Koreatown, Los Angeles

Koreatown
City of Los Angeles Koreatown marker
City of Los Angeles Koreatown marker
Nickname: 
"K-Town"
Koreatown is located in Los Angeles
Koreatown
Koreatown
Approximate location in Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°03′42″N 118°18′02″W / 34.0618°N 118.3006°W / 34.0618; -118.3006
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyLos Angeles
CityLos Angeles
Government
 • City CouncilHeather Hutt, Nithya Raman, Mitch O'Farrell
 • State AssemblyMiguel Santiago (D)
 • State SenateMaria Elena Durazo (D)
 • U.S. HouseJimmy Gomez (D)
Area
  (about 150 blocks)[1]
 • Total
2.7 sq mi (7 km2)
Population
 (2008)[1]
 • Total
124,281
 • Density46,208/sq mi (17,841/km2)
 Population changes significantly depending on areas included and recent growth.
ZIP Code
90010, 90005, 90006
Area code(s)213, 323

Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운, Koriataun) is a neighborhood in central Los Angeles, California, centered near Eighth Street and Irolo Street.[2]

Koreans began immigrating in larger numbers in the 1960s and found housing in the Mid-Wilshire area. Many opened businesses as they found rent and tolerance toward the growing Korean population. Many of the historic Art Deco buildings with terra cotta façades have been preserved because the buildings remained economically viable for the new businesses.[3]

Despite the name evoking a traditional ethnic enclave, the community is complex and has an impact on areas outside the traditional boundaries. While the neighborhood culture was historically oriented to the Korean immigrant population, Korean business owners are creating stronger ties to the Latino community in Koreatown.[4] The community is highly diverse ethnically, with half the residents being Latino and a third being Asian. Two-thirds of the residents were born outside of the United States, a high figure compared to the rest of the city.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Koreatown". Los Angeles Times Neighborhood Project. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GNIS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hawthorne, Christopher (November 29, 2014) "KOREATOWN'S COOL OLD BUILDINGS POINT TO L.A.'S FUTURE" Los Angeles Times (online).
  4. ^ "L.A. Koreatown Businesses Catering to Booming Latino Population". New American Media. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2013.