Ethnic Composition Forecast for Irvine

[PANDA_IHB]

... there very well may be more Asians than Caucasions living in Irvine by the year 2016.

I think this is already the case.

IHO is absolutely right. I could have sworn that I was driving around little Saigon (sorry for the generalization, yes, I realize that there are many Asian groups) as I left the Trader Joe's in Irvine today. I did not see one Caucasian person as I maneuvered my way through the parking lot. What is the Asian ethnic make-up of Irvine? My experience recently has been that it is heavily Korean and that Koreans are particularly drawn to Irvine.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asian 4,292

Total: 65,461

Are the Taiwanese classified under the Chinese? I am really suprised that there are more Japanese than Taiwanese in Irvine.

 

[PANDA_IHB]

... there very well may be more Asians than Caucasions living in Irvine by the year 2016.

I think this is already the case.

IHO is absolutely right. I could have sworn that I was driving around little Saigon (sorry for the generalization, yes, I realize that there are many Asian groups) as I left the Trader Joe's in Irvine today. I did not see one Caucasian person as I maneuvered my way through the parking lot. What is the Asian ethnic make-up of Irvine? My experience recently has been that it is heavily Korean and that Koreans are particularly drawn to Irvine.

In terms of asian ethnicities, I'd say there are more Chinese and Taiwanese then there are Koreans and Japanese. Really depends on the area though, I see more white folks roaming around the Quail Hill shopping center but the shopping centers between the 5 and 405 on Culver seem to be more frequented by asian people.

One thing i found interesting in my last trip is that there are hardly any Asians living in the mega wealthy neighborhoods like Shady Canyon, Turtle Ridge, and Newport Coast. Please don't ask me how i got through the double gates. "Panda's Pizza, I have a pizza delivery for Ocean Heights Drive."

Perhaps Asians, have the strong buying power in middle to upper middle class neighborhoods in Irvine, but the mega wealthy home buyers (homes valued at $2-$3 million +) are definitely the Caucasions.

 

[bkshopr_IHB]

... there very well may be more Asians than Caucasions living in Irvine by the year 2016.

I think this is already the case.

IHO is absolutely right. I could have sworn that I was driving around little Saigon (sorry for the generalization, yes, I realize that there are many Asian groups) as I left the Trader Joe's in Irvine today. I did not see one Caucasian person as I maneuvered my way through the parking lot. What is the Asian ethnic make-up of Irvine? My experience recently has been that it is heavily Korean and that Koreans are particularly drawn to Irvine.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asian 4,292

Total: 65,461

Are the Taiwanese classified under the Chinese? I am really suprised that there are more Japanese than Taiwanese in Irvine.

Taiwanese and all mainland Chinese share the same writings but different political systems. The census also has some minor skew because Chinese born and raised in Vietnam considered themselves as Chinese. Among Vietnamese being able to communicate in Cantonese is considered more respected because for the last century in Vietnam Chinese were the affluent scholars living in a city with bilingual abilities.

 

[Oxtail_IHB]

It can get kind of heated if you start digging into the Chinese/Taiwanese thing. Not to mention the Waishenren/Benshenren issue.

The wikipedia article on Taiwanese in America gives a pretty good summary:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_American

The prestige and performance of particular school districts, as well as access to careers in high-tech firms, have in general played significant parts in influencing the settlement patterns of Taiwanese Americans.

Areas with high concentrations of Taiwanese immigrants include the San Gabriel Valley (Greater Los Angeles), Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino, San Jose), East Bay (El Cerrito, California and Oakland), Los Angeles/Orange County border communities (Cerritos/Artesia), and Irvine in Central Orange County. Outside of California, there are also major Taiwanese concentrations in Flushing, New York, Rockville, Maryland (northwest of Washington, D.C.), Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), Richardson, Texas (near Dallas), Bellevue, Washington (and adjacent areas) (part of the Greater Seattle Area's "Eastside" communities). Additionally, the northeastern suburbs of the Atlanta, Georgia area has also received a significant influx of Taiwanese immigrant residents. The Taiwanese population was formerly dominant in Monterey Park, California. The San Gabriel Valley has a larger population of "49er" Taiwanese (also known as Waishengren), essentially outnumbering native Taiwanese. Since the middle 1980s through the 1990s, however, large numbers of mostly 49er Taiwanese Americans seeking greener pastures began moving out to more upscale neighborhoods like San Marino, Arcadia, and Temple City in Western San Gabriel Valley; Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Walnut, and Diamond Bar in Eastern San Gabriel Valley; with immigrants from the People's Republic of China and Cantonese and Teochew (mostly from Vietnam) taking their place in Monterey Park.

