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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is Orange County the Asian American Dream Come True?
o understand Orange County's unique place in the Asian American consciousness one must reconcile several seemingly conflicting images. First, Orange County has traditionally been one of the state's richest, whitest and most conservative counties. Second, it is home to UC Irvine, easily the most prestigious university in which Asians actually outnumber Whites 2-1 (54% to 28%). Third, it hosts the nation's largest Vietnamese population (145,000). Fourth, it's the home of the import-car racing craze, prompting some to dub UCI the University of Civics and Integras.
Home of the Asian American Dream?
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Stroll around Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza, the nation's toniest shopping center, and you will question the Census figures that place the Asian/Pacific Islander American population at only 460,000 (or 15.3%) of Orange County's 3 million. The crowds of Chinese, Corean and Vietnamese shoppers will convince you it must be 30% or more. In some ways you would be correct. Demographic trends suggest the County's white population is downright geriatric and shrinking at accelerating rates. Including white Hispanics, it is nominally 64% of OC population but it fields barely 44% of public school enrollment.
The fastest growing segment of the population is Asian, with a staggering 65% growth between 1990 and 2000. Already Orange County is the sixth largest AA metro area and is headed toward the number 4 spot by the next census. For one thing Westminster's Little Saigon is the mecca for Vietnamese Americans, one of the nation's two fastest-growing Asian nationalities. In the wake of Saigon's fall in 1975 the first big wave of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants began their American lives in nearby Camp Pendleton before building Little Saigon on parcels of what were once Japanese American strawberry fields and orange groves. Today Little Saigon is easily Orange County's most spectacular ethnic enclave.
Chinese Americans are a distant second in terms of OC's Asian population, with a population of 65,000. Most are professionals who tend to meld into picture-perfect communities like Irvine (30% Asian), Anaheim Hills, Laguna Hills and even ritzy Lemon Heights and Newport Beach. Many are former LA and Bay Area residents fleeing traffic and crime. In the process they helped turn the County into Silicon Valley South.
Not far from Little Saigon is Orange County's own Koreatown stretching over a half mile along Garden Grove Boulevard. With a 60,000 strong community, Coreans are OC's third largest AA population. Like the Chinese, most lead suburban lives, whisking their kids to highly-rated schools in the hushed comfort of Benzes and oversized utes. The County also attracts significant but less visible populations of Filipino, Japanese and Indian Americans. Collectively, Asian Americans are the County's most affluent segment, buying homes valued at twice the county average.
Is Orange County the embodiment of the Asian American dream? Or is it the place where the AA identity goes to die? Or both?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:56 PM)
It's nice that asians have a paradise. I've read some of these posts and one of them is pretty ignorant. Taiwangirl, if i were you i wouldn't even put up taiwan as your making taiwanese like me look bad too. You go to a bar, you see a few vietnamese pick a fight, but you don't know the background of it. What if the guy did something to him, messed with his gf, threw an egg at his car. The fact is you don't know, you think the vietnamese community wants these thugz around? No!
I've seen taiwanese gangsters, i am taiwanese and i see that, why can't you? The smartest guy in my University is vietnamese, the nicest guy is vietnamese, but does this mean they are all nice? No, but does it mean they are all bad? No! Everybody is different!
And wasn't it just a few years ago was it that that taiwanese gangster got shot and 10 thousand of his followers went to his funeral. The taiwanese gang society isn't small, you haven't meet them yet. Stop judging the majority from the few. Being ignorant isn't quite making the asian image look good either.
Mad Taiwan Student
Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 18:19:38 (PDT)
Hey taiwangirl, you think vietnamese people want gangsters around? No, those punks are bad representatives of vietnamese culture. They pick fights (it's ok, everyone does that when young), they say they have pride, but i don't see it coming in from anywhere. You speak like most vietnamese like those people. I once read this somewhere, "i managed to find a thin line separating ignorance and arrogance, but i've managed to erase it." Please understand that ok.
Proud Vietnamese
Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 18:00:45 (PDT)
Oh no no more violent gangster wannabe vietnamese who pick fights for everything and ruin the asian name...
I live in Garden grove and so many times i went to asian clubs with vietnamese picking fights in clubs and poolhalls ruining the athmosphere...
proud of that?
Taiwangirl
taiwan@hotmail.com
Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 16:28:39 (PDT)
I have a question, with a such a large aa population in oc, do aa have much political power? Its one thing to be a majority in a city but does majority get involved it politics? I agree, oc is so clean & new.
oc fan
Tuesday, April 09, 2002 at 09:39:43 (PDT)
Orange County is definitely more suburban than the Los Angeles County and San Francisco Bay are. These are the 3 Asianized metropolis in the whole California state. I am not a Califonian resident, but took a long trip to Cali last summer. I enjoyed all the differences among these three places. If Los Angeles and San Francisco is more metropolitan and bustling, Orange County is more luxurious and healthy atmosphere, especially more spacious. The Little Saigon structure is vastly different from the old traditional Chinatowns due to its more recent arrival of Vietnamese refugee community, it retains the very clean surroundings with trash-free parking lots and "sterile" restroom facilities. I also love Garden Grove with the huge Korean towns with their pretty Korean alphabets. I was mesmerized by the exotic beauty of Korean people (both male and females since through contact and media soap operas). The mixed combination of diverse Asian ethnicities made the Asian community more appealing than others (Hispanics, Anglo White, and African, Carribean..) in terms of languages and culinary specialty. The second thing for its popularity is the proximity to the Disney Land made these communities soon become the tourist destinations like New York's Chinatown. I love to live in California because this is the only place proportionally equal distribution of all ethnics and races than other states. I hope next summer, my Cuban boyfriend will take me to these places again. Vivo Carlos!
Carlos' 365-night-lover
Diem My
Diem My
Monday, April 08, 2002 at 11:29:26 (PDT)
Hey, cool something good. Half my family lives in OC. I am vietnamese, and i am proud that the vietnamese population is growing so strong, and in prestige also. I am happy that vietnamese people live so near a good university. Hmm, i can only be happy for the vietnamese people.
Proud Vietnamese
Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 19:02:24 (PDT)
You materialistic West Coast freaks!,
From the looks of your post, doesn't sound like you've been to OC. But, if you hate suburbia, then you will probably hate OC.
OC, the embodiment of the Asian-American dream? It all depends on what your dream is and what you make of it, whether in OC or any other metropolitan area. Is it a place where the AA identity goes to die? It all depends, but probably too soon to tell since many Asians in OC are fairly recent arrivals. There are sizable communities of Vietnamese, Koreans, Chinese, Taiwanese in OC- they do retain their cultural identity, but that's because many are recent immigrants or 1st generation. Only time will tell who things will turn.
OC is far from perfect- some will love it, other will hate it, other will be indifferent to it. I personally think OC is a pleasant place to live.
Taiwanese-American In OC
Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 10:36:32 (PST)
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