Little Cambodia Leaves New York, Finds New Niches
New York's Cambodian population has seen a sharp drop over the last two decades, but other American cities have absorbed these communities to form their own "Little Cambodias".
"Data from the 2000 census shows that the city’s Cambodian population decreased by 31 percent from 1990 to 2000. According to a census analysis by the Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center, the decline occurred as nearly all the country’s other Cambodian communities were expanding.
At the high-water mark of 1990, census figures show, 2,565 Cambodians lived in the city, primarily in the Fordham, University Heights and Bronx Park East sections of the Bronx. Most were refugees who were resettled in New York after fleeing the repressive Khmer Rouge regime, which fell in 1979 and claimed nearly two million lives. According to an analysis of 2005 numbers prepared by the Census Bureau, barely 1,000 Cambodians then remained in the city."
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I live in the smallest of
I live in the smallest of three Cambodian enclaves in Philadelphia. One is in North Philly around 5th St. and Roosevelt Blvd. The other two are in South Philly, one along 5th, 6th & 7th Streets on either side of Snyder Ave. and the other is between 15th & 18th Streets south of Dickinson St. Each enclave is larger than the one in the Bronx. Most of them come from the Battambang area of Cambodia and came to Philadelphia via the same refugee camp in Thailand with the rest arriving from New York or Lowell and even Ottawa.
Much of the community here is under 25 and are US or Thailand born. While nearly all of them speak Khmer they're much more comfortable with English. The people under 30 talk about moving to the suburbs. People aged 30-45 talk about moving to Dallas. The older folks talk about going back to Battambang or to Phnom Pen.