Koreatown, Palisades Park
Encyclopedia
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
.
to the south, and has extended northward to Fort Lee Road in the borough of Leonia
. However, the periphery of Koreatown continues to expand rapidly in all directions. Broad Avenue represents the heart of Koreatown. Note that this entire entity is mutually exclusive of the other Bergen County Koreatown which has formed in the nearby borough of Fort Lee
.
, until the 1980s, Palisades Park was overwhelmingly Caucasian
, a mix of blue-collar workers and professionals whose families originated largely from Italy, Croatia, Germany, and Greece. Its houses were inexpensive, and it had a number of vacant shops and offices. In the 1990s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Palisades Park Koreatown. A substantial number of affluent and educated Korean American
professional
s have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies
magnet high school
and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey.
". Along with Koreatowns in New York City
, the Bergen County Koreatowns serve as the nexus for an overall Korean American population of 201,393 individuals in the Greater New York
Combined Statistical Area
, the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea.
zone, according to the Koppen climate classification
, similarly to Seoul
, South Korea
; as Bergen County's coldest month (January) averages above 26.6°F. http://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/ramsey.htmhttp://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/hackensack.htmhttp://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/fairview.htm. In part due to its coastal location and relatively low elevation
at approximately 100 feet above sea level
, its climate is milder than in New Jersey counties further inland such as Sussex County
. Koreatown has a moderately sunny climate, averaging between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine
annually.
Koreatown is served by an extensive transportation network. Interstate 95
, U.S. Route 46, and New Jersey Route 4 all provide access to Broad and Grand Avenues; while Interstate 80
, the New Jersey Turnpike
, U.S. Route 1/9
, New Jersey Route 63
, and County Route 501
also serve the vicinity. The nearby George Washington Bridge
, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, in turn provides access to Palisades Park Koreatown from Manhattan
in New York City
via adjacent Fort Lee, Bergen County. Additionally, New Jersey Transit Bus #127 and New Jersey Transit Bus #166 serve Koreatown with buses to and from New York City.
of Bergen County, published by North Jersey Media Group
, is also ubiquitously available in Koreatown.
, two of Korea's largest multinational corporations, have developed major American headquarters
operations in nearby Bergen County locations.
ship in nearby Hackensack
in January 2011. According to The Record, the U.S. Census Bureau has determined that the county’s Korean American population has grown enough to warrant language assistance during elections.
and the Bergen County Academies both serve the residents of Palisades Park Koreatown.
is now also available in Koreatown.
and English
are both spoken prevalently in Koreatown. Retail signs employing the Hangul
alphabet are ubiquitous.
, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
, and Holy Name Medical Center (the latter affiliated with the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
) serve as medical centers providing Palisades Park Koreatown as well as surrounding communities with comprehensive medical care services.
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
of Palisades Park
Palisades Park, New Jersey
Palisades Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,622....
, Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves
Ethnic enclave
An ethnic enclave is an ethnic community which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area, it may be a neighborhood, an area or an administrative division based on ethnic groups. Sometimes an entire city may have such a feel. Usually the enclave revolves around businesses...
outside of 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...
.
Location
The core of this Bergen County Koreatown itself extends along Bergen Boulevard to the east, Grand Avenue to the west, and U.S. Route 46U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 is an east–west U.S. Highway, running for , completely within the state of New Jersey. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County on the Delaware River...
to the south, and has extended northward to Fort Lee Road in the borough of Leonia
Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,937. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge....
. However, the periphery of Koreatown continues to expand rapidly in all directions. Broad Avenue represents the heart of Koreatown. Note that this entire entity is mutually exclusive of the other Bergen County Koreatown which has formed in the nearby borough of Fort Lee
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
.
History
According to The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, until the 1980s, Palisades Park was overwhelmingly Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
, a mix of blue-collar workers and professionals whose families originated largely from Italy, Croatia, Germany, and Greece. Its houses were inexpensive, and it had a number of vacant shops and offices. In the 1990s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Palisades Park Koreatown. A substantial number of affluent and educated Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
s have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies
Bergen County Academies
The Bergen County Academies is a magnet public high school located in Hackensack that serves the high school population of Bergen County, New Jersey. The school was conceived by the late Dr. John Grieco. The current principal is Russell Davis; Raymond Bath is the vice principal; Dr...
magnet high school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey.
Demographics
The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, 6.3% by the 2010 United States Census, is the highest of any county in the United States, with eight of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population and an absolute total of 56,773 Korean Americans living in the county. The concentration of Korean Americans in Palisades Park in turn is the highest of any municipality in the United States, at 52% of the population. Palisades Park is often referred to as the "Korean villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
". Along with Koreatowns in New York City
Koreatown, Manhattan
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 Avenues...
, the Bergen County Koreatowns serve as the nexus for an overall Korean American population of 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.
