Demographics

thumb|250px|6th Street at KenmoreKoreatown is one of the densest neighborhoods in the United States.

The 2000 U.S. census counted 115,070 residents in the 2.7-square-mile neighborhood—an average of 42,611 people per square mile, the highest density of any community in Los Angeles County. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 124,281. The median age for residents was 30, an average age for both the city and Los Angeles County.

Economy

Olympic Boulevard has blocks dominated by Korean-language signs and new blue-tile-roofed shopping centers. This initial Korean business area has spread to an area bounded by Olympic Boulevard, Vermont Avenue, 8th Street and Western Avenue. The Korean business area also sprawls to the north and south along Western and Vermont for three miles, and to the east and west along Olympic for two miles. South Korean investment has been a large contributor to the neighborhood economy since the 1960s. Since the early 2000s, that investment has increased greatly, ballooning to an estimated $1 billion in new construction investment. Jamison Services, Inc is Koreatown's biggest landlord and most prolific residential builder. The area also has a vibrant nightlife with many lively restaurants and clubs, especially Korean barbeque restaurants and karaoke bars.

thumb|[[Diplomatic missions of South Korea|Consulate-General of South Korea in Los Angeles]]

Asiana Airlines operates a sales office in Koreatown. Korean Air's United States Passenger Operations headquarters are located in close proximity to Koreatown in the Westlake community. Grupo TACA operates a Los Angeles-area TACA Center in Suite 100P at 3600 Wilshire Boulevard.

The Consulate-General of South Korea in Los Angeles is at 3243 Wilshire Boulevard. The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles is at 443 Shatto Place, while the passport and visa office is on the third floor of 500 Shatto Place. The Consulate General of El Salvador is at 3450 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 250 and the Consulate General of Guatemala is at 3540 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100. The Consulate General of Honduras and Nicaragua are at 3550 Wilshire Blvd. The Consulate General of Bolivia is at 3701 Wilshire Blvd #1056. The Consulate General of Indonesia is at 3457 Wilshire Blvd., while the Consulate General of the Philippines, which has been in Koreatown since 1967, is presently located next door at the fifth floor of the Equitable Life Building at 3435 Wilshire Blvd.

Government

The Wilshire Center - Koreatown Neighborhood Council is designated by the City of Los Angeles to represent the area's citizens' concerns to the city. The area represented by the council includes Koreatown and Wilshire Center, as well as parts of MacArthur Park, Hancock Park, and Mid-Wilshire.

thumb|LAPD's Olympic Station, serves Koreatown

Representatives

Koreatown lies within Los Angeles City Council District 10. As of 2023, it is represented on the city council by Heather Hutt. The area is represented by Holly Mitchell, Supervisor of District 2 for Los Angeles County. Miguel Santiago is the State Assemblyman for District 53, which includes Koreatown. Jimmy Gomez of California's 34th congressional district represents the area in the United States House of Representatives.

Fire service

Four Fire Stations of the Los Angeles Fire Department serve Koreatown:

thumb|LAFD Station 13 serving Southeast Koreatown at Pico Blvd. and Westmoreland Avenue.

Station 29 serving Southwest Koreatown at Wilshire Blvd. and Wilton Avenue.<br />

Station 13 serving Southeast Koreatown at Pico Blvd. and Westmoreland Avenue.<br />

Station 52 serving Northwest Koreatown at Melrose Avenue and Western Avenue.<br />

Station 6 serving Northeast Koreatown at Temple Street and Virgil Avenue.

Police service

The Los Angeles Police Department provides police service to the City of Los Angeles, broken up into 21 local divisions. Koreatown is served by Olympic Division. The new station completed construction and opened for service on January 4, 2009.

Education

thumb|Camino Nuevo Charter Academy

thumb|upright|Southwestern School of Law

21.4% of Koreatown residents aged 25 and older have a four-year degree, an average rate for both the city and the county. The percentage of residents with less than a high school diploma was high for the county.

  • Central City Value, LAUSD charter high school, 221 North Westmoreland Avenue
  • Ambassador School of Global Leadership, LAUSD K-12, 701 South Catalina Street
  • New Open World Academy, LAUSD K-12, 3201 West Eighth Street
  • UCLA Community School, LAUSD K-12, 701 South Catalina Street
  • Virgil Middle School, LAUSD, 152 North Vermont Avenue
  • Young Oak Kim Academy, LAUSD, 615 S. Shatto Place
  • Cahuenga Elementary School, LAUSD, 220 South Hobart Boulevard
  • Saint Brendan School, private elementary, 238 South Manhattan Place
  • New Horizon School/Los Angeles, private elementary, 434 South Vermont Avenue
  • Saint James' Episcopal Day School, private elementary, 625 South Saint Andrews Place
  • Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, LAUSD charter, 697 South Burlington Avenue
  • Saint Gregory Nazianzen, private elementary, 911 South Norton Avenue
  • Wilton Place Elementary School, LAUSD, 745 South Wilton Place
  • Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, LAUSD, 980 South Hobart Boulevard
  • Mariposa-Nabi Primary Center, LAUSD, 987 South Mariposa Avenue
  • Pilgrim School, private preK-12, 540 South Commonwealth Avenue
  • Larchmont Charter School - Layfayette Park Campus, 8-12, 2801 W 6th Street
  • Berendo Middle school - 1157 S Berendo St, Los Angeles, CA 90006
  • Los Angeles Senior High - 4650 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

Other education

The Korean Education Center, affiliated with the government of South Korea, is in Suite 200 at 680 Wilshire Place.

Public libraries

thumb|left|Pio Pico Koreatown Branch Library

  • Pio Pico Koreatown Branch Library (피오 피코 코리아타운 도서관) of the Los Angeles Public Library serves the area.

thumb|right|Parade performers during the Korean Festival

Festivals

Annual festivals include the Korean Festival & Parade on Olympic Boulevard, with a march to the Seoul Peace Park. The Wilshire Center Business Improvement District (WCBID) holds the annual Earth Day / Car Free Day Festival every April 22 on Wilshire. KTOWN Night Market holds an annual festival at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools.

Community organizations

  • The popular Anderson-Munger YMCA at 3rd and Oxford offers swimming, exercise programs, child and teen programs, and social services to the community.
  • Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) organizes in the community on behalf of social change.

Transportation

thumb|250px|left|B Line train at the Wilshire-Vermont Metro station in Koreatown

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates two subway lines in or near Koreatown — the B Line, beneath Vermont Avenue, and the D Line, beneath Wilshire Boulevard. The neighborhood is served primarily by the D Line Wilshire/Normandie station, but there are two other stops, Wilshire/Vermont and Wilshire/Western.

  • The Korean Cultural Center - 5505 Wilshire Boulevard
  • Korean Pavilion and parklet, Normandie Avenue just north of Olympic Boulevard

thumb|right|Korean Pavilion and parklet

  • Koreatown Plaza - 928 South Western Avenue
  • Chapman Park Market, 3405 West 6th Street
  • The Wiltern Theater at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.
  • LA Metro subway station, Western Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.