Fullerton Neighborhoods (home, safe neighborhoods, school)

[Justabystander]

What a great post, so full of hate, that you have here!! I am also from an ethnic background, who chose to assimilate,and my children are still taught the language of the homeland. You sound like you have some severe anger issues. Instead of the word ghetto, then, lets use the word ethnic enclave, OK?? I really makes no difference to me, and it changes nothing, and certainly not the exclusion of all other nationalities that is occuring in your area. As for what $ 1 million buys in the Chicago area, in my suburb, frankly not much, and in many cases in some of the better suburbs just a lot with a "tear down" costs more than the average home in the North Orange County area. There are a few Koreans in my kids' school, and a great Korean girl is a friend of my daughter. But there are also, Jews, Italians, Irish, Japanese etc., and they mix beautifully, not to the exclusion of others.

Orange County, or the Orange County that I knew that was less crowded and more beautiful, will never come back. You yourself have said that, and it makes me sad at the loss. But nothing stays the same.

I guess by the term "ghetto" I have offended you as a representitive of the Korean population in Fullerton, and for that I am genuinely sorry. Frankly, I am pretty taken aback at the ugly tone of your post. While you find me insulting, frankly, I find you insulting as well, since you have no idea what I am like as a person. I would definitely bet that I have far fewer racial hangups than you do, and I think my reaction to a place that is so different than the one I knew in my youth is perfectly normal. As for "white flight" my family left because of a job transfer, not to escape change. If we did, we would have gone to Washington. Oregon, or Utah, not a large metropolitan area. God help you and your anger issues!!

And as for your statement "so long and don't come back", I would never come back, because in my view, the golden days of California are gone, and other areas of the country have so much more to offer. Have a great day, my Korean friend.



JUSTABYSTANDER,

good attempt to hide your racists ideas behind knowing what "ghetto" means, so much so you've researched whatever data you could find. Why bother with all that work when its so transparent? Just because the family didn't want them to date? I could find examples of every ethnic background using another to be against dating. That is such a cheesy example.

As a Korean-American former resident of Fullerton for over 20 yrs, I've seen first hand, like yourself, the changes Fullerton has gone thru ( not all good). I've been slighted, not from individuals, but from the establishments (schools, little league, etc) from Fern Drive Elementary, Parks Jr H, to SHHS. I've also been aghast @ some of the poor Far Eastern Manners of my fellow Koreans. I remember being the only Asian in class to graduating with about 100 other Koreans in HS. But never would I say Fullerton is a "ghetto" in any manner and try to hide it under as using it as proper verbage. Although you think you know the facts, your posts validate your failure to understand them.

I know your kind far better than you think you know my kind. Simply put, all those new neighborhoods that are being lived in by Koreans? The city as a whole benefits from those willing to pay such exhorbitant housing costs Koreans are willing to pay for. So when the white establishement (Hughes) leaves, how do you want that space to be used? Like a "ghetto" in South Central, where it becomes a vacant lot or an "Asian Ghetto" like Amerige Hts, full of tax-generating homes that can anchor a large shopping complex? Last I checked, there were other people besides Koreans there. I suppose those wanting only whites would consider that area to be ghetto.

There was a time Fullerton (and rest of OC), went through a tough period when Hughes left and downtown Fullerton was a run down, neglected area. I remember riding my bike to Comic Castle in downtown Fullerton thinking what a dump it was. Its good for everyone that your kind left; those who would prefer that over a new Fullerton, with a vibrant downtown and a new commercial area, a resurgant older communty as well as a hugely successfull in-fill subdivision. a spotlight city in north OC. A city with a solid tax base and responsible citizens (ghettos! in your words)

By your definition, Beverly Hills is "ghetto". Do you know who the mayor is in BH? And what large majority ( and the majority of new) of residence are? Hint: not white

You say these Koreans are not assimilating into American culture since they choose to live near other Koreans? Are these the same people you call residents of a ghetto and choose not to live in anymore because they are not "your kind?" Thats plain silly contradictions & hypocritical! Have you heard of "white flight?" Oops, thats you aint it? You can't live around non-whites and you call any bunch of non-white areas "ghettos". Isn't it this point you are arguing as a reason to you Fullerton is not what it used to be? Wow, you accuse Koreans of not being able to live with others when you can't either.