Similarly, for the past 10 years, Benshengren have been immigrating to upscale neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Orange County such as Cerritos and Irvine respectively. The city of Cerritos is located in Los Angeles County but borders Orange County and has a large diversity of Asian immigrants. The city of Irvine has a very large Benshengren population, though now more and more Waishengren and Mainland Chinese immigrants have flocked to the city. The Irvine Chinese School, which serves mostly the American-born children of Taiwanese immigrants, is one of the largest Chinese Schools in the Orange County area. These immigrants belong to branches from some of the most politically and economically powerful Taiwanese families (with the surnames Chiang, Chen, Cheng, Kung, Tsai, and Wu).

At one point, Monterey Park was heavily Taiwanese. But as more mainlanders moved in, the Taiwanese moved out. The Waishenren with money moved to Arcadia/San Marino and the Benshenren with money moved to Irvine.

 

[Oxtail_IHB]

Most Taiwanese will just select the Chinese category. The strongly politically minded Benshenren will make a point of classifying themselves as Taiwanese like on the US Census where there is no Taiwanese category. There's no real way to get a good estimate of the number of Taiwanese because the Waishenren and the apolitical Benshenren will just check off the Chinese box.

Edit: It's inevitable that Irvine will get much more Asian in the future. I don't know of any Asian families with jobs who've even contemplated moving to Texas, Nevada, or Floria for cheaper cost of living and no state income tax. I know people who've moved because they lost their job and could only find something in another state, but none who would do it willingly. Meanwhile, I've known several Caucasian families who've at least talked about finding a new job somewhere with a lower cost of living or less taxes.

 

[momopi_IHB]

I recall back in the 1990's, you could still easily get Taiwanese food at the Ranch 99 (Culver) food court, plus "Nice Time Deli" and couple other places. By the time that Ah-chung noodle came and went, everything went downhill. Someone wrote an article on the "large" selection of Taiwanese food at Ranch 99 (Jeffery) sold in cold square containers. I went "uuugggh".

No more cuttlefish noodle.

The early ethnic-Chinese immigrants to LA area were probably Cantonese speaking folks. The Taiwanese are late-comers.

 

[High Gravity_IHB]

The early ethnic-Chinese immigrants to LA area were probably Cantonese speaking folks. The Taiwanese are late-comers.

There is an unfortunate heirarchy among different Chinese American sub-groups. When I first arrived in LA from Taiwan in the early 70s, the old school Cantonese speaking Chinese and Hong Kong immigrants were the wealthiest of the Chinese Americans and they considered Taiwanese like myself to be "their backwards country cousins" as we tended to be either students or busing tables in restaurants. By the 1980s, a new wave of immigrants from Taiwan came with money and skills and ethinc Chinese started arriving from Vietnam and Cambodia so the pecking order was changed to Cantonese and Taiwanese on the top with Indo-Chinese at the bottom. In the 1990s, Chinese from mainland China started arriving who took over the former Taiwanese positions of student and bus boys. In the 00s, wealthy Chinese from mainland China started showing up with suitcases of cash to buy houses for each of their kids and concubines.

I hate to admit this but many of my more tribal Taiwanese brethern moved to Irvine to get away from the mainland Chinese and Vietnamese who have moved into the San Gabriel Valley in recent years. I can't accept this view because I remember how the Cantonese and Hong Kongers once looked down on us Taiwanese as being backwards, the same way that some Taiwanese look down on their mainlander and Vietnamese cousins today.

In answer to Panda's question of are Taiwanese considered Chinese, it depends on who you ask. The president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, is a Hakka who was born in Hong Kong to parents who fled to Hong Kong from mainland China. As a result, some Taiwanese do not consider their own president to be Taiwanese.

Ma Ying-jeou:

 

[bkshopr_IHB]

Among Chinese population in America ethnic rivalry existed for over a century. This competitive nature in well ingrained into their attitude. It can be good and bad.

The rivalries are between classmates, neighbors, co-workers, friends, relatives, and fellow IVY shoppers.

 

[PANDA_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

 

[High Gravity_IHB]

Among Chinese population in America ethnic rivalry existed for over a century. This competitive nature in well ingrained into their attitude. It can be good and bad.

