Korean populations in NC? (Raleigh, Durham: house, employment, schools)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Can anyone suggest towns in NC with any significant Korean populations, cultural activities, restaurants and Asian grocers, etc? I've heard Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg, but no idea if its true. Don't know anyone living in that area to ask and all I've found specifically listed online is some apparently Korean-owned Taekwondo schools in Fayetteville and Spring Lake and a restaurant near the military base.
I'm not actually Korean but became very interested in the culture after living in Knoxville and getting involved in TKD, making lots of Korean friends, learning to cook the food, etc. Now thinking of moving back to Southeast to be near aging parents, but not sure if I want to go back to TN or NC. When I visited NC I always liked the people better and don't laugh but I thought the air was cleaner. The mountains are prettier on the Western NC side, but then I might consider other areas of NC if it provides something interesting to offer culturally speaking and good places to eat. Finding employment isn't an issue because I became disabled after years of working. Just need some place more interesting, with friendlier people and cheaper to live than Northern Arizona and some place with less snow! I've just about had it with the Southwest.
Hope I am not showing my ignorance here. The only group identified in the North Carolina Atlas close to what you are asking for is the Asian population.
Put in Asian population as a search in the little box at the top.
Scroll down and click on Ethnic population and then click on Asian population. A map will show the distribution of the Asian population.
Anecdotal evidence of very limited Korean population
While my son lived in Raleigh for 5 years his long time girlfriend (born in Korea but raised in Queens NY) and her family would visit him often. They would joke that the only other Koreans they ever saw in Raleigh all worked at the Dairy Queen near Triangle Town Center Mall (no longer a D-Q) .
So from their observations and comments only, Raleigh has a very small Korean population.
A search for Korean Restaurants in Raleigh only reveals three names, and one of those is a Chinese Restaurant. Koreans are clearly an under-represented population group in the Raleigh area.
I think there are alot of Koreans in the Cary area and population seems to be growing. We do our grocery shopping at S-mart in cary at least once a week and we always meet new people. S-mart is a korean supermarket near Cary Towne Center mall and there are also a few korean churches nearby. Check out the supermarket and you will find many koreans.
The RDU has a lot of higher educated Koreans/Asians due to the # of RTP companies, the prominant hospitals, and faculty at Duke/UNC/NCSU. Nobody said anything about those groups of people. Maybe it is because many are well integrated into US society...they don't cause problems or trouble (Cho in VT being a recent/rare exception, and Tiger Woods is only half-asian...but not Korean). Koreans do more than just own dry-cleaners, DQs, TKDs, and gas stations...
Keep in mind that you are moving to what was historically the bible belt, where not too long ago, if official documents couldn't list you as white or black, you were other/foreign (identifiers).
Nearby places I'd recommend include DC (better integrated) and Atlanta (more segregated) for a larger Korean population. I believe that NC has a stronger Korean prescence than TN, but I live in NC and probably bias.
Also, as with many military bases, you will find a larger Asian population around them, usually refugees fleeing from wars that we didn't exactly win. These areas typically are more "rough" due to the military presence.
A previous poster hit the nail in the head that the best way to measure the size of the korean society is to count the number of Churches. This can be difficult, because not many have websites, or are partnered with a predominantly white church.
Off the top of my head, I can think of several Korean restaurants; Seoul Garden near Atlantic, another Seoul something in Mini City/Capital Blvd, Chosan OK and the Tofu Restaurant near Southpoint Mall, Seoul house in Cary, plus several Korean owned restaurants like the Bali Hai near Duke and off Six Forks, another near Cary Town Center, and Eastern Lights near 15-501.
The Southern Pines/Sandhills area is near Ft. Bragg but a completely different "vibe"--it's basically small-town NC though full of lots of transplanted retirees from the North and elsewhere. I seem to recall that there was a not insubstantial Korean population there, however (again, ultimately due to military reasons at some point).
Fayetteville is unquestionably a military town--the local economy bases its cycles on military paydays.
The best place to meet Koreans, or any Asians is at a Sams club
Just ask my mother in law. She's Japanese, practically lives at Sams club, and sees lots of Japanese friends there.
I lived in Korea in the Army for 2 years, learned to read/write/speak Korean and I can also say I meet lots of Koreans at Sams club, always friendly especially when they see I can speak decent Korean.
i know it sounds stupid, but other than churches it's the best place I can think of to run into one, and you can usually connect from there
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Anecdotal evidence of very limited Korean population
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