Little Manila
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little Manila (also known as Manilatowns or Filipinotowns) is term that refers to a community with a large Filipino expatriate and descendant population.
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[edit] United States
[edit] California
The Golden State is host to the largest Filipino constituency of any of the United States. About 2 million residents are of Filipino background and it is the primary destination for Filipino immigrants and tourists.
[edit] Southern California
[edit] Los Angeles County
According to the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles, there are more than 1 million Filipino Americans in the sprawling Southern California Area.[1] There are several Little Manilas in the Los Angeles area, including major ones in Historic Filipinotown, Eagle Rock, Panorama City, Artesia, East Hollywood, Anaheim, Carson, Cerritos, Long Beach, Glendale, Diamond Bar, and Covina near Los Angeles, where these areas contain middle-upper, middle-middle and middle-lower class Filipino American populations.
West Covina contains a small smatter of strip malls on Azusa Avenue and Amar Road, filled with tiny Filipino immigrant-owned shops and anchored by two Filipino American supermarket chains — Seafood City and Island Pacific Supemarket. Some Philippine fast food chains operate there such as Chowking (offers Filipinized Chinese food), Jollibee, Goldilocks Bakeshop, Red Ribbon and Pinoy Pinay. There is a short street called Manila Way, which connects two plazas together.
There are also growing Filipino populations in the West SF Valley, Santa Clarita, San Diego (a large Filipino community developed in the Miramar/Mira Mesa district) and the Inland Empire of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Filipinos settled in large numbers as agricultural laborers in the California Desert (the Coachella and Imperial Valleys).
Historic Filipinotown, also known as Hi-Fi or P-Town colloquially, is a district of Los Angeles, California, located between Westlake and Echo Park. Specifically, the district is bounded by the 101 Freeway to the north, Beverly Boulevard to the south, Hoover Street to the west, and Glendale Boulevard to the east, northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. It was created by a resolution proposed by city councilmember Eric Garcetti on August 2, 2002. The crosswalks in Filipinotown have been decorated with traditional Filipino basket weaving patterns.
Historic Filipinotown is historically one of the few areas where Filipinos first settled in Los Angeles during the early part of the 20th century. Many Filipino-American families began purchasing homes and establishing businesses in the area beginning from the 1940s, shifting away from the Little Tokyo area in the 1920s and the Bunker Hill area later.
In modern times, Historic Filipinotown reflects the polyglot nature of Los Angeles. While the district still has a sizable Filipino population, they are in the minority, overshadowed by a sizable Mexican and Central American population. Nevertheless, the area still has one of the highest concentrations of Filipino Americans in Southern California and still remains the cultural heart of Filipinos throughout Los Angeles. Of the 100,000 Filipinos that reside in the City of Los Angeles, an estimated 6,900 are within Historic Filipinotown.
The Historic Filipinotown Chamber of Commerce leads the effort for commercial expansion in the area. Many Filipino service organizations and institutions, such as the Remy's on Temple Art Gallery, Tribal Cafe, Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), Filipino American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA), People's CORE, Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI), and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), are located in Historic Filipinotown. The area is also host to many Filipino restaurants, medical clinics and churches, including St. Columban Filipino Church, the first Filipino Catholic church in the United States (founded in 1946).
[edit] San Diego
Additionally, National City near San Diego has many Filipino residents, as does the Mira Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, often referred to as "Manila Mesa, " and Rancho Penasquitos, referred to as "Pinoysquitos." Henceforth, Filipino-Americans form the largest Asian-American subgroup, at almost 10% of the entire San Diego population. Seafood City, Jollibee, Goldilocks Bakeshop, are just among the Filipino businesses that proliferate the San Diego area.