Have you considered that any group of newcomers might need the support of others when immigrating to another country? If you were to move to another country, wouldn't you want to be around other English speakers? It is happening to Americans: all english-speaking enclaves in Latin America as an example ( Baja & Central America). Do you think these expats will assimilate into Latin America nearly as much as these Koreans will here? Maybe live amongst the natives? (head-rolling laughter!) Them Gringos!

Remember, some of these Koreans are first generation Americans that might be as foreign (ghetto, as you would put it) as your forefathers were back in the day. Its best for everyone that your kind is gone from Fullerton since your kind are unwilling to give these "new" Americans a chance @ Americana. Maybe you should leave the US altogether since whites will be a minority within a generation and you surely don't want to be stuck in a "ghetto country" (Oh Canada!)

BTW, OC now is not what is was in the 70s and it never will be , Koreans or no Koreans.
So long and don't comeback. From your eyes, Fullerton is a $1 million tract home ghetto.

what you should really fear is if these Koreans decide to reinvest into your Midwest (or wherever) areas any buy large chunks of those areas for the same $. Hmmm, what can $1mil buy in Nebraska, Ohio or Illinois?[/quote]

[snb3]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

What a great post, so full of hate, that you have here!! I am also from an ethnic background, who chose to assimilate,and my children are still taught the language of the homeland. You sound like you have some severe anger issues. Instead of the word ghetto, then, lets use the word ethnic enclave, OK?? I really makes no difference to me, and it changes nothing, and certainly not the exclusion of all other nationalities that is occuring in your area. As for what $ 1 million buys in the Chicago area, in my suburb, frankly not much, and in many cases in some of the better suburbs just a lot with a "tear down" costs more than the average home in the North Orange County area. There are a few Koreans in my kids' school, and a great Korean girl is a friend of my daughter. But there are also, Jews, Italians, Irish, Japanese etc., and they mix beautifully, not to the exclusion of others.

Orange County, or the Orange County that I knew that was less crowded and more beautiful, will never come back. You yourself have said that, and it makes me sad at the loss. But nothing stays the same.

I guess by the term "ghetto" I have offended you as a representitive of the Korean population in Fullerton, and for that I am genuinely sorry. Frankly, I am pretty taken aback at the ugly tone of your post. While you find me insulting, frankly, I find you insulting as well, since you have no idea what I am like as a person. I would definitely bet that I have far fewer racial hangups than you do, and I think my reaction to a place that is so different than the one I knew in my youth is perfectly normal. As for "white flight" my family left because of a job transfer, not to escape change. If we did, we would have gone to Washington. Oregon, or Utah, not a large metropolitan area. God help you and your anger issues!!

And as for your statement "so long and don't come back", I would never come back, because in my view, the golden days of California are gone, and other areas of the country have so much more to offer. Have a great day, my Korean friend.



JUSTABYSTANDER,

good attempt to hide your racists ideas behind knowing what "ghetto" means, so much so you've researched whatever data you could find. Why bother with all that work when its so transparent? Just because the family didn't want them to date? I could find examples of every ethnic background using another to be against dating. That is such a cheesy example.

As a Korean-American former resident of Fullerton for over 20 yrs, I've seen first hand, like yourself, the changes Fullerton has gone thru ( not all good). I've been slighted, not from individuals, but from the establishments (schools, little league, etc) from Fern Drive Elementary, Parks Jr H, to SHHS. I've also been aghast @ some of the poor Far Eastern Manners of my fellow Koreans. I remember being the only Asian in class to graduating with about 100 other Koreans in HS. But never would I say Fullerton is a "ghetto" in any manner and try to hide it under as using it as proper verbage. Although you think you know the facts, your posts validate your failure to understand them.

