The numbers are further proof of Orange County's accelerating diversification -- Irvine, one of the model master-planned communities, is now dotted with Buddhist temples, Chinese banks and Asian grocery stores; central Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of the country of Vietnam; and Santa Ana has one of the largest Latino populations in the nation.
Two forces appear to be shaping the population shift, said Paul Ong, a demographer and professor of urban planning, social welfare and Asian American studies at UCLA. One is that many Asian Americans are moving in from other areas, attracted to Orange County's thriving Asian cultural institutions and economic opportunities. The other is that many Asians are continuing to emigrate from their homelands, a result of "chain migration" in which relatives are allowed to sponsor other relatives here.
On the flip side, Ong said, the white population has decreased and become older, with lower birth rates than the county's Asians and Latinos.
Koreans make up the second largest Asian ethnic group in Orange County, after Vietnamese. But unlike Vietnamese refugees who built the thriving business enclave of Westminster's Little Saigon, where block after block is filled with Vietnamese mom-and-pop shops, the imprint of Korean Americans has been far more gradual.
In Fullerton, there are no overwhelmingly Korean enclaves or neighborhoods. Instead, pockets of Korean bakeries, travel agencies, banks and markets have taken root.
Korean entrepreneurs are purchasing entire shopping centers in Fullerton and remaking them, such as an old Pavilions market that gave way to a Korean travel agency and tutoring center, said John Godlewski, Fullerton's community development director. He predicts the future will bring similar developments catering to Asian Americans.
"I'm getting calls from some of the older neighbors saying, 'We cannot read the signs. It's not written in English,' " Godlewski said. "People see things are changing, that they are not the way they used to be."
Korean Americans who move to Fullerton say that the growing Korean business community is simply an added bonus. They are more drawn to the city for the same reasons as other residents. Real estate agent Douglas Kim said many of his clients in Amerige Heights are Korean residents looking for upgrades from their older homes.
