The first Philadelphia Koreatown () is located around the Olney section of the city of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States. Since the late 1980s, the Korean community has expanded northward, and it now straddles the border between

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...

in Philadelphia proper and the northern suburb of

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, although many Korean-American businesses and organizations and some residents remain in Olney and adjoining neighborhoods. Upper Darby Township, bordering

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Although there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the n ...

, also has a large Korean-American population; meanwhile, a rapidly growing Korean population and commercial presence has emerged in suburban

Cherry Hill Cherry Hill often refers to: * Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a township in Camden County, New Jersey * Cherry Hill, Prince William County, Virginia, a census-designated place Cherry Hill may also refer to: Places Canada * Cherry Hill, Nova Scotia, a ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

since 2010, centered along Marlton Pike, attracted to the

Cherry Hill Public Schools The Cherry Hill Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Cherry Hill, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020–21 school yea ...

. Signage in

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

is ubiquitous in some neighborhoods in these areas.

History

According to ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', the Koreatown had "moved" from the Logan neighborhood into the Olney section in the early 1980s, attributing the migration from Logan to "too much crime" and the "schools weren't so good" at the time in Logan. In Olney, tensions were high between Koreans and the German community, as well as the black community, who did not want the section of the town to be officially declared "Koreatown", causing much violence and crime to be committed not only against Koreans, but East Asians in general. The original Koreatown existed on North 5th Street in Olney since 1984, with Korean language signs put up to help official recognition of the area; those signs were vandalized in the late 1980s but eventually resurrected. In 2024,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Andy Kim Andrew Kim (born July12, 1982) is an American politician and former diplomat serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

from

Marlton, New Jersey Marlton is a census-designated place (CDP) located within Evesham Township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

suburb of Philadelphia with a significant and growing Korean population, became the first elected uniracial Korean American

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

candidate.

Religion

There is a large Korean Catholic church, Holy Angels.

Gallery

File:From-upper-darby-koreatown-2.jpg, View towards Market Street PA route 3, across from H-Mart, at Terminal Square. The 69th Street Transportation Center is also nearby. File:HMartUpperDarby.jpg, H-Mart in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania File:CheltTwp 03.JPG, H-Mart and other Korean-American businesses in Cheltenham File:CheltTwp 04.JPG, More Korean businesses in Cheltenham

References

External links

N. 5th Street Project official website
{{American Koreatowns Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Asian-American culture in Pennsylvania Koreatowns in the United States Korean-American culture in Pennsylvania Olney-Oak Lane, Philadelphia

History

Religion

See also

Gallery

References

External links