| Koreatown, Manhattan | |
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| — Neighborhood of New York City — |
Koreatown, or K-town as it is colloquially known, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that is generally bordered by 31st and 36th Streets and Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenues. Its location in Midtown Manhattan is close to the Empire State Building and Macy's at Herald Square.
The Koreatown area of Manhattan is primarily a Korean business district, as few people actually live in the area. However, in recent years, the district has seen an increase in Korean and European traffic as well.[1] There was never a formal plan or agreement to create a Korean commercial district in Manhattan. However, given the high tourist traffic stremming from its proximity to the Empire State Building,[1] Garment District, Flower District, among many others, it was an ideal place to which Korean immigrants could move. Initiated by a bookstore and a handful of restaurants, Koreatown sprang into being. With their success, more and more Korean-owned businesses took root in the neighborhood, coinciding with increased immigration from Korea. Along with the Koreatowns in Bergen County, New Jersey and in Flushing, Queens in New York City, Manhattan's Koreatown serves as the nexus for an overall Korean American population estimated at 201,393 individuals in the Greater New York Combined Statistical Area,[2] the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea. According to the 2000 Census, a slightly larger area including Koreatown was 46 percent Asian.[1]
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The heart of Koreatown is the segment of 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, is also officially nicknamed "Korea Way." Though only one city block long, Korea Way features stores and restaurants on multiple stories, with small, independently-run establishments reaching up to the third or fourth floors. The New York City Korean Chamber of Commerce estimates there are more than 100 small businesses on Korea Way.[3]
The street features numerous restaurants[4] that serve both traditional and/or regional Korean cuisine and fusion fare, several bakeries, grocery stores, supermarkets, bookstores, video rental shops, tchotchke and stationery shops, hair and nail salons, noraebang bars, nightclubs, as well as cell phone service providers, internet cafes, doctors' offices, banks, and hotels. Approximately twelve 24/7 restaurants conduct business on Korea Way.[5]