[edit] Northern California
Historic Little Manilas exist in San Francisco's South of Market and Excelsior districts, and in Stockton. Daly City, a neighboring city of San Francisco, boasts a large Filipino constituency, 33% of the city's population. Vallejo, a city north of San Francisco, also boasts having a large Filipino population, roughly 25% of the population. Hercules, a city in the Eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, also has a large percentage of Filipinos, 25% of the total population of the city. San Jose has one of the largest Filipino communities in Northern California. Milpitas, a city northeast of San Jose, has a sizable Filipino population. Lathrop, California, has a Filipino population and make up at least 10% of the city's population. Union City, a city east of San Francisco, also has a large Filipino community and boasts many Filipino-owned businesses on all corners of the intersection of Dyer St. and Alvarado Blvd. Most of these areas are served by Filipino chains such as Island Pacific, Seafood City, Goldilocks Bakeshop, Chowking, Jollibee, and Red Ribbon.
[edit] Hawaii
Hawaii's known for its unique demographic structure, in which it does not have a specific majority group. The Filipino-American community make up about 23% of the state's entire population and is only second their Japanese-American counterparts. Its geographic confines contain as many as 275,000 Filipinos (2000 Census) [1] and receives an annual amount of 4,000 new Filipino immigrants. The Filipino Americans are also responsible for making Hawaii the most dense Roman Catholic state in the Union.
The Filipino Community Center is the largest Filipino establishment of any kind in the United States. It is currently celebrating the Filipino Centennial, which commemorates 100 years of Filipino immigration and contributions to the state [2].
The census designated place of Waipahu, on the island of Oahu, has a majority Filipino population. Many of them are immigrants of the Philippines, and the streets of Waipahu have many small Filipino owned businesses. Waipahu could be considered as "Hawaii's Little Manila"
[edit] Guam
Guam's Filipino community also has a large percentage in the population, which is said to compromise about 26 percent. Besides the indigenous Chamorro population, they are the 2nd largest ethnic group on the island. Large populations of the Filipino communities are concentrated mostly in the Dededo, Yigo and Agat villages.
Although Guam has no official Little Manila, the Dededo and Harmon location is outlined with Filipino restaurants, barbecue stands, swap meets, karaoke bars, lounges and other Filipino owned business establishments.
Guam has its share of Filipino lawmakers, whether they come of full blooded to half blooded, from the Espaldons to the Lamorenas, You will find a politician who has family ties to a Filipino. When election time comes around, politicians always try to get the Filipino vote in order to gain the upper hand as they are one of the largest voters on island.
Filipinos have been a major influence to Guam's history and culture. They have mixed with the indigenous population from the time of the Spanish occupation, Manila trade galleons, and up to this present day. Today, it is known through historical facts and studies that the majority of the native population (Chamorro) have Filipino ancestry somewhere along the line.
[edit] New York
New York City's population is 1.8% Filipino. A few Filipino enclaves exist in New York City. New York State's cumulative Filipino population is said to be at 220,000.
[edit] Queens
In the borough of Queens, many Filipino businesses have sprung up in the past decade. Queens is home to 98,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Americans and has the largest Filipino population among the five boroughs. The Filipino-American community is also the fourth largest Asian-American subgroup in the borough and makes up about 4.2% of the entire population of Queens. Tagalog is also one of the ten most spoken languages in the borough.
The Benigno Aquino, Jr. Triangle is located at 184th Place south of Hillside Avenue, is in Hollis. It is in commemoration of the assassinated Philippine oppositionist senator. The Philippine-American Center that is hosted by the Filipino American Human Services, Inc. is located in Hillside Avenue. This area is now known to have a growing Filipino community and many Filipino businesses have started to open such as medical centers, Filipino stores and video rental places, remittance centers, beauty salons, restaurants, etc.