I know your kind far better than you think you know my kind. Simply put, all those new neighborhoods that are being lived in by Koreans? The city as a whole benefits from those willing to pay such exhorbitant housing costs Koreans are willing to pay for. So when the white establishement (Hughes) leaves, how do you want that space to be used? Like a "ghetto" in South Central, where it becomes a vacant lot or an "Asian Ghetto" like Amerige Hts, full of tax-generating homes that can anchor a large shopping complex? Last I checked, there were other people besides Koreans there. I suppose those wanting only whites would consider that area to be ghetto.

There was a time Fullerton (and rest of OC), went through a tough period when Hughes left and downtown Fullerton was a run down, neglected area. I remember riding my bike to Comic Castle in downtown Fullerton thinking what a dump it was. Its good for everyone that your kind left; those who would prefer that over a new Fullerton, with a vibrant downtown and a new commercial area, a resurgant older communty as well as a hugely successfull in-fill subdivision. a spotlight city in north OC. A city with a solid tax base and responsible citizens (ghettos! in your words)

By your definition, Beverly Hills is "ghetto". Do you know who the mayor is in BH? And what large majority ( and the majority of new) of residence are? Hint: not white

You say these Koreans are not assimilating into American culture since they choose to live near other Koreans? Are these the same people you call residents of a ghetto and choose not to live in anymore because they are not "your kind?" Thats plain silly contradictions & hypocritical! Have you heard of "white flight?" Oops, thats you aint it? You can't live around non-whites and you call any bunch of non-white areas "ghettos". Isn't it this point you are arguing as a reason to you Fullerton is not what it used to be? Wow, you accuse Koreans of not being able to live with others when you can't either.

Have you considered that any group of newcomers might need the support of others when immigrating to another country? If you were to move to another country, wouldn't you want to be around other English speakers? It is happening to Americans: all english-speaking enclaves in Latin America as an example ( Baja & Central America). Do you think these expats will assimilate into Latin America nearly as much as these Koreans will here? Maybe live amongst the natives? (head-rolling laughter!) Them Gringos!

Remember, some of these Koreans are first generation Americans that might be as foreign (ghetto, as you would put it) as your forefathers were back in the day. Its best for everyone that your kind is gone from Fullerton since your kind are unwilling to give these "new" Americans a chance @ Americana. Maybe you should leave the US altogether since whites will be a minority within a generation and you surely don't want to be stuck in a "ghetto country" (Oh Canada!)

BTW, OC now is not what is was in the 70s and it never will be , Koreans or no Koreans.
So long and don't comeback. From your eyes, Fullerton is a $1 million tract home ghetto.

what you should really fear is if these Koreans decide to reinvest into your Midwest (or wherever) areas any buy large chunks of those areas for the same $. Hmmm, what can $1mil buy in Nebraska, Ohio or Illinois?

[/quote]

You still here? Guess you're not a person of your word!

You shouldn't call me a hater for calling you out for what you are. But then I guess you have selective reading skills. As a person of "ethnic background" I guess you decided to ignore the portion of my post re:immigrant issues & formation of what you call ghettos I call ethic neighborhoods. You mentioned "exclusions". What are these forced "exclusions" the Koreans are forcing longtime Fullerton residents into?

You can say I loathe persons like yourself who hide behind "I know this one person of this ethnicity so I can't be racist (or xeno)" attitude. If you really had no ill will towards Koreans, it wouldn't matter how many Koreans are around you since they woundn't be victimizing you or your lifestyle. Have they brought the standard of living down in Fullerton in ANY way? Maybe you or those like you are bitter they actually raised it beyond the affordability of those who were here before (myself included somewhat). I live in a neighborhood made up mostly of another ethnic group which by itself I have no issues with. It is a neighborhood nowhere near as nice as Fullerton. But for you, no matter how nice any city is, if there are too many Koreans (or any other ethnicities), it is an unliveable ghetto. Good grief!

Socal has become crowded and relatively unaffordable but @ the same time you fail to acknowledge Fullerton has maintained itself rather nicely. Besides the cost of living and an influx of a certain minority group ( since that matters to you) , Fullerton has improved in many measurables.

