Asia District, Oklahoma City

Last updated

Oklahoma City's Asia District, also known as the Asian District, is the center of Asian culture and International cuisine and commerce in the state of Oklahoma. It contains the largest population of Asian Americans and descendants from Asia in the state.

Contents

Anchored by the Gold Dome and Classen Building at the intersection of Northwest 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard, and bordered by Oklahoma City University to the west and the Paseo Arts District to the east, the Asian district runs north along Classen Boulevard in central Oklahoma City from roughly Northwest 22nd Street up to Northwest 32nd Street.

The famous landmark "Milk Bottle Grocery" (built in 1910) is situated on Classen Boulevard and unofficially marks the entrance to the district. Scores of restaurants, travel outlets, international video stores, retail boutiques, nightclubs, supermarkets, and Asian-oriented service outlets appeal to Oklahoma City's large Asian populace and tourists alike.

History

Before the area became known for its predominant Asian culture, the area surrounding Oklahoma City University between Classen and 23rd Street was incredibly high in crime and was at one point known as one of the most concentrated Crip neighborhoods in the central United States. Crime in the area began to die down in the mid 1990's, as both the expansion of Oklahoma City University and the influx of Vietnamese families began to push gang activity out of the area.

"Little Saigon" in the current area was first coined in 1975 when thousands of Vietnamese refugees came to Oklahoma City after the fall of Saigon. [1]

The Vietnamese population has continued to grow since the first wave of immigrants landed just across the state line in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. [1] Relatives and friends joined them in Oklahoma City as stories of success reached the homeland in Vietnam, causing the population to grow significantly. The original refugees made Oklahoma City their home thanks to a handful of activists who brought hundreds out of the camp. Each refugee had to have an American sponsor before leaving the Arkansas barracks. The first refugees, most of whom did not speak English, left professional and military careers in Vietnam to become laborers such as brickmakers, builders, and warehouse workers in Oklahoma City. In time, many in the community became lawyers, doctors, and engineers, and started businesses in the Little Saigon portion of Asia District. They opened dental and chiropractor offices, nail salons, and insurance agencies in the area.

Immigrants also created a local chapter of the Vietnamese-American Association and the Vietnamese Buddhist Association, which recently broke ground on a new temple in Asia District.[ citation needed ]

Old Chinatown, Oklahoma City

The Little Saigon-influenced Asia District in North Central Oklahoma City is not the first Asian enclave in the central Oklahoma area, as the city once had an original historic Chinatown [2] underground in Downtown Oklahoma City. Artifacts were discovered in 1969 when excavation occurred for the Myriad Convention Center within the blocks bordered by Sheridan (Grand) Avenue, EK Gaylord Boulevard, Reno Avenue, and Robinson Avenue.

Oklahoma City's Historic Chinatown consisted of a tunnel system underneath buildings and streets in downtown, centered in the vicinity of Main Street and Grand Avenue (now Sheridan) toward Broadway and Robinson Avenues, the extent of which is unknown and likely lost forever. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown–International District, Seattle</span> Historic district in Washington, United States

The Chinatown–International District of Seattle, Washington is the center of the city's Asian American community. Within the district are the three neighborhoods known as Chinatown, Japantown and Little Saigon, named for the concentration of businesses owned by people of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese descent, respectively. The geographic area also once included Manilatown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th arrondissement of Paris</span> Municipal arrondissement in Île-de-France, France

The 13th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as treizième.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Houston</span> Neighborhood of Houston in Harris County, Texas, United States

Chinatown is a community in Southwest Houston, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Saigon</span> Ethnic enclaves of expatriate Vietnamese in some cities

Little Saigon is a name given to ethnic enclaves of expatriate Vietnamese mainly in English-speaking countries. Alternate names include Little Vietnam and Little Hanoi, depending on the enclave's political history. To avoid political undertones due to the renaming of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City, it is occasionally called by the neutral name Vietnamtown. Saigon is the former name of the capital of the former South Vietnam, where a large number of first-generation Vietnamese immigrants arriving to the United States originate, whereas Hanoi is the current capital of Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shun Fat Supermarket</span>

Shun Fat Supermarket is a Chinese Vietnamese American supermarket chain in the San Gabriel Valley region in California, Sacramento, California, San Pablo, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Portland, Oregon and Garland, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatowns in Europe</span>

Urban Chinatowns exist in several major European cities. There is a Chinatown in London, England, as well as major Chinatowns in Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Liverpool. In Paris there are two Chinatowns: one where many Vietnamese – specifically ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam – have settled in the Quartier chinois in the 13th arrondissement of Paris which is Europe's largest Chinatown, and the other in Belleville in the northeast of Paris. Berlin, Germany has two Chinatowns, one in the East and one in the West. Antwerp, Belgium also has an upstart Chinese community.

