Philadelphia Koreatown Explained

Koreatown
Mapsize:300px
Pushpin Map:Philadelphia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Pennsylvania
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Philadelphia
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Philadelphia
Area Code:215, 267 and 445

The first Philadelphia Koreatown is located around the Olney section of the city of Philadelphia, United States. Since the late 1980s, the Korean community has expanded northward, and it now straddles the border between North Philadelphia in Philadelphia proper and the northern suburb of Cheltenham, although many Korean-American businesses and organizations and some residents remain in Olney and adjoining neighborhoods. Upper Darby Township, bordering West Philadelphia, also has a large Korean-American population;[1] meanwhile, a rapidly growing Korean population and commercial presence has emerged in suburban Cherry Hill, New Jersey since 2010, centered along Marlton Pike, attracted to the Cherry Hill Public Schools.[2] [3] [4] [5] Signage in Hangul is ubiquitous in some neighborhoods in these areas.

History

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Koreatown had "moved" from the Logan neighborhood into the Olney section in the early 1980s, attributing the migration from Logan to "too much crime" and the "schools weren't so good" at the time in Logan.[6] In Olney, tensions were high between Koreans and the German community,[6] as well as the black community, who did not want the section of the town to be officially declared "Koreatown", causing much violence and crime to be committed not only against Koreans, but East Asians in general.[7] The original Koreatown existed on North 5th Street in Olney since 1984, with Korean language signs put up to help official recognition of the area; those signs were vandalized in the late 1980s but eventually resurrected. In 2024, U.S. Representative Andy Kim from Marlton, New Jersey, another South Jersey suburb of Philadelphia with a significant and growing Korean population, became the first elected uniracial Korean American U.S. Senate candidate.

Religion

There is a large Korean Catholic church, Holy Angels.[8]

See also

Gallery

File:From-upper-darby-koreatown-2.jpg|View towards Market Street PA route 3, across from H-Mart, at Terminal Square. The 69th Street Transportation Center is also nearby.File:HMartUpperDarby.jpg|H-Mart in Upper Darby Township, PennsylvaniaFile:CheltTwp 03.JPG|H-Mart and other Korean-American businesses in CheltenhamFile:CheltTwp 04.JPG|More Korean businesses in Cheltenham

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dynamics of Ethnic Identity: Three Asian American Communities in Philadelphia. Jae-Hyup Lee. 1998. 9780815331186.
  2. Web site: A sandwich With a Little Bit of Seoul - The Koagie comes to Cherry Hill. Catherine Laughlin. New Jersey Monthly. April 10, 2012. January 16, 2023.
  3. Web site: ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES - 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates - Cherry Hill township, Camden County, New Jersey. United States Census Bureau. April 26, 2015. https://archive.today/20150427015821/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_5YR/DP05/0600000US3400712280. April 27, 2015. dead.
  4. Web site: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - Cherry Hill township, Camden County, New Jersey - 2010 Demographic Profile Data. United States Census Bureau. April 26, 2015. https://archive.today/20200212102255/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0600000US3400712280. February 12, 2020. dead.
  5. News: Korean Restaurants in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Richard Manfredi, Demand Media. USA TODAY. April 26, 2015.
  6. Web site: 'Koreatown': From Logan Into Olney. Marc Kaufman. The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 13, 1986. April 26, 2015.
  7. Book: The Residential Patterns of Immigrants in Greater Philadelphia: A .... William J. Swiatek. 2008. 9780549387824.
  8. Web site: Holy Angels (Korean). Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. 2020-04-22.