[edit] Woodside
Woodside is known for its concentration of Filipinos. Of the 85,000 residents of Woodside, about 13,000 are of Filipino background. Along the 7 line, known colloquially as the "International Express," the 69th Street station serves as the gateway to Queens' Little Manila. Filipino restaurants dominate the area, as well as several freight and remittance centers scattered throughout the neighborhood. Other Filipino-owned businesses including professional services (medical, dental, optical), driving schools, beauty salons, immigration services, and video rental places providing the latest movies from the Philippines dot the community. Restaurants such as Ihawan, Perlas ng Silangan, BarYo, Renee's Kitchenette, Tipanan, and Krystal's Cafe, are the most popular ones, while Philippine remittance and shipping centers such as Johnny Air Cargo, FRS, Edwards Travel, Apholo Shippers, Macro, Philippine National Bank, and Metrobank are present in the area. Stores such as Eyellusion, Jefelli Photo and Video, Manila Phil-Am Driving, Santos Medical Clinic, Luz-Vi-Minda, Marlyn's Beauty Salon, Bambina Salon, Jan-Mar Technologies, Casino Law Office, Kulay at Gupit, Phil-Am Foodmart, and Nepa Q Mart are also there to serve the thriving Filipino American community.[2]
Jollibee and Red Ribbon, a famous fast-food chain and a popular bakeshop in the Philippines, will open their first respective branches in New York, selecting Woodside, Queens as their location in Summer 2008. [3]
In February 2008, the Bayanihan Filipino Community Center opened its doors in Woodside, a project spearheaded by the Philippine Forum. [4]
[edit] Manhattan
Aside from this location, Filipino restaurants, stores and services have been sprawling throughout Manhattan. Grill 21, Pistahan, Elvie's Turo-Turo, and Johnny Air Cargo are just a few of the Filipino businesses in the district. A high-end Filipino restaurant in Manhattan is Cendrillon, located at Mercer Street. The most recent Filipino restaurant to open in Manhattan is the Bayan Cafe around Midtown. (2006).[5]
The Philippine Consulate of New York has a multipurpose role, aside from its governmental duties and functions, it also caters to many events of the Filipino-American community and even has a school called Paaralan sa Konsulado (School at the Consulate), which teaches new-generation Filipino-Americans about their culture and language. It is known just as the Philippine Center instead of the consulate. The Philippine Center's newly-renovated large edifice is situated in Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and is open to the public on business days and closed on Philippine and American holidays. The building itself is considered as the largest foreign consulate on the strip of the avenue.
New York City also hosts the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade along Madison Avenue on the first Sunday of June. It is also said to be one of the largest parades of any kind in the city and the largest Philippine celebration in the United States. This celebration is a combination of a parade and a street fair. Madison Avenue bursts on this day with Filipino culture, colors and people and is attended by many important political figures, entertainers, civic groups, etc. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senator Charles Schumer are devout attendees of this annual parade.
The Archdiocese of New York designated a chapel named after the first Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila for the Filipino Apostolate. Officially designated as the "Church of Filipinos," or the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz is the second in the United States and only the third in the world dedicated as such.
[edit] Brooklyn
A Little Manila could be seen in Canarsie that has Filipino stores, rental places, and restaurants. This is located around Avenue L and its surrounding areas.
Many Filipinos are in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, consisting of Tagalog, Ilokano, and Visayan speakers. However, there are few edifices of Filipino culture in the Flatbush area.
[edit] Staten Island
Staten Island is home to 12,000 Filipinos and they are the third largest immigrant group to this borough. Despite the distinguishable population, there is no definite place for a Little Manila. Rather, these Filipino establishments, such as Phil Am Foormart, are scattered all over the island, with concentration in the northern part of Staten Island.
[edit] Bronx
Although Bronx does not have a defined Filipino enclave, it is home to at least 10,000 Filipinos. Many of them work in the borough, mostly of medical profession, in local hospitals and medical offices. Several Filipino businesses have come about to serve Bronx's growing Filipino constituency.
[edit] New Jersey
New Jersey is home to a significant Filipino population, numbering at more than 100,000 statewide, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. This number may be closing in to the 200,000 level, in 2006, due to a high birth rate among Filipino-Americans and a significant amount of 8,000 Filipino immigrants annually. While Filipinos can be found across the state, the commercial districts catering to the Filipino community are found mostly in the state's urban areas. State and local governments in the Garden State have significant number of employees of Filipino background and they play a vital role in the state's affairs, issues, and commerce.
Filipino enclaves exist in Bergenfield, Passaic, Union City and Elizabeth.
The Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus hosts the annual Philippine Fiesta, a cultural event that draws Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike from across the New York metropolitan area. The event takes place at the end of August.