And youre right, OC is not what it used to be, for better or worse. Better that there's one less of you. If you find that ugly, I'm sorry, just being honest. But really, if I said an area sucks because they're is too many of your kind, how would you react? Don't answer, I know, you'd call it "my Ghetto". I suppose its best for the both of us. Oh well, just remind youself you brought up the fact you consider yourself to be in a far better place because there are far less of my kind where you're at now. Talk about "racial hangups". Laughable!

Ladi-da! I can see your current neighborhood now....a suburban nirvana with an equivalence to a racial quota, E.O.E.-type deal where there's just enough of everyone and everyone gets along. Perfect setting!
But wait, there's trouble brewing....an ethnic family moves in and gets along particularly well with a long-time resident of the same ethnicity. Shucks, word spreads amongst them and a friend moves in. You're in serious trouble now: their mailbox has a name you can't pronounce. Worse yet, its not even written in ENGLISH!
Your neighborhood is now a certifiable ghetto. What terror!

Let me reiterate: By your standards: Fullerton, Irvine, Westminster, Garden Grove and the rest of OC and Beverly Hills are "GHETTO."

But finally, being the clever thespian you are, can you find me a quote of the word "ghetto" used in proper non-offensive way as you use it?

[Justabystander]

Even though you scare me, seeing that you posted your reply at 2 am in the morning according to this computer, here is what you asked for as far as ghetto definitions in the context that I have used that term. It doesn't take a "clever thespian" as you put it to find these definitions, it only takes a quick google search for "ghetto definition" on the computer. Anyone can find these definitions, even you.

According to project IDEELS, an international collaboration of educators who define general and human-rights related terms:

A ghetto is an area, usually within a city, in which members of a particular cultural, ethnic, religious or national group live in high concentration, whether by choice or force; ghettoization refers to the process of making an area into a ghetto.

According to Wikipedia:

A ghetto is an area where people from a specific background are united in a given culture or religion live in a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion.

Just as I used the definition. All you have to do is look up the facts. I guess according to these definitions, all those towns you mentioned are ghettos. But so too, if you want to get technical, is Larchmont NY (predominantly Jewish ), the Beverly section of Chicago ( Irish ) the North End of Boston (italian), Astoria NY (Greek), and West Hollywood (gay). Its not an economic thing, but a cultural phenomena, which you fail to understand, and choose to spew your hate for those who do not see it your way. You are hypersensitive in the scariest type of way, and I am sorry that I am involved in such a discussion with someone like you.

Moving into a solidly enthnic neighborhood, particularly where they are non-English speaking and have different culltural norms, is not for everybody. Certainly not for me. I have my own culture, and do not have to be overwhelmed by somebody elses, even though their culture has some good attributes ( the Koreans have a strong work ethic and are education conscious, admrable traits ). But if I wanted to immerse myself in the Korean culture, as a prior poster has said, I would have moved to Korea.

I want my children to be exposed to as much diversity as possible, and having them go to Sunny Hills which is now 60% Korean just isn't it. You appear to have such a chip on your shoulder because of past trouble with the "establishment" as you put it, that you are unable to see others point of view. I originally posted here to tell the person moving from the east coast that. if they wanted to live in an ethnic enclave great, but if they do not, to look elsewhere.

I understand that recent immigrants congregate together for safety and acceptance. But in so doing, others who might move into such an area that is solidly ethnic might feel uncomfortable and out of place. Is that hateful or racist? No more so than the people in that neighborhood that have chosen clannishness over integration.

I feel sorry for you. Your view of the world is narrow, and understanding of persons outside of your circle seems to be lacking, If you were offended by my use of ghetto, it was because you never bothered to look up several definitions of the word, only the one that has been popularized. I have been all over the world, including Korea, and know that I want a multicultural way of life for my family. And there is nothing wrong with that, my angry friend.


You still here? Guess you're not a person of your word!

