Ann Arbor, and an Asian influence...? (Novi, Madison Heights: condos, neighborhood, living in)

[Tiger Beer]

How strong is the Asian influence in Ann Arbor? The percentage of the population is there, but are those mostly students or people lingering around after having studied?

Are there sizeable Asian areas of Ann Arbor within the seemingly small city? Like a chinatown area? Or is it mostly just students and those that linger around?

Additionally, is there much of an ESL scene - for teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages? In Ann Arbor?

[ferndc]

I'm not too familiar with Ann Arbor and the asian scene, but I know there are many that attend U of M. I wouldn't say there was a chinatown or anything of the likes in Michigan. I know there are a lot of Japanese in Novi (about 20 minutes outside of Ann Arbor) due to Japanese companies. Madison Heights (about 45 minutes or so from Ann Arbor) also has many asians...mostly Vietnamese and Filipano.

[timeofseasons]

No, I don't think there is anything like a chinatown in Ann Arbor. You may see a few Asian food chains and markets.

[Cardiff Giant]

My wife attended U-M for her PhD. We spent 5 great years there in the 90s. Here are a few links to check out:

Tsai Grocery - Ann Arbor, MI

Wizzywig Collectibles

[missycaulk]

Yes there is a great Asian population in Ann Arbor. They are not just students. We have Toyota here and other engineering firms. Ann Arbor is very multi-cultural. We have Asian groceries and churches.

[Cliffie]

Asians are not concentrated in a special neighborhood in Ann Arbor that I know of, but there are many, many, many of them there and there is a MAJOR ESL scene, along with various other cultural and student organizations applicable to Asian students.

[SonnyDaze]

The family housing complex I lived in on U of M's campus was/and still is pre-dominantly Asian.

[sweetiris03]

Relative to other cities in Michigan, I think that Ann Arbor has a larger percentage of Asian population. It's not just students, there are a lot of Asian professionals and their families living in Ann Arbor. There's no Chinatown area, but there are a lot of Asian restaurants all over the city and a couple of grocery stores. You'll definitely notice some Asian influence. However, if you came from New York or Cali, etc. - it'll definitely seem minimal.

[SpaceGhost79]

According to the statistics of the 2000 U.S. Census posted on Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed, Asians were the top minority group in Ann Arbor making up roughly 12% of the population.

[annika08]

There is no chinatown in Ann Arbor.

Many of the Asians, aside from living on campus and in the campus area, are also concentrated in the Northern side of the city. But it's still only suburban with strip malls and condos-but there are more Vietnamese, Japanese, and Thai restaurants, and Asian markets.