In 2006, a Red Ribbon pastry shop, one of the Philippines' most famous food chains, opened its first branch on the East Coast in the Garden State [3]
[edit] Jersey City
- See also: Five Corners, Jersey City
Jersey City has a thriving Filipino community, which is the largest Asian-American subgroup in the city. 7% of Jersey City's population is Filipino. Newark Avenue's strip of Filipino culture and commerce dwarfs that of New York. A variety of Filipino restaurants, shippers and freighters, doctors' officers, bakeries, stores, and even an office of The Filipino Channel made Newark Avenue their home. A park and statue dedicated to Jose P. Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, exists in downtown Jersey City.
Manila Avenue in downtown Jersey City was named for the Philippine city because of the many Filipinos who built their homes on this street during the 1970s. A memorial, dedicated to the Filipino-American veterans of the Vietnam War, was built in a small square on Manila Avenue. In Jersey City, Filipinos are also concentrated around West Side Avenue.
Jersey City is the host of the annual Philippine-American Friendship Day Parade, an event that occurs yearly in June, on its last Sunday. The City Hall of Jersey City raises the Philippine flag in correlation to this event and as a tribute to the contributions of the Filipino community.
An array of Filipino-owned businesses can also be found at the section of West Side Avenue, where many of its residents are of Filipino descent.
[edit] Bergenfield
Bergenfield is considered as Bergen County's Little Manila. It is home to many Filipino businesses, particularly restaurants and bakeshops. Red Ribbon, a popular bakeshop in the Philippines, will open its second branch in Bergenfield, after Jersey City.
[edit] Washington
Washington's population is 4% Filipino, or 252,000, making the Filipino-American community the largest Asian-American subgroup and the sixth largest reported single ancestry in the state.
Seattle has many Filipino enclaves, especially in the southern part of the city. The community even established its own Filipino Community Center that serves to a number of Filipino-American events and as well as creating its own civic organization. The city is also rich with Filipino-American culture, history, and commerce.
Filipino-Americans are active in the state's issues and affairs. Historically, Filipino-Americans have opposed unfairness and racial discrimination within the work force in the 1930s, also many of the Filipino American males were often punished harshly for courting or having sexual relations with White American women. When anti-miscegenation bills were introduced during this period, Filipino-Americans, along with African-American and labor communities mobilized to fight the measure. Velma Viloria, was the first Filipino-American to become a part of the state legislature. Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido of The Seattle Times won Pulitzer Prizes in 1996 for their reporting on fraud in Indian housing programs (Tizon) and on airplane safety (Acohido). Until today, Filipino-Americans in the state are well-respected due to their contributions that are remarked and renowned greatly by most of its residents.
Many of Washington's Filipino-American residents also travel to Vancouver in the neighboring country of Canada to visit their friends and relatives, while many Filipino-Canadians reciprocate this as well.
[edit] Nevada
[edit] Las Vegas
The surge of Filipino immigration to Nevada began later than any other states. It is home to some 90,000 Filipinos, mostly living in the Las Vegas Clark County area. It has a Little Manila that is centered to serve the growing Filipino population and has even accommodated a Goldilock's, one of the Philippines' most popular bakeshops that also has many locations in the neighboring state of California. A mini mall-type Seafood City supermarket, opened in May 2007, also houses Jollibee, Chow King, Red Ribbon, Valerio's Tropical Bakery, a Philippine National Bank and a Bank of the Philippine Islands remittance and banking centers, and other stores. It is now a focal point of Filipino tourists and immigrants and is served by Philippine Airlines, which provides easy access when travelling between the Philippines and Nevada.
[edit] Illinois
[edit] Chicago
Chicago's population is 2% Filipino. Illinois is also home to more than 120,000 Filipinos. Filipinos are the largest Asian-American group in the city and the second largest in the state, short of only 1,000 people from its Asian Indian counterparts. Chicago also has its own version of Little Manilas. Many of these businesses and civic organizations are there to serve the large Filipino community.
Many Filipinos in Illinois date back when Filipino-Americans have begun moving up north from California in hopes of filling in professional occupations. Also, Chicago used to be a focus city of Philippine Airlines, that propelled Filipino immigration to Illinois. It halted its services to the Windy City during the early 90's. Nonetheless, Illinois still receives a large contingency of Filipino immigrants.