You shouldn't call me a hater for calling you out for what you are. But then I guess you have selective reading skills. As a person of "ethnic background" I guess you decided to ignore the portion of my post re:immigrant issues & formation of what you call ghettos I call ethic neighborhoods. You mentioned "exclusions". What are these forced "exclusions" the Koreans are forcing longtime Fullerton residents into?

You can say I loathe persons like yourself who hide behind "I know this one person of this ethnicity so I can't be racist (or xeno)" attitude. If you really had no ill will towards Koreans, it wouldn't matter how many Koreans are around you since they woundn't be victimizing you or your lifestyle. Have they brought the standard of living down in Fullerton in ANY way? Maybe you or those like you are bitter they actually raised it beyond the affordability of those who were here before (myself included somewhat). I live in a neighborhood made up mostly of another ethnic group which by itself I have no issues with. It is a neighborhood nowhere near as nice as Fullerton. But for you, no matter how nice any city is, if there are too many Koreans (or any other ethnicities), it is an unliveable ghetto. Good grief!

Socal has become crowded and relatively unaffordable but @ the same time you fail to acknowledge Fullerton has maintained itself rather nicely. Besides the cost of living and an influx of a certain minority group ( since that matters to you) , Fullerton has improved in many measurables.

And youre right, OC is not what it used to be, for better or worse. Better that there's one less of you. If you find that ugly, I'm sorry, just being honest. But really, if I said an area sucks because they're is too many of your kind, how would you react? Don't answer, I know, you'd call it "my Ghetto". I suppose its best for the both of us. Oh well, just remind youself you brought up the fact you consider yourself to be in a far better place because there are far less of my kind where you're at now. Talk about "racial hangups". Laughable!

Ladi-da! I can see your current neighborhood now....a suburban nirvana with an equivalence to a racial quota, E.O.E.-type deal where there's just enough of everyone and everyone gets along. Perfect setting!
But wait, there's trouble brewing....an ethnic family moves in and gets along particularly well with a long-time resident of the same ethnicity. Shucks, word spreads amongst them and a friend moves in. You're in serious trouble now: their mailbox has a name you can't pronounce. Worse yet, its not even written in ENGLISH!
Your neighborhood is now a certifiable ghetto. What terror!

Let me reiterate: By your standards: Fullerton, Irvine, Westminster, Garden Grove and the rest of OC and Beverly Hills are "GHETTO."

But finally, being the clever thespian you are, can you find me a quote of the word "ghetto" used in proper non-offensive way as you use it?[/quote]

[snb3]

Ah, its comforting I'm not writing to myself, good to see you back again! This scary person has a non-standard work schedule so 2am (which it wasn't) is not a big-deal for me but you can categorize me as you wish, being open minded as you are.

I really don't have a chip on my shoulder re: my past life in Fullerton. I think I grew up rather privledged, mind you. And if I really had a problem with that place, I wouldn't be returning as often nor would I be actively looking to relocate there. I never had problems with you mentioning what can go wrong when a large group of one minority moves in. Trust me, I'm not blind to whats happened there for the past 20 yrs. Never did I mention it is all good. I specifically mentioned it as otherwise numerous times. I could also agree it is not for everyone. But if ghetto is a correct term for you, why not test yourself and approach an African American and call them a "negro" or a day laborer outside Home Depot an "illegal". Using your logic, I should feel perfectly fine using "negro" in Compton, "illegal" in ELA, or "gay ghetto" in Weho. I'm certain you can wiki those, too. Those terms are proper but what does it really mean to whom its directed @. Would you be smirking and saying "I can't help if you're offended, those are proper terms, just look it up." Would a well travel, open minded person only consider what words mean to you? Not what they mean to the persons its directed to nor how its really used? I don't need to travel around the globe or live in 3 continents to see what you really are. You can call me ugly, scary, whatever you want to marginalize me in your eyes but you need to be straight with yourself and stop being so intellectually dishonest. The ave person will distinguish a "ghetto" from "a place with alot of Koreans". If that was your only issue, I would have no problem with that.

here you are:
So I've been to Korea and Koreans aren't that bad, just as so there aren't that many around. (!!!)

