Koreatown, Manhattan
Encyclopedia
Koreatown, or K-town as it is colloquially known, is a neighborhood in the New York City
borough
of Manhattan
, that is generally bordered by 31st and 36th Streets and Fifth Avenue
and Sixth Avenue
s. Its location in Midtown Manhattan
is close to the Empire State Building
and Macy's
at Herald Square
.
The Koreatown area of Manhattan is primarily a Korean business district, as few people actually live in the area. However, in recent years, the district has seen an increase in Korean and European traffic as well. There was never a formal plan or agreement to create a Korean commercial district in Manhattan. However, given the high tourist traffic stremming from its proximity to the Empire State Building, Garment District
, Flower District, among many others, it was an ideal place to which Korean immigrants could move. Initiated by a bookstore and a handful of restaurants, Koreatown sprang into being. With their success, more and more Korean-owned businesses took root in the neighborhood, coinciding with increased immigration from Korea
. Along with the Koreatowns in Bergen County
, New Jersey
and in Flushing, Queens
in New York City, Manhattan's Koreatown serves as the nexus for an overall Korean American
population estimated at 201,393 individuals in the Greater New York
Combined Statistical Area
, the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea. According to the 2000 Census, a slightly larger area including Koreatown was 46 percent Asian
.
, also known as "Korea Way." Though only one city block long, Korea Way features stores and restaurants on multiple stories, with small, independently-run establishments reaching up to the third or fourth floors. The New York City Korean Chamber of Commerce estimates there are more than 100 small businesses on Korea Way.
The street features numerous restaurants that serve both traditional and/or regional Korean cuisine and fusion fare, several bakeries, grocery stores, supermarkets, bookstores, video rental shops, tchotchke
and stationery shops, hair and nail salons, noraebang
bars, nightclubs, as well as cell phone service providers, internet cafes, doctors' offices, banks, and hotels. Approximately twelve 24/7
restaurants conduct business on Korea Way.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, that is generally bordered by 31st and 36th Streets and Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
and Sixth Avenue
Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)
Sixth Avenue – officially Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown"...
s. Its location in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
is close to the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
and Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
at Herald Square
Herald Square
Herald Square is formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Named for the New York Herald, a now-defunct newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area...
.
Garment District, Manhattan
The Garment District, also known as the Garment Center, the Fashion District, or the Fashion Center, is a neighborhood located in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The dense concentration of fashion-related uses give the neighborhood, which is generally considered to span between Fifth Avenue...
, Flower District, among many others, it was an ideal place to which Korean immigrants could move. Initiated by a bookstore and a handful of restaurants, Koreatown sprang into being. With their success, more and more Korean-owned businesses took root in the neighborhood, coinciding with increased immigration from Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. Along with the Koreatowns in Bergen County
Koreatown, Palisades Park
Koreatown, Palisades Park, or Palisades Park Koreatown, in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and in Flushing, Queens
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
in New York City, Manhattan's Koreatown serves as the nexus for an overall Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
population estimated at 201,393 individuals in the Greater New York
Greater New York
Greater New York or Greater New York City may refer to:* the statistical New York metropolitan area consisting of New York City and surrounding counties of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania...
Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
, the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea. According to the 2000 Census, a slightly larger area including Koreatown was 46 percent Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
.
Korea Way
The heart of Koreatown is the segment of 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and BroadwayBroadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
, also known as "Korea Way." Though only one city block long, Korea Way features stores and restaurants on multiple stories, with small, independently-run establishments reaching up to the third or fourth floors. The New York City Korean Chamber of Commerce estimates there are more than 100 small businesses on Korea Way.
The street features numerous restaurants that serve both traditional and/or regional Korean cuisine and fusion fare, several bakeries, grocery stores, supermarkets, bookstores, video rental shops, tchotchke
Tchotchke
Tchotchke are small toys, gewgaws, knickknacks, baubles, lagniappes, trinkets, or kitsch. The term has a connotation of worthlessness or disposability, as well as tackiness, and has long been used by Jewish-Americans and in the regional speech of New York City.The word may also refer to swag, in...
and stationery shops, hair and nail salons, noraebang
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
bars, nightclubs, as well as cell phone service providers, internet cafes, doctors' offices, banks, and hotels. Approximately twelve 24/7
24/7
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...
restaurants conduct business on Korea Way.
See also
- KoreatownKoreatownKoreatown is a term to describe a Korean ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area. Similar terms may include Little Seoul or Little Korea.-Beijing:There are more than 150,000 Koreans living in Beijing...
- Koreatown, Palisades ParkKoreatown, Palisades ParkKoreatown, Palisades Park, or Palisades Park Koreatown, in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea....
- List of Korea-related topics
- KoreansKorean peopleThe Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
- List of U.S. cities with significant Korean American populations