Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

's Asia District, also known as the Asian District, is the center of Asian culture and International cuisine and commerce in the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. It contains the largest population of Asian Americans and descendants from Asia in the state. Anchored by the

Gold Dome The Gold Dome, a geodesic dome in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a landmark on Route 66. It was built in 1958 and is located at the intersection of NW 23rd Street and North Classen Boulevard. It was declared eligible to be listed in the National Re ...

and Classen Building at the intersection of Northwest 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard, and bordered by

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...

to the west and the

Paseo Arts District The Paseo Arts District, originally referred to as the Spanish Village, was built in 1929 as the first commercial shopping district north of Downtown Oklahoma City by Oklahoman G.A. Nichols. Early business in the area included a swimming pool ca ...

to the east, the Asian district runs north along Classen Boulevard in central Oklahoma City from roughly Northwest 22nd Street up to Northwest 32nd Street. The famous landmark "

Milk Bottle Grocery The Milk Bottle Grocery, located at 2426 N. Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a grocery building with a large metal Braum's milk bottle atop its roof. The store was constructed in 1930, and the milk bottle was added in 1948. The b ...

" (built in 1910) is situated on Classen Boulevard and unofficially marks the entrance to the district. Scores of restaurants, travel outlets, international video stores, retail boutiques, nightclubs, supermarkets, and Asian-oriented service outlets appeal to Oklahoma City's large

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

populace and tourists alike.

History

"Little Saigon" in the current area was first coined in 1975 when thousands of Vietnamese refugees came to Oklahoma City after the fall of

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

. The Vietnamese population has continued to grow since the first wave of immigrants landed just across the state line in

Fort Chaffee Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center is an Army National Guard installation in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith. Established as Camp Chaffee in 1941, renamed to Fort Chaffee in 1956, Fort Chaffee has served as a United ...

, Arkansas. Relatives and friends joined them in Oklahoma City as stories of success reached the homeland in Vietnam, causing the population to grow significantly. The original refugees made Oklahoma City their home thanks to a handful of activists who brought hundreds out of the camp. Each refugee had to have an American sponsor before leaving the Arkansas barracks. The first refugees, most of whom did not speak English, left professional and military careers in Vietnam to become laborers such as brick makers, builders, and warehouse workers in Oklahoma City. In time, many in the community became lawyers, doctors, and engineers, and started businesses in the

Little Saigon Little Saigon ( vi, Sài Gòn nhỏ or Tiểu Sài Gòn) is a name given to ethnic enclaves of expatriate Vietnamese mainly in English-speaking countries. Alternate names include Little Vietnam and Little Hanoi (mainly in historically communist ...

portion of Asia District. They opened dental and chiropractor offices, nail salons, and insurance agencies in the area. Immigrants also created a local chapter of the Vietnamese-American Association and the Vietnamese Buddhist Association, which recently broke ground on a new temple in Asia District.

Old Chinatown, Oklahoma City

The ''Little Saigon''-influenced Asia District in North Central Oklahoma City is not the first Asian enclave in the central Oklahoma area, as the city once had an original historic Chinatown underground in

Downtown Oklahoma City Downtown Oklahoma City is located at the geographic center of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and contains the principal, central business district of the region. The CBD has over 51,000 workers and over of leasable office space to-date. Dow ...

. Artifacts were discovered in 1969 when excavation occurred for the

Myriad Convention Center Prairie Surf Studios (originally Myriad Convention Center and later Cox Convention Center) is a film production complex located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was formerly a convention center and the home of several minor league teams. ...

within the blocks bordered by Sheridan (Grand) Avenue, EK Gaylord Boulevard, Reno Avenue, and Robinson Avenue. Oklahoma City's Historic Chinatown consisted of a tunnel system underneath buildings and streets in downtown, centered in the vicinity of Main Street and Grand Avenue (now Sheridan) toward Broadway and Robinson Avenues, the extent of which is unknown and likely lost forever.

References

External links

The Asian District is A Little Saigon, A Little Oklahoma
Article about the district on OKC.NET
Asia District
website
Super Cao Nguyen
the state's largest Asian supermarket
writeup on Oklahoma City's Asia District
from ''Noodles and Rice'' {{Coord, 35, 29, 47, N, 97, 32, 04, W, format=dms, display=title, type:city_region:US-OK Asian-American culture in Oklahoma

Neighborhoods in Oklahoma City