Here I am:
Well, come to think of it, you're not too bad yourself. Just don't tell many of your friends to move in around me, okay? (chuckle!)

we're pretty similar, huh?

here is your quote:

I understand that recent immigrants congregate together for safety and acceptance. But in so doing, others who might move into such an area that is solidly ethnic might feel uncomfortable and out of place. Is that hateful or racist? No more so than the people in that neighborhood that have chosen clannishness over integration.

unnwarranted fear means what?
integration takes a day? year? decade? Is that why there are ethnic "ghettos" in the US almost 200 yrs later?
and where is this "exclusions" you've mentioned?
I think you've defined yourself quite clearly.

[YLresident]

Originally Posted by snb3

I understand that recent immigrants congregate together for safety and acceptance. But in so doing, others who might move into such an area that is solidly ethnic might feel uncomfortable and out of place. Is that hateful or racist? No more so than the people in that neighborhood that have chosen clannishness over integration.

So according to justabystander (as quoted by snb3), because my neighborhood full of White people isn't full of recently immigrated Europeans, it's not a ghetto, right?

But it sounds like justabystander's definition of ghetto really only includes non-White people--or what some people deem as "ethnic" people.

I think it's funny when Americans refer to only non-Whites as ethnic as if White people in America don't have any sort lineage dating back to somewhere other than America. Unless they're Native American, White/Euro-Americans aren't actually Americans when you track back their bloodline (ethnically, not nationally/culturally). But in order to categorize people effectively in the US, that's how it's gotta be done, I guess. It's an interesting world out there in PC-land. ^_^

Anyway, if living in an all same-"ethnic" neighborhood is disconcerting for justabystander, an all White neighborhood should be just as offensive, too--because a whole bunch of White people moved in and other White people noticed, so they moved in, too...

The non-English signs on public businesses in areas like Little Saigon (or other ethnic enclaves or shopping areas) I can understand might be a little weird, but perhaps English-speaking people aren't their target market... Although, I think many of the Vietnamese shops I've gone to have had something somewhere on the front of their store in English to describe what type of store they are--even if I still don't know what any of it is when I walk in. If they're selling specialized foreign items, that's probably why their sign isn't in English--they assume (and generally pretty correctly, I think) that the overwhelming majority of their patrons won't be members outside their particular ethnicity/culture.

If non-English signs bother you, there's a city council for a reason--ask for bilingual signs to be mandated throughout the city.

[snb3]

Its funny when someone vainly tries to cover up themselves when its so transparent. I went to the same HS as Justabystander albeit right after she graduated. I did have family members there during her time though. It was during my time when the first wave of Korean immigrants started coming in and even though I was a long time resident, the sublte and not-so-subtle hints from other longtime resident's displeasure of these new residents were noticeable.

Justabystander's view of a good multicultural place is if she can go grab a bite of ethnic food. However, once they start congregating together, Whoah! a ghetto it has become.

And thats fine, She can feel however she wants but to label it and deny its meaning is lame.

Here is her quote again:

I would agree about 92835. although I now live in Chicago. I would advise you also to look at the people in the neighborhood and the signage in the neighborhood, (Korean, Spanish) such as for sale signs. I just went back to visit after 5 years of being away, and I was shocked that my old neighborhood in Sunny Hills (92833) is now all Korean., and very foreign to me. Nice homes when they were built, and still expensive (800-900 k) but I could never move back there because of all the change. Fullerton was a beautiful place in the 1970's when I was a kid, but something has changed, and not for the better. My choice now would be Yorba Linda, although I think it is more expensive and I do not know the proximity to the train line.

Here is Fullertonian's quote, which couldn'tve been any more clear:

Xenophobia as defined by Merriam Webster: The fear and hatred of foreigners or of anything that is strange and foreign.

Xenophobe was too harsh of a word. You probably don't fear or hate foreigners. However, xenophobia finds its roots in perspectives such as yours because they are the beginnings of fear and hatred.


