Asian Life in Los Angeles | Asian American Poll

ASIAN LIFE IN LOS ANGELES
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:39:09 AM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

CONTACT US | ADVERTISING INFO

© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.

WHAT YOU SAY

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

How is life in Orange County for a Korean dude in his early 20s?
Thinking of moving out 2 cali Monday, November 19, 2001 at 06:22:54 (PST)

Los Angeles is a very ethnically diverse place. I think we all, whether Asian, or other race, just need to accept it. Just because an area has a majority of one race, doesn't determine how great of a place it is. Just pick the neighborhood right for you.
peace Sunday, November 18, 2001 at 12:40:01 (PST)

Arcadia is one of the WORST places for Asians. The South part is ok, but the schools are old & overcrowded, the homes are over priced (and nice houses are thrown in next to old declining houses) and there is a lot of tension between Whites & Asians, as Whites still make up the majority.

North Arcadia is definitely NOT a great place for Asians. It is almost all white, & the schools are predominantly white as well. The people and Homeowners associations like the traditional white lifestyle.

If you want beautiful homes & good schools, in wealthy predominantly Asian areas, check out: San Marino, South Pasadena, Hacienda Heights, Walnut, or Rowland Heights. There are a lot more Asian restaurants, banks, shops & businesses there.
SGV for me Saturday, November 17, 2001 at 12:20:49 (PST)

STW,

You sound like you know it all for a guy who can barely write a proper or correct sentence of English. You better stay in the country a little while longer before you make those sweeping generalizations. For your information, some of the worst areas in LA have high asian populations but it looks like you are too foolish and blind to see this. Everyone has there good sides and bad sides. You sound like an idiot when you make such sweeping generalizations. I Got news for you STW, if you don't like Latinos you better make plans to leave LA becuase Latinos will always the majority in LA, hence the most influential group in LA, whether you want to accept it or not. Maybe you should make friends with a few of them instead of judging people you never got to know. Really, try it. You are an embarassment to our race.
Korean American who happens to like Hispanics Friday, November 16, 2001 at 21:15:18 (PST)

STW:

Oh I forgot to quote ya' verbatim:

"The best place for Asian is South Arcadia (below the 210). It got good schools and strong Asian presence."

If S. Aracadia "GOT" good schools, apparently, you missed a few classes.
What_A_Waste Friday, November 16, 2001 at 15:54:52 (PST)

STW:

Your writing is similar to that of a Klansmen. Hmmm, ya' just about denegrated every racial group with your gross over-generalizations and biggoted garbage.

Now, if you had argued that living a "good" area is a factor of economics, then I'd agree. But, basing your agrument purely on where certain race demographics reside is purely guess-work. It has been, and will always be about the Benjamins. The more $$$ you have, the more isolation you can achieve from the "average" folks. And I think this was the gist of your diatribe.

If you desire a predominately Asian population, maybe you should move your clan (pun intended) to Asia Continent.... I am sure there aren't many Blacks, Jews, Hispanics or Whites to bother ya'. Sheeeeshhhhh.....

What_A_Waste Friday, November 16, 2001 at 15:52:36 (PST)

Hey STW,
You must be a recent immigrant to this country. What is the deal with you bashing Japanese-Americans? I am a 4th generation American of Japanese ancestry. I have no family or contacts in Japan and have never gone there. The US is my home. It is where my past and future belongs. I do not wish to lose any part of my Japanese heritage but over the years, the environment here is what I see and what I interact with. I have many friends that are Corean, Vietnamese, Cambodian etc. that are only 2nd generations here and are more of what you would call "culturally walking cadavors" than I am. I know that my ancestors are Japanese and I know that I am Japanese and always will be to the eyes of white america.. Guess what? I don't give a crap what they think. What I do care about is that the asian community, and by this I mean all asians, have to stop this bullshit bashing of each other based on "old world" conflicts and hatreds and stick together. I don't want to sell out my cultural heritage but intergrating different cultures, that which makes you you, is what makes america a great melting pot. I think that I speak for all Asians that like me are Americans. You stick to your traditions and beliefs and marry within your culture and do all the things that you think makes you superior as an asian to other asians such as JAs as you call them but you will see that in a few generations, your offspring will be telling you the same thing that I am telling you now. It's too bad that you don't have the foresight to see it. Don't judge people or groups that you don't know. It only shows your ignorance.
AZN Unity Friday, November 16, 2001 at 13:47:13 (PST)

The best place for Asian is South Arcadia (below the 210). It got good schools and strong Asian presence. Alhambra and Monterey Park are okay but have too many Hispanics (hence high crime and worse schools). North (White) Arcadia is okay too. El Monte, Rosemead are awful. Rowland/Hacienda Heights are pretty good too (as well as nearby Diamond Bar, Walnut...).

I hate the Westside very much. Most Asian girls there seem to date white guys only. To be fair, the Chinese girls (HK, Taiwan, China) who were not raised in the US do associate with Asians most easily. Japanese American girls, who came from a culture that never survived the WWII concentration experience and hence are culturally walking cadavors, are the pits. (I mean, instead of surviving these bad experiences with stronger sense of ethnic unity, the JAs are really want to culturally self-destruct by being zealously trying to integrate into the white mainstream who will alway reject them as JAPs, how stupid the West LA JA community)

South Bay has a young Asian American communities, especially Torrance and PV, with Asian American families headed by first generation Asian immigrants having good job (one of the few staples of functional family I see...most families headed by American raised individuals are pretty dysfunctional, like the JA communities in Gardena, where interracial marriage due to JAs own self-hatred, is rampant).