[edit] Florida
Since Florida is a primary destination for cruise ships, those who work in them are predominantly Filipino, thus making the Sunshine State as a primary destination for both Filipino tourists and migrants.
Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Wilton Manors, Jacksonville and Tampa also contain decent Filipino enclaves.
[edit] Virginia
[edit] Virginia Beach
Almost 100,000 of Virginia's residents are of Filipino descent. Filipinos in the state are mostly concentrated within the Virginia Beach area. There are several Filipino-owned restaurants, stores, bakeshops, remittance centers, medical offices in Virginia Beach. Many Filipinos serving in the U.S. Navy who were stationed in the area decide to settle down in the area as well.
[edit] Other States
Other Little Manilas begin to pop up in other states. Many of these states and cities that have Little Manilas are:
- Colorado (Denver)
- Georgia (Greater Atlanta Area)
- Indiana (Fort Wayne)
- Louisiana (New Orleans; Shreveport; Baton Rouge)
- Maryland (Aspen Hill)
- Massachusetts (Boston)
- Michigan (Metropolitan Detroit Area; Sterling Heights)
- Oregon (Portland)
- Texas (Houston; Dallas; San Antonio; Austin; Waco)
- Virginia (Virginia Beach)
- Washington, DC
[edit] Canada
[edit] Toronto
Toronto is home to some 250,000 Filipinos. Many Filipino establishments can be found throughout the Toronto area, such as restaurants, remittance offices, and medical offices. Toronto also hosts the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade, which takes place in June.
[edit] Vancouver
About 70,000 Filipinos consider Vancouver home. Many Filipino businesses, particularly Goldilocks, are in the Vancouver area to cater to the Filipino Canadian community. Philippine Airlines also has Vancouver as its focus city, providing easy access for both Filipinos and Philippine-made products.
[edit] United Kingdom
[edit] London
[edit] Australia
[edit] Sydney
[edit] Melbourne
[edit] Italy, Europe
In Palermo, Italy, the predominantly Filipino quarter is called Little Tondo.[6] Italy is home to 60,000 Filipinos alone, but higher numbers are in the United Kingdom (200,000) and Spain whom had ruled the Philippines before the U.S. annexation in 1898. Filipino immigration to Europe has increased since the 1970s in pursuit of better-paying jobs, some of the immigrant workers are young adult men in temporary residency in the European Union still have family in the Philippines, the phenomena is known as "astronaut families". Filipinos might have ethnic sections in other urban centres like Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden and Amsterdam, the Philippines but these aren't called "Little Manilas".
[edit] Problems with term "Little Manila"
Unlike many other Asian nations, the Philippines is not ethnically and linguistically homogeneous throughout the country. Thus, some Filipinos who do not originate from the Manila area, reject the term "Little Manila", feeling that the term dismisses the non-Tagalog peoples and cultures outside of the Manila area. Many opt for the term "Filipinotown" instead, being that it is a non-regional term.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Rene Villaroman (July 10, 2007), LA Consul General Throws Ceremonial First Pitch at Dodgers-Padres Pre-Game Event, Asian Journal Online, <http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=124&a=21464>. Retrieved on 2007-12-11
- ^ Meehan, Peter. $25 and Under; Filipino Comfort Food in Woodside, The New York Times and NYTimes.com, January 5, 2005, retrieved on: 10 June, 2005
- ^ http://www.jollibee.com.ph/index.php?/international/contents/1/1
- ^ http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=175&a=26440
- ^ Bayan Cafe Website, BayanCafe.com, retrieved on: 10 June 2007
- ^ Official GMA TV Network, iGMA.tv, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
[edit] External links
- LittleManila.net, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
- ManilaTown.org, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
- Consulate General of the Philippines, New York, PCGNY.net, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
- Philippine Tourism Office, New York, PhilippineTourism.us, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
- Philippine National Bank, New York Branch, Netcom.com, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
- Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, New York, PhilChamber.org, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
- Philippine Center, San Francisco, California, PhilippineCenterSF.com, retrieved on: 12 June 2007
