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It makes sense. Sorry for that Korean American poster- but it doesn't make "no sense" for reasons we've already covered for multiple pages now as it relates to how you would discuss Black or African Capitals and how China dominates East Asian immigration- as noted in the quote he took of me.
That before we even get into centrality/location/presence/% population and history. In case you forgot you haven't been to Boston so your relying solely on numbers and nothing else.
That can be your view and that is fine. But I personally feel to make a place an East Asian capital, it has to be more than just one thing. But these things are very subjective and cannot be quantified so its not worth debating IMO. Neither of us can be right or wrong here.
I'm getting extremely tired, as a Korean American, of East Asian American being reduced to just mean Chinese American.
Do you have any insights on why there isn’t as big a Korean presence in Boston compared to similarly sized cities? I expect there isn’t really a reason besides that it’s far and that cities closer to Korea/LA had larger, pre-existing communities.
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Originally Posted by As Above So Below...
This is where it gets subjective and I don't think either of us can be right or wrong. Is it better to have a less diverse East Asian population but a lot more of one group and more urban? Is it better to have a more diverse and larger East Asian population but for it to be suburban? I guess its just preference.
Well Seattle seems to have it both ways, so we can agree that it’s a bigger hub and DC/Boston are a step down.
That can be your view and that is fine. But I personally feel to make a place an East Asian capital, it has to be more than just one thing. But these things are very subjective and cannot be quantified so its not worth debating IMO. Neither of us can be right or wrong here.
Yea that's fine. I'm just saying it doesn't take "no" sense. It makes sense maybe not in one person's particular sense.
IRL there is a lot more that goes into this than what we type out.
It's not like DC has some thriving Koreatown or has a notable East Asian population at all in the city. Because it truly truly does not. DC is 4.9% Asian, the nation is 6.0% Asian. DC Asian population is predominately non-East Asian.
Last edited by BostonBornMassMade; 06-06-2022 at 02:22 PM..
The perspective of Asian is a bit more complicated than that. The public instantly things the East + Southeast Asian countries when they think of Asian. China happens to be the largest country but isn’t
Whether true or not, the common perspective thinks of South Asians as a separate group. My opinion as to why this is the case is because people start mixing in race and geography. Race isn’t something that can be scientifically defined and where one race starts and another ends is subjective.
It makes sense. Sorry for that Korean American poster- but it doesn't make "no sense" for reasons we've already covered for multiple pages now as it relates to how you would discuss Black or African Capitals and how China dominates East Asian immigration- as noted in the quote he took of me.
That before we even get into centrality/location/presence/% population and history. In case you forgot you haven't been to Boston so youre relying solely on numbers (of countries with fairly small populations here in the US) and nothing else. He's tired of it because it is what most people think of when they think of the region-China.
I left earlier as I didn't want to double post. However, to go into detail, if by "East Asian American," you mean China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan, than, yes, the majority are Chinese but I think a lot of people would say it isn't the vast majority. It is a deeper issue on identity and would have to go into details on where Hong Kongers and Taiwanese Americans fall, as well as where non-Han Chinese Americans fall. Further, there cannot be a meaningful "East Asian American Capital" in the US when excluding Southeast Asia, at the very least. There is no East Asian identity or community that is confined to the peoples of the countries I mentioned earlier. The whole idea of an East Asian American identity* is one largely based off either identification by outsiders or by an inferred shared experience and treatment in America. In both cases, it is a concept determined, fortunately or unfortunately, by visual appearance and race. Even by including only Vietnamese Americans, with Vietnam firmly falling within the Sinosphere, Chinese Americans stop being the majority (as used in America) among Asian Americans. This becomes more true if including other Southeast Asian Americans, particularly Filipino Americans. Accounting for both regions, Chinese Americans form approximately a third of the East Asian American community. The largest subgroup but hardly enough to disregard other communities.
The fact that you say Chinese Americans are the "vast majority" of East Asian Americans is either a testament to how skewered the Boston demographics (therefore, your experience) are or an example of cherry picking.
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Originally Posted by Boston Shudra
Do you have any insights on why there isn’t as big a Korean presence in Boston compared to similarly sized cities? I expect there isn’t really a reason besides that it’s far and that cities closer to Korea/LA had larger, pre-existing communities.
I don't have much a clue but some people have joked that Korean Americans gravitate more to major airports. It helps explain why the absolute majority of Koreans in Texas, for example, live in DFW, or why Atlanta has such a large Korean American population.
St Paul is probably fairly unique in that is has a significant Southeast Asian population but its East Asian and Chinese population is tiny - it is mostly Hmong, Lao and Vietnamese.
I don't have much a clue but some people have joked that Korean Americans gravitate more to major airports. It helps explain why the absolute majority of Koreans in Texas, for example, live in DFW, or why Atlanta has such a large Korean American population.
Fascinating insight! Thanks for the response!
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Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag
Still nothing where I claimed Boston is or isn’t. as expected, your insecurities for Boston are telling you that yourself.
Both of us get testy when we feel that people are belittling Boston’s diversity.
I do think this has been hashed out as much as it needs to be. Boston’s East Asian community is heavily Chinese. Whether it qualifies as an “East Asian hub” is the same question as wether San Antonio counts as a “Hispanic Hub” while being mostly Mexican or if Memphis counts as a “Black hub” despite being mostly AA.
If you include Southeast Asia, then Boston has a much larger than usual Cambodian community while having a small Filipino representation.
On one hand, touting Boston firmly as an East Asia capital neglects the diversity of the region and the fact that Boston really only represents one aspect of it.
On the other hand, dismissing Boston's East Asia prowess neglects the strength and urbanity of its very large Chinese population.
In the end, none of this matters because calling a place a hub or a Mecca is a subjective term unless one city is the end all be all for a specific group like Armenians in LA or Cape Verdeans in the Boston area.
This is why I prefer tiers. Its better to put cities that are close to one another in a tier as opposed to splitting hairs. When it comes to Asians as a whole, Seattle, DC, Chicago, Houston, DFW, and Boston are in a tier. Depending on the type of Asian, this can go either way. But as far as Im concerned with Asian hubs, youve got the big three: NYC, LA, and the Bay Area. Then a tier of about six more.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by Boston Shudra
And if you divide these numbers by metro area population (based on the 2020 census), you get:
East Asian, per 1000 residents
Seattle/Tacoma: 35.96
Boston: 25.66
Washington DC: 23.06
San Diego: 20.17
Philadelphia: 13.31
Chicago: 12.84
Atlanta: 12.47
Houston: 11.87
Dallas: 10.08
Detroit: 8.38
I'm 100% behind Seattle being more of an East Asian hub than Boston, but I don't think DC is ahead by much if at all in that regard. Another factor which MSA-level data doesn't quite capture is the degree to which Boston's East Asian communities are concentrated within 128. My understanding is that East Asians in the DC area are more dispersed throughout the suburbs.
DC has more countries though, instead of your example Boston with almost solely Chinese people, which is a big differentiator.
Per your numbers above Boston's per 1000 residents is same tier roughly as DC, with less numerical total, and it's only 1 country representing, Seattle's is way ahead, and a well rounded East Asian immigrant hub. Boston is certainly right in line after those two I'd say ahead of Dallas and Houston for now. Also the urban area of DC is about within 500k difference of the UA of Boston, and much of the immigrant diversity growth happens in that core, which just as easily could be compared. Within that urban area DC's percentage shoots way up. The Boston area doesn't have as large of a gap between UA population and MSA.
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