Asian Friday, September 13, 2002 at 20:04:11 (PDT) [66.119.33.135]

Ms. Watson,

Chau Nguyen is now a reporter for WCGL-TV in Atlanta. That's the CBS affiliate.
JJP Friday, September 13, 2002 at 10:52:42 (PDT) [207.41.16.3]

Boba Lover:

There are more than 120 Japanese in Houston--some of them are here working for corporations based in Japan or work with the Consulate, so they didn't fill out the census. There's actually a little over 2000 in the metro area according to more accurate estimates.

Also, there is a strip center on the NW corner of Wilcrest and Westheimer which has Japanese owned and operated stores/restaurants. Nippon Daido market--the only truly Japanese Market in Houston--is there. A good friend of mine from the gym, Ryoko K. works there.
Hank Lewis Tuesday, September 10, 2002 at 06:05:03 (PDT) [161.159.4.20]

120 japanese sounds on the low side, definitely. there aren't that many japanese-owned restaurants and supermarkets though. most of those "japanese" places are actually owned by taiwanese, and besides, all asians, and all people in general, go to those places!
boba lover Friday, September 06, 2002 at 12:39:21 (PDT) [64.158.37.249]

there's 120 japanese in houston? i thought there were less.
Mr. Hann Wednesday, September 04, 2002 at 20:04:22 (PDT) [24.242.251.65]

Chino:

I know that Pauline Chiou was making in the mid-50s since she was a full-time anchor.

Nesita Kwan was a weekend anchor for KHOU-11 before and she made in the low 40s (that was about 7 years ago).

Beat reporters make in the upper 20s to low 30s if they don't get a lot of on-camera time. Those who get more on-camera time (like Nydia Han) will make in the low-40s.

It also depends upon the station--if you're on a major network (ABC, NBC or CBS) you will make more money than you will if you're on an independent local station or on FOX or the WB. I remember Chau Nguyen from Fox-26 supposedly left for income reasons, but she had a lot of on-camera time. I think since Fox is more of a "minor" network that had something to do with it.
Sandra Watson Wednesday, September 04, 2002 at 05:56:44 (PDT) [161.159.4.21]

H-Town Azn TV Watcher:

You forgot to mention Bill(?) Fisher, the Hapa sportscaster on KHWB-39.
Another Asian TV Watcher Tuesday, September 03, 2002 at 06:15:25 (PDT)

Someone recently told me that there are only 120 Japanese in Houston. I'm astonished. I thought there were 3,000-5,000 for some reason.

There are a few Japanese-owned restaurants, supermarkets, etc. in Houston; how can they sustain themselves if there are only 120 Japanese in Houston? Was this person right or misinformed?
Commentary Monday, September 02, 2002 at 22:32:24 (PDT)

How much do these newscasters earn? Is there a website with this info? I'm curious. I ran into a former channel 2 reporter one day and she said the job doesn't pay well enough. She is now in the Info Tech field. Thanks.

P.S: How much does Dominique Sasa and Linda Lorelle earn?
Chino Sunday, September 01, 2002 at 18:00:01 (PDT)

Here's an update on the AAs in the TV journalism outlets of Houston

KHOU-11 (CBS)

Lisa Faronda--weeknight anchor, is of Filipino-German ancestry (Hapa)

Shern-Min Chow (Hartney)--Weekend anchor/reporter. Is of Chinese Ancestry and is originally from the SF Bay area. Is married to a White guy but doesn't use his last name professionally. She and her husband have a 6 year old daughter and an infant son together.

KTRK-13 (ABC)

Nydia Han-Consumer/Investigative reporter, occasional weekend/extra anchor. Is of Korean ancestry.

Derrin Lyn-Sports/Beat reporter. Is of Chinese ancestry and is a member of the AAJA.

KRIV-26 (FOX)

Pattie Shieh (-Davis): Beat reporter and fill-in Anchor for the morning news. Is of Chinese ancestry. Recently went on maternity leave.

Eric Huong: Beat reporeter. Is of Vietnamese ancestry.

KHWB-39 (The WB network)

Elizabeth Lee-Beat reporter. Is of Chinese ancestry and a member of the AAJA.

KPRC-2 (NBC) no longer has any Asian American represntation since popular morning co-anchor Pauline Chiou left to go find herself on a trip around the world with her Italian Race-car driver boyfriend Fabio (no, not the long-haired margarine salesman!) Last I heard, she was in Tuscany painting flowers when she wasn't occupied with Fabio. Anyway, Rachel McNeil, one of the new morning anchors at KPRCE says she is "Part Chinese, part Black, part French and part Native American" since she's from Jamaica, but it doesn't show in her face nor is she active in the AA community like Pauline Chiou was.

Anyway, we still have solid represntation of AAs on the small screen here--with two beat reporters being AA men. That's better than some parts of the country that have larger AA populations!!!
H-Town Azn TV Watcher Tuesday, August 27, 2002 at 12:02:47 (PDT)

be:

I've seen some AFs with ugly WMs here in Houston, but many of those AFs weren't exactly what I'd call "attractive" either. Most weren't "ugly", but were rather "plain." I've seen some "plain" AFs with "average" White guys. I've seen some "hot" AFs with some "good looking" White guys. I've seen some "ugly" AFs with some "ugly" White guys. And I've even seen some "plain" AFs with some "good looking" White Guys. I've even seen some FAT Asian women with some "good looking" Black guys.

However, here in the Houston area anyway, the only time I've ever seen a "Hot" AF with an "ugly" White guy was when the "ugly" White guy was about 20 years older than her, was very rich and she was really FOBby.

My wife and I both work out at that same 24 hour fitness, and I can tell you that there's all kinds of AFs with AMs there, as well as all kinds of AFs with White, Latin and Black men there as well. Neither one of us has ever observed a dispropotionate number of looks-imbalanced IR couples involving AFs at our gym. That being said, I'll be on the lookout for that hockey player & his g/f in order to provide a second opinion.
Hank Lewis Monday, August 26, 2002 at 05:56:12 (PDT)

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