Koreatown, Dallas, Texas
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A sizeable Koreatown can be found in north Dallas, Texas (USA), though this mostly commercial area of the city has not been officially designated as such. Instead, large signs situated at the intersection of Harry Hines Boulevard and Royal Lane proclaim the area as the "Asian Trade District." The signs also feature depictions of a red and blue "taeguk," a symbol that is prominently featured on the national flag of South Korea, thereby acknowledging the specifically Korean affiliation of the district. This area in the northwest part of the city is characterized by a large number of Korean-owned businesses serving the city's sizeable Korean American community.
Very few Korean Americans actually reside in the Dallas Koreatown, despite the concentration of Korean American commercial enterprise there. Most of the Korean Americans in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area reside elsewhere in the two cities or in their many suburbs. As a result of this, there are relatively few Korean churches, often considered the social centers of Korean American communities, in the Koreatown area. Instead, one can find a large number of Korean restaurants, cafes, Korean-style karaoke bars (noraebang) featuring song selections in Korean and English, bars serving soju and fried chicken, Korean grocery stores (including the large Komart grocery store on Royal Lane), gift shops featuring popular Asian cartoon paraphernalia, and discount retail stores.
The influx of these Korean-owned businesses into the area within the past two decades has been credited with revitalizing a once-deteriorating Dallas neighborhood[citation needed], previously characterized by adult entertainment centers and prostitution. Some remnants of this past can still be seen in the area today. There are many Asian massage parlors and bath houses near the intersection of I-35 and Royal Lane, particularly on the Southwest corner. The Sam Moon shopping center (northeast corner of the highly visible intersection of the LBJ Freeway and I-35E), specializing in leather goods and household items, is one Koreatown establishment that proved remarkably popular with non-Korean Americans. Its proprietor has since opened store locations in outlying Dallas suburbs, such as Frisco.
In addition to Koreatown, smaller concentrations of Korean businesses can be found in the Dallas suburbs of Garland (most notably at the intersection of Walnut Street and Plano Road) and Richardson (more notable for its large Chinese and Vietnamese American shopping centers along Greenville Avenue between Arapaho Road and Belt Line Road), Irving, and the Fort Worth suburb of Arlington, among others.
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Bluff View | Devonshire | Far North Dallas | Greenway Parks | Hamilton Park | Koreatown | Melshire Estates | Preston Center | Preston Hollow | Telecom Corridor (Richardson) | Stemmons Corridor | Vickery Meadows | Vickery Place |
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