The term Little Cambodia (or Cambodia Town; km, ក្រុងខ្មែរ) refers to an
ethnic enclave of people from the country of
Cambodia.
Cambodian presence in the West traces back to the
French colonisation of Cambodia from the 1860s to mid-1950s, in which a number of Cambodians migrated to
France as students or workers. This group formed the basis of the
Cambodian population in France.
While some were able to flee to France shortly after the
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
took over in 1975, most Cambodians left their country after the regime in the 1980s, with most arriving in the
United States (specifically to
Long Beach,
California;
Lowell,
Massachusetts and the
New York City borough of the
Bronx), as well as
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
(specifically
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Melbourne and
Perth).
Locations
United States
Bronx, New York
In
the Bronx, Little Cambodia is known for its "... spicy Cambodian noodle soup made with beef, shrimp and fish balls." The Cambodian population was mainly concentrated in the neighbourhoods of
Fordham,
University Heights and
Bronx Park East
Pelham Parkway is a working- and middle-class residential neighborhood geographically located in the center of the Bronx, a borough of New York City in the United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Waring ...
areas. The Cambodian population in the Bronx and New York City has declined since the 1980s, as many of the Cambodian immigrants moved to California, Massachusetts and
Texas.
[
]
Chamblee, Georgia
* Buford Highway near Atlanta, Georgia, nicknamed "Chambodia" for the city is named Chamblee, Georgia. This is a common misnomer. There are actually very few Khmer businesses in the Buford Highway area. It is predominantly Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mexican.
Long Beach, California
Cambodia Town, Long Beach, California
Cambodia Town (also known as Little Phnom Penh or Little Cambodia) is the official name for a roughly one mile long business corridor along Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero avenues in the Eastside of Long Beach, California. The area ...
"... is a neighborhood in Long Beach's East Side centered on Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero." The community has been around since 1959 which was made up of students from the nearby universities such as the University of Southern California, UCLA, and California State University at Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...
, to name a few.
Lowell, Massachusetts
* A business community in the Lower Highlands neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts
White Center, Washington
* White Center, a suburb of Seattle, has a significant Cambodian-American community (642 Cambodian-Americans; 4.8% of the city's population). There are several Cambodian grocery stores, and Cambodian New Year is celebrated in this city.
France
Lognes
With Asians comprising over 40% of the city's population, the Parisian suburb of Lognes has the highest proportion of Asians in France of any city in the country. Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian business districts and community services are found throughout the commune. Cambodian community organisations, Buddhist temples and businesses are scattered around Lognes, and Cambodians form the largest Asian group in the city.Comment Lognes est devenue la première ville asiatique de France
Le Monde. 30 September 2005, (in French)
References
{{Ethnic enclaves
Cambodian diaspora
Ethnic enclaves in the United States