Why does Portland have such a low Asian population compared to other West Coast cities? (hotels, moving)

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Some interesting statistics comparing metro Sacramento versus metro Portland (from the 2009 ACS on the US Census website - I picked them because they have close to the same total metro population):

Ethnic Group/Sacramento population/Portland population
Asian/232,402/113,828
1st generation Asian (Asian-born)/145,199/86,189 (so ethnic Asians born in US would be 87,203/27,639)
Indian/31,643/12,160
Chinese/48,997/24,006
Filipino/52,054/13,161
Japanese/15,401/9,755
Korean/10,190/13,341
Vietnamese/23,849/24,567
Other Asian/50,268/16,838
White and Asian (mixed)/22,019/20,514

What the statistics show:
Percentage-wise, the disparity is greater for Asians born in the US than it is for 1st generation immigrants.
Percentage-wise, the disparity is largest for Filipinos.
There are actually more Koreans and (slightly) more Vietnamese in Portland.

The answer to the OP's question is difficult and speculative. I think there are many small reasons that, when put together, help explain why Portland is the least ethnically diverse of any large US metro area:

-climate
-historic migration patterns
-industries
-port access
-trade

It should also be noted that Portland has almost twice as high of a concentration of Asians than the larger metropolitan areas in the next time zone over (Denver, Salt Lake, Phoenix (OK, technically Phoenix is only in a different time zone for 1/2 the year, but you get my drift)).

[traveldude]

Who cares?? I've heard a lot of people complaining about whites being majority in Portland. I wonder if in Japan they complain that there isn't white people in their cities. I wonder if in Nigeria they complain that there's a lack white people living in their country. Only in America and Europe people do that lol

[geef]

Originally Posted by traveldude

Who cares?? I've heard a lot of people complaining about whites being majority in Portland. I wonder if in Japan they complain that there isn't white people in their cities. I wonder if in Nigeria they complain that there's a lack white people living in their country. Only in America and Europe people do that lol

If you don't care, why did you spend the time to post? Regardless of the intention of the original poster, it's a valid question. In comparison to other west coast cities, Portland does have a lower percentage of Asians. I don't think I heard anyone in this thread complain, but I did see some good information about reasons for numbers and the NIKE connection to Japan. Thanks for folks who took the time to respond with some solid background - I always appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the city.....

[Truglesmith]

Maybe it's related to sunlight and warmth. Cloudy and cool Portland might be foreign and undesirable to many Asian people. The Asian countries lean more towards sunny, warm, and tropical.

[TDNY]

@ Truglesmith: You've clearly never been to Korea. Or looked at a map much. Besides, Seattle and Vancouver aren't exactly tropical.

[geef]

Originally Posted by TDNY

@ Truglesmith: You've clearly never been to Korea. Or looked at a map much. Besides, Seattle and Vancouver aren't exactly tropical.

I've never been so cold as I was during a trip to Seoul in December one year. It was on par with Wisconsin - bitterly cold and damp. Northern Vietnam, Japan, and Taipei are much the same in the winter. At least in Portland it's generally just damp.

[Truglesmith]

Originally Posted by TDNY

@ Truglesmith: You've clearly never been to Korea. Or looked at a map much. Besides, Seattle and Vancouver aren't exactly tropical.

Uh, duh. That's essentially what I said: Portland (and therefore nearby Seattle and Vancouver) are not tropical. That might be why there may not be a large population of Asians there. Sounds like we agree

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by Truglesmith

Uh, duh. That's essentially what I said: Portland (and therefore nearby Seattle and Vancouver) are not tropical. That might be why there may not be a large population of Asians there. Sounds like we agree

[Urbanlover85]

Originally Posted by Truglesmith

Uh, duh. That's essentially what I said: Portland (and therefore nearby Seattle and Vancouver) are not tropical. That might be why there may not be a large population of Asians there. Sounds like we agree

Uh, but there IS a large Asian population in Seattle and Vancouver.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by Truglesmith

Maybe it's related to sunlight and warmth. Cloudy and cool Portland might be foreign and undesirable to many Asian people. The Asian countries lean more towards sunny, warm, and tropical.

WTF?