Central LA and SE LA County (Montebello, though next to the famous Montery Park, is nothing like it, same goes with Huntington Park, Bell, Lynwood, Santa Fe Springs, Downey (formerly white suburb that gave birth to the Carpenters)) are horrible: basically they are barrios (so as most of Southwesten SGV and flatlands of the SFV, the hillsides to the north and west are mostly white Anglos and south hillsides of SFV are mostly white Jews).

Long Beach and Northern OC have strong South Asian presence and they are okay but not suitable for caring Asian parents to raise kids due to high crime and bad schools. Exception is Artesia-Cerritos...they look low rent but I heard the schools are good...though considering its geography and non-asian demographics it is a little hard to believe.

South OC is mostly white and have really good schools. Coastal side is too expensive and whites there gives you this look that seems to say: I worked too hard to buy a home in this nice coastal city on the fringe of LA just to get away from you people..and now you people are trying to come and invade our last refuge...something like that...

Irvine is in South-Central OC and has high Asian presence. Really good place but due to its white majority, kids may grow up white-washed.

This is a very opinionated, frank evaluation of different areas of LA metro area. Other areas on the fringe of LA metro area such as Inland Empire (SW San Berd'o and W Riverside Co.) and Ventura county are mostly white, where there are no neighborhoods with at least 5% Asian...like in the rest of the US where Asian families are basically surrounded by white families...though there are pockets of Hispanic dominated older areas to avoid.

If you are upset by my repeated suggestion that predominately hispanic areas in LA are poor neighborhoods not suitable for Asians to live, I just want you to live there for a year before you have a family. It is foolish to use your kids future as a social experiment with racial integration.
STW Thursday, November 15, 2001 at 23:09:47 (PST)

What you said with regards to LA was painful but true. However, I don't think Monterey Park and Alhambra are particularly good areas. Too many gangsters as well; especially Filipino, and Vietnamese-Chinese gangs. One gang is called PR and I have no idea what this stands for. The gangs in these areas are scary because they will mess with you if they don't like the way you look or dress and sometimes for no reason at all. I make it a point never to look in my rear view mirror when these guys are driving behind me because many of them are head cases. Just thought I would throw in my 10 cents worth.
Latino to sgv Sunday, November 11, 2001 at 20:25:56 (PST)

The og's in the bayarea are the ethnic chinese from vietnam hooked with major taiwan organized crime in the eastbay northern california. who remembers the midas card club in emeryville california ran by "the family" of taiwan? the chinese from vietnam are connected in new york, canada, europe, hong kong, taiwan, paris, germany, etc ................................
china-town-rulers Sunday, November 11, 2001 at 01:52:01 (PST)

Best places for asians in so-cal? Well, I would have to reiterate the other previous posters that the SGV (san gabriel valley) is probably the best for asian americans, particularly monterey park and alhambra areas. These cities have well established asian presences in them and the asian gangs there won't mess with you too much. It's not too snobby or too ghetto. I wouldn't recommend Long Beach because the latinos and asians (primarily cambodians) are beating and shooting each other up in race wars and you don't want to be a part of that. San fernando valley is o.k., but there's lots of gangs there also primarily hispanic. Anywhere else is an extreme of either majority white (read: safe and upscale) or ghetto's with latino/blacks.
sgv Saturday, November 10, 2001 at 13:25:33 (PST)

Koreatown is the best place for Koreans, duh? Good eats too.
L.A. Korean Friday, November 09, 2001 at 02:25:49 (PST)

wo hop to broke up before hop sing tong did. i was still in junior high...
penelope Thursday, November 08, 2001 at 18:05:47 (PST)

New to LA
I am a korean guy whos been living in San Fernando valley for 10 years now. San Fernanodo valley is a great place for Asians to live. There are just good amount of Asians, not too much, not too little. You will see good numbers of chinese, koreans, vietnamese, and fillipinos. Umm.. i personally never witnessed any skinheads and NeoNazis here. I don't know where you got that information. I can positively say it's a safe place for asians to live. Overall, the Valley is a great place to live but only down-side is that it will get soooo damn hot during the summer.

korean guy Wednesday, November 07, 2001 at 18:30:46 (PST)

New to LA, I don't know much about the san fernando valley. I don't know about skinheads, but I think there are a few white neo nazi street gangs around there. I'd be more worried about the latino gangs in san fer.

Penelope, whatever happened to the Wo Hop To (sp?) that tried to establish an organzation in the Bay Area? Does anyone else out there know what the current status of asian organized crime is in California?

curious Monday, November 05, 2001 at 21:30:21 (PST)

Well, i just don't understand why it have to start in the first place...and we need this gangs out of the streets and everywhere else...but, if it dosen't stop then, we have nothing else to do but let them do it!why be scare of their crime..if they can't do your our games.
no names Monday, November 05, 2001 at 09:58:17 (PST)

NEWEST COMMENTS | EARLIER COMMENTS