Traditionally, Koreans migrated and settled in large metropolitan areas, such as New York or Los Angeles. But since 2000, Korean immigrants seem to avoid settling down in big cities, choosing to start their "second lives" in smaller cities or even small towns. As a result, the Korean population of New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles is dropping in numbers, as Koreans opt for small towns or mid-sized cities. The first reason for this shift is financial; the second is the sense of ease Koreans feel in smaller towns.
On March 16, Professor Min, Pyong-gap, the director of the Research Center for Korean Community at Queens College, reported the results of a recent study, "New Trends of Settlement Among U.S. Korean Immigrants," co-authored with Prof. Chi-gon Kim, at Wright State College in Dayton, Ohio. He announced that the Korean population of 10 so-called "gateway cities for Korean immigrants," (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, among others), which had experienced a steady increase in population until 2000, were now seeing a drop in the numbers of Korean residents.
This trend has seen the Korean population increase in small towns or mid-sized cities, especially in the southern and western portions of the United States, bringing about a more even distribution of Korean immigrants across the entire continental United States. This phenomenon appears to be unique among Korean immigrants; the other Asian immigrant populations still seem to concentrate in large cities, principally in New York and Los Angeles.
The statistics on the community's population shifts are not too dramatic. In 2000, 68.6 percent of Korean immigrants was spread over the 10 largest cities in the country; in 2008, this number had dropped to 66.4 percent, with individual cities showing corresponding drops. For example, the Korean-American population of Chicago went from 19 percent to 16 percent. The move out of the largest cities increased the immigrant population of mid-sized cities such as Dallas, Atlanta, and Seattle.
The co-researchers Prof. Pyong-gap Minand Prof. Chi-gon Kim, who released their report at Yollin Konggan (Open Space), in Flushing, stated that due to the continued serious long-term economic depression, Korean immigrants have moved to cities located in Southern United States. According to the report, there are several reasons for this migration: as mentioned, the primary reason is financial; the second largest reason is the development of technology and communications; followed by the convenience that many Koreans experience in these areas as more immigrants settle in the area and develop businesses.
The financial situation is the United States has made life in large cities unaffordable for many, and Korean immigrants are no exception. With costs for housing, groceries, etc. lower in the South or in mid-sized cities, many immigrants see no other choice but to move. When such relocation occurs, it sustains population growth by attracting new overseas immigrants directly to these expanding communities and populations. And, while Korean T.V. and radio were not available in many small towns or even mid-sized cities in the past, the influx of immigrants has brought Korean-language broadcasting to almost all American cities. Large Korean markets are also opening in new areas, making essential foods and products available.
This report is the outcome of a study by the Research Center for Korean Community that examined data collected by the federal census surveys in the years 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000, and by American Community Survey (ACS) surveys in local communities conducted between 2005 and 2008. This report, which also looks at population changes in the greater New York and New Jersey metropolitan region, predicts that in 2010, the Korean population of Bergen County, N.J. will surpass that of New York City. This increase is due, in part, to the exodus from Flushing, Queens to Fort Lee, across the Hudson River, where Koreans find a good educational environment, ease of transportation to and from New York, and an adequate social welfare system. Many Korean companies are also involved in this exodus.
