Asia District
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about Asia District in Oklahoma City. For the district in the Cañete Province, Peru, see Asia District, Peru.
Oklahoma City's Asia District is the center of Asian culture and International cuisine and commerce for the state of Oklahoma. It contains the largest population of Asian Americans and descendants from Asia in the state.
Anchored by the Gold Dome and Classen buildings 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 Chinatown-like district runs north along Classen Boulevard in central Oklahoma City from roughly Northwest 22nd Street up to Northwest 30th Street. The famous landmark "Milk Bottle Building" (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.
[edit] History
"Little Saigon," tucked in the heart of barbecue and cowboy country, was born in 1975 when hundreds of Vietnamese refugees came to Oklahoma City after the fall of Saigon.
The Vietnamese population has continued to grow since the first wave of immigrants were dropped just across the state line in Fort Chaffee, Ark. Relatives and friends have followed as stories of success reached their homeland.
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 -- brick makers, builders and warehouse workers. In time, they became lawyers, doctors and engineers, sent their children to American colleges and started businesses.
They opened dental and chiropractor offices, nail salons and insurance agencies. They also created the Vietnamese-American Association and the Vietnamese Buddhist Association, which is breaking ground on a new temple next month.
[edit] Today
In the last 25 years the Vietnamese and other Asian cultures have transformed the strip along N.W. 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard. Revitalization is still occurring at a slow, but steady, pace.
In 1975, there were just three Asian restaurants and no Vietnamese markets as the first refugees arrived after the fall of Saigon. Today there are multitudes of restaurants, nightclubs, shops, asian supermarkets and grocery stores; egg roll wrappers and rice noodles or dim sum brunch and Bubble Tea are no longer hard to find as they predominate the area.
[edit] External links
- Chinatown Oklahoma City, China.net
- AsiaDistrict Official Web Site (defunct)
- Grand House China Bistro
- Oklahoma City Viet Bao Newspaper
- Super Cao Nguyen Asian Supermarket
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