TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's
Korean Business Area, known more generally as
Koreatown (or
Korea Town,
K-town or
The K.B.A.), is composed of the retail businesses along
Bloor StreetBloor Street is a major east-west commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto's east-end to the west-end and into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the DVP, Bloor Street becomes Danforth Avenue. The street,...
between Christie and Bathurst Streets in the
Seaton VillageSeaton Village is a former village located west of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada from 1828 to 1836. Seaton Village is bordered by Bloor Street to the south, the train tracks to the north, Christie Street to...
section of
The AnnexThe Annex is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 'traditional' boundaries of the neighbourhood are north from Bloor to Dupont, west to Bathurst, and east to Avenue Road...
. Also known as "Little Korea", Koreatown came into prominence during the summer of 2002 when the
Korean soccer teamThe Korea Republic national football team represents the Republic of Korea in international football competitions. The team, also known as South Korea, is recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA. It is often considered Asia's most successful national team, since it made its debut at the 1948 Summer...
surprised everyone by playing into the semi-final round in the
2002 World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. The two countries were chosen as hosts by FIFA in May 1996 and was the first tournament in its history to be hosted by two countries. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia...
tournament. Traffic came to a halt on Bloor Street West as exuberant crowds celebrated the accomplishments of their favourite team.
The adoption of a more liberal immigration policy by the Canadian government in 1967 led to an influx of Korean immigrants, many of whom settled in the Toronto area. Indeed, Toronto has the largest single concentration of Koreans in Canada with almost 50,000 living in the city, according to the 2001 Census. Many of them settled in the Bloor and Bathurst area, and before long, a small Korean business neighbourhood emerged along Bloor Street, centred around the intersection of Bloor and Manning Avenue. Restaurants, bakeries, gift shops, grocery stores, and travel agencies began to open up, most of which catered to the Korean-Canadian community. Today, although many Koreans work in the region, very few Koreans actually live in Koreatown.
Prior to the influx of Korean immigrants in the 1980s, the section of Bloor West of Bathurst was heavily populated by people from Central and South America, and the area still has a strong Latin influence today.
Koreatown, North York
Since the early 1990s, a Koreatown has also emerged in North York along
Yonge StreetYonge Street is a major arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and its northern suburbs. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at 1896 km, and is a national historic site....
between
Sheppard AvenueSheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
and just north of
Steeles AvenueSteeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is 38.75 km within Toronto, between Albion Road and the Scarborough-Pickering limit....
. The area comprises parts of
North York, OntarioNorth York forms the central part of the northern half of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288. Until 1998, it was the second-largest of six municipalities that comprised another larger municipal structure...
(
Willowdale, TorontoFor the federal and provincial electoral district that includes this community, see Willowdale and Willowdale respectively....
and
NewtonbrookNewtonbrook is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the nineteenth century, it was a separate municipality. It is located in the area around Yonge Street and Finch Avenue in the former City of North York between the east and west branches of the Don River...
) and
Thornhill, OntarioThornhill is an upscale community in the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the northern border of the City of Toronto. Once a municipal village, Thornhill is now a community and postal designation geographically split into two municipalities, Vaughan, west of Yonge...
(
Vaughan, OntarioVaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada, having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern Ontario and is part of the Greater Toronto Area...
and
Markham, OntarioMarkham is a town of York Region, located in Southern Ontario and forms a part of the Greater Toronto Area. Markham is regarded as largest town in Canada, and regarded as one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada, having doubled its population since 1990. The population of Markham...
).
The new Koreatown has many retail stores, karaoke bars and family restaurants catering to younger Koreans and those living in the north part of the City of
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
and York Region. A larger proportion of this neighbourhood are recent immigrants or visa students from
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
.
Retail composition
- Hair salons
- Cosmetic retailers
- Family styled restaurants
- Sushi bars
- Karaoke bars
- Clothing retailers
- Convenience stores
- Internet cafes
See also
- List of neighbourhoods in Toronto
- Koreatown, Manhattan
Koreatown, or K-town as it is colloquially known, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that is generally bordered by 31st and 36th Streets and Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenues. Its location in Midtown Manhattan leads it to be easily overshadowed by nearby destinations like the...
- Little Seoul
Little Seoul is on Garden Grove Boulevard between Brookhurst Street and Beach Boulevard in the Orange County, California city of Garden Grove. Although the Koreatown neighborhood in Los Angeles is larger and better known, Orange County’s own Korean enclave hosts over 1,000 businesses in a...
- Koreatown, Los Angeles, California
Koreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California. Home to a population of 340,000 and covering just under , it has the highest population density of all neighborhoods in Los Angeles...