The rivalries are between classmates, neighbors, co-workers, friends, relatives, and fellow IVY shoppers.

Friendly rivalries are good because they encourage the competitors to excel. Best example is Taiwan and South Korea. Taiwan and South Korea would not have such competitive semiconductor industries if not for their mutual competition. The Taiwanese and Koreans are constantly measuring themselves against each other and compete fiercely on all fronts, but despite that, they are also the best of friends. Remember the roaring ovation the Taiwan team got at the Seoul olympics opening ceremony from the Korean spectators?

 

[usctrojanman29_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

Where is the Polish polution in the projections? I'm not white, I'm Polish baby and want my own category!

 

[PANDA_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

Where is the Polish polution in the projections? I'm not white, I'm Polish baby and want my own category!

There, are you happy? I just created your own Asian category for you.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asians 4,292

8. Polish Trojanman 1

Total: 65,462

 

[High Gravity_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

Where is the Polish polution in the projections? I'm not white, I'm Polish baby and want my own category!

There, are you happy? I just created your own Asian category for you.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asians 4,292

8. Polish Trojanman 1

Total: 65,462

It is quite possible trojanman is Asian. Poland was once a province of the Mongolian Empire:

Mongol invasion of Poland

 

[reason_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

Where is the Polish polution in the projections? I'm not white, I'm Polish baby and want my own category!

There, are you happy? I just created your own Asian category for you.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asians 4,292

8. Polish Trojanman 1

Total: 65,462

It is quite possible trojanman is Asian. Poland was once a province of the Mongolian Empire:

Mongol invasion of Poland

Please say it ain't so. Haha!

 

[bkshopr_IHB]

There is only one way to tell by checking the real Trojanman

 

[PANDA_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

Where is the Polish polution in the projections? I'm not white, I'm Polish baby and want my own category!

There, are you happy? I just created your own Asian category for you.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asians 4,292

8. Polish Trojanman 1

Total: 65,462

It is quite possible trojanman is Asian. Poland was once a province of the Mongolian Empire:

Mongol invasion of Poland

Please say it ain't so. Haha!

Nope, it ain't so. Last time i checked, Trojanman is white as snow.

 

[irvine_home_owner_IHB]

Is Perez Hilton polish?

 

[usctrojanman29_IHB]

Is Perez Hilton polish?

I have better hair then him. I'm telling you IHO, I look more like Tony Stewart (the taller version) than I do Perez Hilton.

 

[usctrojanman29_IHB]

This thread is racist!!!

Really? How so?

Where is the Polish polution in the projections? I'm not white, I'm Polish baby and want my own category!

There, are you happy? I just created your own Asian category for you.

Today Asians make up 38% of Irvine. Here is the break down.

1. BK's clan (Chinese) 20,924

2. Panda's clan (Korean) 14,007

3. Asian Indian 8,924

4. Vietnamese 6,464

5. Filipino 5,728

6. Japanese 5,122

7. Other Asians 4,292

8. Polish Trojanman 1

Total: 65,462

It is quite possible trojanman is Asian. Poland was once a province of the Mongolian Empire:

Mongol invasion of Poland

Please say it ain't so. Haha!

I'm actually of Northern Italian decent (especially with my WWE last name and all). It does explain why I don't like most Polish food.

 

[acpme_IHB]

Among Chinese population in America ethnic rivalry existed for over a century. This competitive nature in well ingrained into their attitude. It can be good and bad.

The rivalries are between classmates, neighbors, co-workers, friends, relatives, and fellow IVY shoppers.

divisions exist even amongst the younger generation. at most colleges with a large enough population of asians, you'll usually find different student groups for mainland chinese, taiwanese, and HKers. at my school there were even two distinct clubs for koreans. the korean students association were known as KSA: Korean Smokers & Alcoholics and comprised of spikey haired kids who liked to go clubbing, preferably in shiny black kenneth cole shirts. the other group was comprised of international students and evangelicals.

there is a wonderful movie called "City of Sadness" about the postwar period in taiwan. in the film you'll hear at least 4 dialects of chinese (mandarin, taiwanese, cantonese, and shanghainese) as well as japanese, meaning even native chinese need subtitles. one unintentionally funny scene involves rival street toughs getting into it, but requiring multiple translators to pass along their taunts to each other.