Koreatown is a Korean American business district on Garden Grove Boulevard between Beach Boulevard and Brookhurst Street in Garden Grove, Orange County, California. The Los Angeles Times has called it the "cultural center of Orange County's Korean community".
Geography
The enclave exists in a 2-mile stretch of Garden Grove Blvd from Beach Blvd to Brookhurst St. According to Garden Grove councilman Ho Chung, Koreans set up their businesses in Garden Grove Blvd due to an influx of empty storefronts and cheap rent.
History
Origin
In 1955, Sammy Lee, a Korean War veteran and Olympic champion diver, was told a house he attempted to purchase in Garden Grove could not be sold to nonwhites. After outrage over the incident occurred, Lee was offered a different home in the city. Hence, Korean immigrants, who arrived in larger quantities after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, gravitated toward the city of Garden Grove.
1992 Los Angeles riots
After the 1992 Los Angeles riots occurred, about 2000 people protested the government's responses to the riots in the parking lot of Kyung Dong Plaza. The riots led to much damage in Koreatown, Los Angeles, affecting many Garden Grove residents who had relatives, friends, or business conduct in the region. have drawn Korean customers away from Garden Grove.
In 2019, the city council of Garden Grove voted to rename the business district to “Orange County Koreatown".