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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
San Diego: Asian American Boomtown?
an Diego doesn't have much of an Asian American history. That could be one reason it may have the brightest future of any Asian American city.
Between 1992 and 2002 the area's Asian American population jumped a spectacular 44%. Its current AA population of 360,000 -- the nation's 10th largest -- is only 12% of the 3,000,000 in the San Diego metro area, but the growth trajectory remains strong due to a steady influx of Asians drawn to the area's paradisial climate and growth potential.
AA Boomtown?
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The area's emerging prominence as the nation's biotech capitol promises to be an growth engine and a powerful magnet for ambitious young Asian Americans. La Jolla, the city's ritziest neighborhood, is home to talent incubators like the Scripps Research Institute, the nation's biggest private research organization. La Jolla is also home to UC San Diego, a top bio engineering power. It doubled its Asian enrollment from 22% of undergraduates in 1991 to 43% in 2002, nearly equal to Whites (44%). The balance is tilting toward Asians. The 2001 freshmen class is 46.5% Asian and 42% White.
The area is also attracting a disproportionate share of other growth industries like software, communications, defense and entertainment, accelerating the escalation of housing prices, not to mention its traffic congestion.
Perhaps because of its blue-sky economic climate and white-collar demographics, San Diego seems to have been hospitable to Asian success. A Corean American architect named C. W. Kim designed several prominent features of its sparkling seaside skyline, including the Emerald Plaza, the Marriott and the First National Bank building.
The city's first Asian success story was Ah Quin, a Chinese immigrant who made a name as a merchant and labor broker during the 1880s when only a few hundred mostly male Chinese made up the city's entire Asian population. Many of those early settlers came to dominate a thriving fishing industry that supplied not only San Diego but Chinese communities on both sides of the Pacific. Today all that remains to commemorate that first small wave of Asian immigrants is the Chinese Museum near Marina Park in the Gaslamp District.
The majority of Asian San Diegans arrived with the wave that began in the late 1960s. Today the city's Asian presence is most visible in the Convoy area located in a triangle formed by the I-805 to the west and Highways 52 and 163 respectively to the north and east. Convoy, Clairemont Mesa Blvd and other streets are lined with Vietnamese, Chinese, Corean, Japanese and Thai eateries, markets, pearl tea shops and business offices. Making up nearly a third of the area's Asians, and its fastest-growing Asian population, Vietnamese have established visible commercial stretches as well in the El Cajon and Mira Mesa districts.
Is San Diego an Asian American boomtown in the making? Or is it destined to become just another L.A. South?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:56:56 PM)
There has been a remarkable growth in the As-am presence in SD over the last decade and this is likely to continue for the forseeable future for all the reasons the author cites. Of equal or greater concern is the fact that this growth is parallelled by a growth in the incidence of urban problems in the SD As-Am. community. Very few of the Asian-communities communicate with one another, As-Am organizations in the area are primarily for social rather than acivist purposes, there is virtually no unified political action amongst Asians; there is a rising level of gang activity, of both local and imported origin. In other words, the same range of social ills that have developed in other "As-Am boomtowns" are manifesting themselves. Therein lies the real challenge-to develop awareness and response of the down side as well of the upsides of As-Am boom towns.
Cute remarks about superficialities and claims of geographic or urban superiority do little to advance the level of discourse.
As-Am attorney in San Diego
jjlee3dson@earthlink.net
Saturday, June 22, 2002 at 17:19:51 (PDT)
To: 007 who really doesn't know anything
I only used Rowland Heights as an example. I didn't say that it was anything special like NY or something. So don't fool yourself into thinking that you have made some great point!!!
"Downtown San Diego, while already having a premier nightlife, have the potential to be one of the great central business ditricts in the United States within the next 10-15 years."..007
HA HA...You've got to be kidding me!!!!
What business districts!!! It's nothing compared to San Francisco's financial district!!! Last time I checked the Federal Reserve Bank didn't have one of its districts located in San Diego of all places. Guess where the 12th district is at!!! San Francisco(West Coast)!!!!
"Even with its large Asian population, San Diegans have little history of racism towards Asians." 007
I have friends from SD and they see racism all the time. Most of my Filipino friends always talk about how lots of Filipinos and Blacks don't get along in certain parts. I know someone who grew up in ocean side and always talked about whites discriminating against other minorities. And when you go to the clubs down there don't most people party with their own groups! I mean don't get me wrong.....It's like that everywhere but its pretty sad when you talk about no racism and can't really back it up!!!
"Do you really need culture influence from every Asian culture to become an AA boomtown???? The answer is NO." 007
Isn't the whole point of this to talk about what SD has to offer Asains. DIVERSITY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME!!! Every Asain race should be comfortable and happy when talking about an Asain boom town!! Most of the Asains there seem to be Filipino and there are no Chinatowns or Japantowns!!!! ITS ALL ABOUT WHAT A CITY HAS TO OFFER ASAINS NOT JUST FILIPINOS!!!!!! Thats all I ever see when I go there (and I'm always bored).