I get a kick when Justabystander, on numerous occasions, tells us of her open mindedness & righteousness just because she's done some traveling. Okay.

with that, I guess Im done here. Nothing new, sort of predictable.


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[SoCal21st]

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I wanted to add my two cents. By background, I'm a Korean American in my early 30's and came to the states when I was 4 years so I feel as if I have a foot in both cultures. I live in northern Buena Park, near Rosecrans and Beach Blvd., so close enough to the subject at hand to have an informed say.

Anyways, I too have to be a bit offended at the use of the term ghetto. Although the origins of the word itself does not connotate an economic condition, language and the meaning of words change over time. 50 years ago gay meant happy. It obviously doesn't anymore. I'm sure 50 years ago ghetto meant an area with a lot of an ethnic minority. Let's just face facts. Today it means something very different. What do the kids say nowadays when they say "dude that's just so ghetto," they mean poor, run down, decaying. Regardless of any one person's opinion on definition, that's just what the term means nowadays to most of today's demographic. Besides, if ghetto was defined purely on ethnic lines, Beverly Hills would in fact be a ghetto since Persians and Middle Easterners outnumber whites. Baldwin Hills, a predominately black neighborhood, would also be considered a ghetto despite the fact that black there make more then the national income average. So if Fullerton is a ghetto so is Beverly Hills and Baldwin Hills. Be consistent in your definitions otherwise risk a loss of credibility.

I've also learned a little about Korean American history and I'd argue that Koreans haven't contributed to the downgrading of Fullerton but have actually helped preserve it. Fullerton's decline started when the Cold War ended and the great paying aerospace jobs with Hughes and Boeing began to go away. Naturally, white people began to move away when the jobs left and property values went down. Hispanics bought the houses in the south and Koreans bought the houses more south. Coinciding with the decline in aerospace were the LA Riots of 1992. Koreans came to Fullerton and Northern Buena Park because a lot of them couldn't stand the violence there and didn't want to live in midtown LA anymore. They are in a sense, refugees from violence and racism. However, home prices did not stay low, as demand from affluent Koreans kept them from staying down. What if affluent Asians didn't move into North Orange County? Whites were not moving in, they left with the aerospace jobs. The history in the United States of white flight out of a neighborhood is never good. Look at the scores of neighborhoods that went under when people moved to the suburbs after World War II. In my opinion, the neighborhood would of had nowhere else but to go but down.

A microcosm of what Koreans have meant for Fullerton would have to be the ConAgra site. 34 acres deserted for years by a major corporation scooped up by a Korean church, who donated part of the land to a majority white private christian high school. If it wasn't used for religious purposes, that area would of probably been developed into a huge outdoor mega mall that would of likely drawn a mostly Anaheim and Santa Ana crowd and would of been an eye sore in terms of traffic congestion.

[BreaOC]

We, as a nation, have forgotten that the United States is a declared immigrant nation. The poem posted on the Statue of Liberty states:

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

We used to welcome immigrants with this poem. It was one of the first things they saw entering our nation. Remember at one time someone in our family was a foreigner, an immigrant. Whether they were from England, Norway, Ireland, Poland.... Us "white" people were foreigners. As far as I'm concerned the only person that can call themselves a true American, a true person of this land, you must be of Native American decent. Hence the name, NATIVE American. Unless you are a NATIVE American then you are the descendant of immigrants.

[fpbear]

Originally Posted by SoCal21st

Coinciding with the decline in aerospace were the LA Riots of 1992. Koreans came to Fullerton and Northern Buena Park because a lot of them couldn't stand the violence there and didn't want to live in midtown LA anymore.

That is interesting, I didn't think of that. My father used to work for Hughes Aircraft, and then the whole facility shut down. I did notice a lot of Koreans moving into the 92835 zip, but in this particular neighborhood they are very wealthy. I mean, many of the Asian occupied houses are huge mansions worth at least $2 million. I didn't know they had that kind of money in midtown LA, or maybe those are the doctors working at St Jude hospital which is very close. But I like the mix of people in this neighborhood.

[cobmw]

I thought the immigration debate was to be carried on elsewhere.