Koreatown, Los Angeles

Koreatown
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles Koreatown marker
Nickname:  "K-Town"
Koreatown Approximate location in Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°03′42″N 118°18′02″W / 34.0618°N 118.3006°W / 34.0618; -118.3006
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Los Angeles
Government
• City Council	Heather Hutt, Nithya Raman, Mitch O'Farrell
• State Assembly	Miguel Santiago (D)
• State Senate	Maria Elena Durazo (D)
• U.S. House	Jimmy Gomez (D)
Area   (about 150 blocks)[1]
• Total	2.7 sq mi (7 km2)
Population  (2008)[1]
• Total	124,281
• Density	46,208/sq mi (17,841/km2)
	Population changes significantly depending on areas included and recent growth.
ZIP Code	90010, 90005, 90006
Area code(s)	213, 323

Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운, Koriataun) is a neighborhood in central Los Angeles, California, centered near Eighth Street and Irolo Street.^[2]

Koreans began immigrating in larger numbers in the 1960s and found housing in the Mid-Wilshire area. Many opened businesses as they found rent and tolerance toward the growing Korean population. Many of the historic Art Deco buildings with terra cotta façades have been preserved because the buildings remained economically viable for the new businesses.^[3]

Despite the name evoking a traditional ethnic enclave, the community is complex and has an impact on areas outside the traditional boundaries. While the neighborhood culture was historically oriented to the Korean immigrant population, Korean business owners are creating stronger ties to the Latino community in Koreatown.^[4] The community is highly diverse ethnically, with half the residents being Latino and a third being Asian. Two-thirds of the residents were born outside of the United States, a high figure compared to the rest of the city.^[1]