Besides what does SD have anyways!!! "SD is boring" is right when he said that all you have there is a zoo and an animal park!!HA HA HA....Its true isn't it!
"Even though there are no officially Chinatowns, there are Asian districts that runs along some of the city's great boulevards, which includes supermarkets, resturants, karoake bars, cafe shops, pool halls, etc."..007
HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
Karoake bars and pool halls! Is that all Asain people there have to offer their communities!!! Thats pathetic if its true!!! Which it probably is!!!
"San Diego is probably "the best kept secret" in terms of AA cities."..007
Hmmm...Ever been to the San Francisco Bay Area!!! We've got more to offer than SD.
By the way..."Remember Super Bowl XXXIX!!"
San Francisco 49, San Diego 26
So before you start talking about somebody not knowing anything maybe you should think about what you say first!!!
JUST ANOTHER BORING TOWN!!!
A Cute Filipino Guy Who Knows
Saturday, June 22, 2002 at 11:07:53 (PDT)
"Why do you keep bringing up Rowland Heights?!?! Who the hell goes there?
True, its has a big asian population. (about 50% of the 48,000 people live there are Asians)"
I'm curious. How did Rowland Heights come to be as such a highly populated Asian area? What about that particular locale attracted so many of them there?
"Have you ever took a cruise down the San Diego's 70 miles of coastline on a weekend?! Life in paradise..."
Whether natural scenery is nice or not has nothing to do with its potential to become an Asian "boomtown." Florida and South Carolina also have stunning coastline. Are they Asian "boomtowns?" NOT!
TSJ
Eric@KristinKruek.net
Friday, June 21, 2002 at 22:56:30 (PDT)
To: A cute filipino guys who knows
Why do you keep bringing up Rowland Heights?!?! Who the hell goes there?
True, its has a big asian population. (about 50% of the 48,000 people live there are Asians) but there are no malls, clubs, "good" resturants, etc. The only thing that I can think of thats worth goin to is the Life Plaza, which gets boring after 2-3 trips. I live like 5 min from RH, and lets jus say i would rather drive 20 miles to Little Saigon, or 15 miles to Valley Blvd to hang out, or even buy food.
San Diego is probably "the best kept secret" in terms of AA cities.
"The balance is tilting toward Asians. The 2001 freshmen class is 46.5% Asian and 42% White"
- Most of the graduates from the highly reputable UCSD will settle in the city after graduation. With that, comes bio-chem engineers, entrepreneurs, and with all the computer majors, the next internet boom will probably be here. Downtown San Diego, while already having a premier nightlife, have the potential to be one of the great central business ditricts in the United States within the next 10-15 years.
Have you ever took a cruise down the San Diego's 70 miles of coastline on a weekend?! Life in paradise....
San Diego is sometimes criticize for not having an established Asian
"enclaves." (Little Tokyo, Chinatown, etc.) But it must be noted that many of these neighorhoods developed throughout major U.S. cities because of hatred from others. Even with its large Asian population, San Diegans have little history of racism towards Asians.
Even though there are no officially Chinatowns, there are Asian districts that runs along some of the city's great boulevards, which includes supermarkets, resturants, karoake bars, cafe shops, pool halls, etc.
So before you go bash "the next AA boomtown," first find a place to compare it to. Rowland Heights?!?! Not even in the same league. Orange County, thats better. As much as I love OC, i gotta remember that it is just a big suburb, no real central area; no city pride. Always connected to LA....Can never be a true metropolitan area of its own.
"San Diego is not a real Asian American boomtown!!!! I mean there's lots of filipinos and viets. But what about chinese, coreans, and japanese? They don't have much cultural influence out there...." - a cute filipino ....
Do you really need culture influence from every Asian culture to become an AA boomtown???? The answer is NO. Jus look at other cities' history. I guess "a cute filipino guys that knows" really doesn't know anything.
007
Thursday, June 20, 2002 at 16:43:07 (PDT)
San Diegan
San Diego is not a real Asian American boomtown!!!! I mean there's lots of filipinos and viets. But what about chinese, coreans, and japanese? They don't have much cultural influence out there. I mean really, it's not like Orange County, or Rowland Heights or anything! There's not much ASAIN DIVERSITY OUT THERE!!!
I never heard many Asains say that SD was a haven. Besides it doesn't have a popular Chinatown like SF, nor does it have a Corea town like LA.
So if you want to know if SD is a boomtown for Asain Americans, the answer is probably not. Unless you are Filipino. But if you're not then the city doesn't really have that much to offer.
I will give you this. It is a lot cleaner than LA!!!! =p
A Cute Filipino Guy Who Knows!
Wednesday, June 19, 2002 at 18:17:06 (PDT)
san diego doesn't have anything la doesn't have except the zoo and animal park. I wouldn't kick it there for more than a couple hours.
sd is boring
Wednesday, June 19, 2002 at 11:04:52 (PDT)
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