| Thai Town | |
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| — Neighborhood of Los Angeles — | |
| The Thai Plaza in Thai Town | |
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Thai Town
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| City | Los Angeles |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
Thai Town (Thai language: ไทยทาวน์) is a neighborhood of Los Angeles centered along Hollywood Boulevard between Normandie Avenue and Western Avenue in East Hollywood.
The area contains many Thai restaurants, markets and shops, including import stores, silk clothing stores and massage spas.
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The area is served by the Metro Red Line subway at the Hollywood/Western station in addition to Metro Rapid bus lines 757 & 780 and Metro Local bus lines 180, 181, 206, 207, & 217.
Los Angeles has the largest Thai population outside of Thailand. Roughly 80,000 of California's estimated 120,000 Thai Americans live in Los Angeles.[1] It is also home to the world's first and only Thai Town. In 2002 there was an estimated 80,000 Thai immigrants living in Los Angeles. Thai Chinese are also included in the population. Because of this, Los Angeles is sometimes referred to as Thailand's 78th province. Like Los Angeles, Bangkok (Thailand's capital) is known as "the City of Angels" (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Bangkok's official name, means "the City of Angels").
On the first Sunday in April, Thai Town celebrates Songkran, the Thai New Year, by closing off Hollywood Boulevard within its boundaries, and setting up food stands and entertainment on the street along with a parade on Hollywood Boulevard from New Hampshire Avenue to Winona Boulevard.[2]
Thai Town began in the 1960s when many Thais went to Los Angeles to study (as a result of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965); many decided to stay and open businesses. A 1980s regional financial crisis led many Thais to come to Thai Town and find work.[3] City Council designated the neighborhood on October 27, 1999; during that time it had many of the estimated 80,000 Thais in Southern California.[4]
In July 2008, Laura Bush, the First Lady of the United States, granted the neighborhood recognition as a "Preserve America" community. This makes Thai Town eligible for $250,000 in "Preserve America" grants and $250,000 in other private and public grants.[3]
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