Climate
Palisades Park Koreatown lies at the northern edge of the humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
zone, according to the Koppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
, similarly to Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
; as Bergen County's coldest month (January) averages above 26.6°F. http://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/ramsey.htmhttp://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/hackensack.htmhttp://www.idcide.com/weather/nj/fairview.htm. In part due to its coastal location and relatively low elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
at approximately 100 feet above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, its climate is milder than in New Jersey counties further inland such as Sussex County
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
. Koreatown has a moderately sunny climate, averaging between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine
Sunshine
Sunshine is sunlight, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun, especially in the visible wavelengths.Sunshine may also refer to:-Film and television:*Sunshine , a historical film directed by István Szabó...
annually.
Transportation
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...
, U.S. Route 46, and New Jersey Route 4 all provide access to Broad and Grand Avenues; while Interstate 80
Interstate 80 in New Jersey
Interstate 80 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from the New York City Metropolitan Area westward to San Francisco, California...
, the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
, U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 1/9
U.S. Route 9 is a U.S. highway in the northeast United States, running from Laurel, Delaware north to the Canadian border near Champlain, New York...
, New Jersey Route 63
New Jersey Route 63
Route 63 is a short, long state highway in Hudson and Bergen Counties in New Jersey. The route is known as Bergen Boulevard and concurrent with County Route 501 for most of its alignment. The southern terminus is at Kennedy Boulevard and County Route 501 in the community of North North Bergen...
, and County Route 501
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
also serve the vicinity. The nearby George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...
, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, in turn provides access to Palisades Park Koreatown from 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...
in New York City
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...
via adjacent Fort Lee, Bergen County. Additionally, New Jersey Transit Bus #127 and New Jersey Transit Bus #166 serve Koreatown with buses to and from New York City.
News organizations
The Korea Times and the Yonhap News Agency, both news organizations based in Seoul, carry a significant presence in Palisades Park Koreatown. The RecordThe Record (Bergen County)
The Record is a newspaper in northern New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. Stephen Borg is the publisher of The Record...
of Bergen County, published by North Jersey Media Group
North Jersey Media Group
North Jersey Media Group is a newspaper publishing and media firm serving northern New Jersey and headquartered in Hackensack, with a second office in Woodland Park . The firm, owned by the Borg family, publishes The Herald News, which covers Passaic County, out of West Paterson and the state's...
, is also ubiquitously available in Koreatown.
Economic clout
The increasing economic clout of Palisades Park Koreatown and Bergen County's educated and growing professional Korean community is reflected in the prominent Korean corporate presence that continues to evolve in the area. Both the LG Corp. and Samsung ElectronicsSamsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul...
, two of Korea's largest multinational corporations, have developed major American headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
operations in nearby Bergen County locations.
Political clout
The political stature of Koreatown appears to be increasing significantly as well. Bergen County's growing Korean community was cited by county executive Kathleen Donovan in the context of attorney Jae Y. Kim's appointment to Central Municipal Court judgeJudge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
ship in nearby Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
in January 2011. According to The Record, the U.S. Census Bureau has determined that the county’s Korean American population has grown enough to warrant language assistance during elections.
Public high school education
Palisades Park High SchoolPalisades Park High School
Palisades Park Jr./Sr. High School is a five-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in eighth through twelfth grade from Palisades Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Palisades Park Public School District.As of the 2009-10 school year, the...
and the Bergen County Academies both serve the residents of Palisades Park Koreatown.
Center of Korean culture
Koreatown in Palisades Park has emerged as a dominant nexus of Korean American culture.Cuisine
Broad Avenue in Koreatown has been referred to as a "Korean food walk of fame", with diverse offerings. Palisades Park Koreatown now incorporates the highest concentration of Korean restaurants within a one-mile radius in the United States. Korean Chinese cuisineKorean Chinese cuisine
Korean Chinese cuisine is derived from traditional Chinese cuisine but has been influenced by local ingredients in Korea. Due to geographical proximity, most Korean-Chinese dishes are derived from Northern styles of Chinese cuisine such as Beijing and Shandong cuisine. However, some have regarded...
is now also available in Koreatown.
Languages
KoreanKorean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
are both spoken prevalently in Koreatown. Retail signs employing the Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
alphabet are ubiquitous.
Public institutions
Both the Palisades Park Borough Hall and the Palisades Park Municipal Court are located in the area.Medical care
Hackensack University Medical CenterHackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center is a 775-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital located seven miles west of New York City, in Hackensack, New Jersey, providing tertiary and healthcare needs for northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area...
, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is an "acute care teaching hospital affiliated with Mount Sinai School of Medicine" in Englewood, New Jersey, United States....
, and Holy Name Medical Center (the latter affiliated with the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is a network of independent, cooperating, acute-care and community hospitals, continuum-of-care facilities, home-health agencies, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes in the New York metropolitan area....
) serve as medical centers providing Palisades Park Koreatown as well as surrounding communities with comprehensive medical care services.
Social services
A diverse array of social services such as the Korean-American Senior Citizens Association Of New Jersey, Inc., geared toward assisting recent as well as established Korean immigrants, is readily available in Koreatown.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, ManhattanKoreatown, ManhattanKoreatown, 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 Avenues...
- List of Korea-related topics