The NW 39th Street Enclave, also known as "The Strip," "The Gayborhood," "May-Penn," "39th & Penn" or simply "39th Street" is a prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) district in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The area is located along NW 39th Street in the city's northwest quadrant, one block west of Pennsylvania Avenue.

City Heights is a dense urban community in central San Diego, California, known for its ethnic diversity. The area was previously known as East San Diego. City Heights is located south of Mission Valley and northeast of Balboa Park.

Oklahoma City is near the geographic center of the United States and is an integral point on the U.S. Interstate Network. The city is served by numerous roads and highways, toll roads, three major airports, a train station, a bus station, and a transit system.

The City of Oklahoma City uses Special Zoning Districts as a tool to maintain the character of many neighborhood communities.

Uptown is an area of Oklahoma City. It is often bounded by the northernmost edge of downtown Oklahoma to south, and Northwest 23rd Street to the north. The area is known for its upper-scale classical houses, its bar and nightlife district, and being a major cultural hub of Oklahoma City.

"SoSA" is the informal name of a small, inner-city neighborhood near downtown Oklahoma City. A website of the same name was developed by the architect and former resident who coined the term. SoSA is an acronym for "South of Saint Anthony", a reference to nearby St. Anthony Hospital. The name has not been accepted by a majority of the residents as an official designation, nor does the City of Oklahoma City use the term. Officially referred to as the "Cottage District" due to the number of quaint, old-fashioned homes in the area, SoSA is the name for the district used primarily by non-residents and real-estate agents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Argyle Street Historic District</span> United States historic place

West Argyle Street Historic District is a historic district in northern Uptown, Chicago, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 2010. The community covers an area of about 41 acres (0.17 km2); its rough boundaries are N. Glenwood Ave to the west, Winona Street to the north, Sheridan Road to the east, and Ainslie Street to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatowns in the United States</span> Ethnic Chinese enclaves in the United States

Chinatowns are enclaves of Chinese people outside of China. The first Chinatown in the United States was San Francisco's Chinatown in 1848, and many other Chinatowns were established in the 19th century by the Chinese diaspora on the West Coast. By 1875, Chinatowns had emerged in eastern cities such as New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred Chinese immigration to the United States, but the Magnuson Act of 1943 repealed it, and the population of Chinatowns began to rise again. In the 2010s, the downturn in the U.S. economy caused many Chinese Americans to return to China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Vietnamese Americans in Houston</span> Ethnic groups local history

This article discusses the history of Vietnamese Americans and Vietnamese immigrants in Houston, Texas, and its environs. Vietnamese immigration has occurred in Greater Houston, including Fort Bend County and Harris County, since 1975, after the Vietnam War ended and refugees began coming to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Saigon, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

One of the largest Vietnamese neighborhoods in Philadelphia, United States is located in Passyunk Square, a neighborhood in South Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Saigon, Orange County</span> Neighborhood in Orange, California, United States

The Little Saigon district straddling the cities of Garden Grove and Westminster in Orange County, California is the largest Little Saigon in the United States. Saigon is the former name of the capital of the former South Vietnam, where a large number of first-generation Vietnamese immigrants originate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Saigon, Houston</span> Neighborhood of Houston in Texas, United States of America

Little Saigon, also popularly known as Vietnamtown or simply Viet-Town, is a neighborhood in Houston, Texas centered on Bellaire Boulevard west of Chinatown. It is one of the largest Vietnamese enclaves in the United States.

The Vietnamese American community in the Seattle, Washington area is home to a large Vietnamese population of more than 55,000 residents, which is about 1.5% of the metropolitan area's population. Much of the Vietnamese community lives in the Chinatown-International District, South Seattle, and the University District. Many Vietnamese arrived post-Vietnam War during the 1970s. Several thousand arrived at Camp Murray in the 1970s.

References

  1. 1 2 Newman, Colin (February 24, 2012). "Neighborhood Guide: The Asian District". OKC.NET. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Unlocking the secrets of Oklahoma City's mysterious city". June 24, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Oklahoma Images". July 26, 2011. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2017.

35°29′47″N97°32′04″W / 35.49639°N 97.53444°W / 35.49639; -97.53444

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.