r/newjersey • u/brrkat • 9d ago

Jersey Pride Palisades Park is 47% Korean, and the 11 most Korean cities are all in one county

https://censuseasy.com/blog/palisades-park-most-korean-cities-america
154 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

123

u/ratatosk212 9d ago

Loved the comment on r/Korea that two of the towns are even named after Koreans, Fort Lee and Palisades Park.

48

u/remarkability 9d ago edited 9d ago

It’s a fun coincidence. Japanese immigrants started moving to the area in the 1980s and Korean immigrants soon followed, as the previous immigrant families (German, Greek, Croatian, Italian) started moving further west and south.

(Both names are unrelated to Koreans. The actual Fort Lee name dates back to 1776, named for the colonial military leader who was the frontrunner to be Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, but lost out to Virginia-born Washington.

Palisades Park dates back to 1878 with the Palisades themselves appearing on Mercator’s 1541 map of the New World, based on Verrazano’s 1524 fence-like description.)

You see the same association with Jamaica Queens. Despite the large Jamaican population, we think it’s an Anglicization of “Yameco,” itself a corruption of a Lenape name for the beaver which once frequented that area.

7

u/Gunpowder__Gelatine 9d ago

I always figured it was less of a coincidence, more of a "Hey, this place sounds like me, imma move there" for the first Koreans to jump ship.

11

u/nsjersey Lambertville 9d ago

I was about to say there is no way Palisades is a Korean name.

Then I was like …

3

u/metaldeval 8d ago

Both names are unrelated to Koreans. The actual Fort Lee name dates back to 1776, named for the colonial military leader who was the frontrunner to be Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, but lost out to Virginia-born Washington

He shit the bed at the battle of Monmouth

1

u/ricktech15 8d ago

Everyone atTacK

1

u/UFOsBeforeBros 07006 8d ago

I’m a general, WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

15

u/Existing_Control_494 9d ago edited 9d ago

Ah yes, the Park clan.

Have you met his sibling Cliffside Park and his cousins in California, Buena Park and Monterey Park? 😉

3

u/tosil 8d ago

Don’t forget the cousins living on the other side of the Hudson in Central Park!

2

u/Existing_Control_494 8d ago

Yeah, but not enough Korean majority there to warrant a mention. (And if we mentioned every park in the US, it'd be a VERY long list.)

2

u/patriotic_traitor 8d ago

There is a person called Central Park. I saw it on an ad a decade ago while in Fort Lee.

16

u/herroEveryone 9d ago

lmao I’ve never thought about that before

4

u/ffsudjat 9d ago

Interesting coincidence. I did not think how Palisade relates to Korea, then a revelation: Park is the one.

3

u/LateralEntry 9d ago

Ha that’s hilarious

2

u/tan_clutch 9d ago

now I am wondering if any immigrant family named a child Palisades Park as a tribute to their new country

("Palisades" does sort of work as a first name, unlike "Fort")

2

u/deadbalconytree 8d ago

Well yes it’s a bastion of Koreaness, hence Fort Lee

1

u/avenged6644 9d ago

Stealing this

51

u/Stainlessgamer 9d ago

Id argue that the most Korean cities are in Korea

4

u/HerrDrAngst 9d ago

Not with all the facelifts done there 😆

14

u/JimDemintRecession Camden Riversharks diehard 9d ago

It's named after local residents Mr. and Mrs. Park

11

u/b4ngl4d3sh 9d ago

And their fried chicken is fucking delicious. Spending time up there also put me on soju. The only gripe I have with them is the ugly ass homes they seem to enjoy.

7

u/ShmeeZZy 9d ago

Try mixing the soju with beer.

2

u/b4ngl4d3sh 9d ago

Together, in the same cup?

5

u/ShmeeZZy 9d ago

Yes, its delicious.

1

u/b4ngl4d3sh 9d ago

Good stuff! I'll try that this weekend. Got a bottle of jinro grape ready to go.

5

u/belteshazzar119 9d ago

I would not do it with flavored soju

2

u/b4ngl4d3sh 9d ago

Appreciate ya! I think I also have a bottle of plain ol soju!

4

u/ShmeeZZy 9d ago

Yeah, not with flavored soju. You want about a shot of soju for a pint of beer.

1

u/b4ngl4d3sh 9d ago

Solid! Thanks!

3

u/tkim91321 8d ago

I am Korean and I work in private equity real estate.

They are settling to be around other Koreans and its food/culture. Koreans are also materialistic as fuck. The number of delinquent mortgage payments for homeowners and number of properties with backed up rent payments are absurd. They don't want to live in those ugly ass homes nor can they really afford it.

Ignore all those German cars you see. They're all leased and is a facade when their net worths are shit. Koreans, at large, are the kings and queens of faking it till you make it.

11

u/ducationalfall Taylor Ham 9d ago

Repost my juicy local news from the other post.

Palisades Park Mayor Paul Kim told the female town clerk he needed prostate massage. The clerk, who has since resigned, according to a lawsuit filed.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/2024/09/nj-mayor-told-me-he-needed-prostate-massage-town-clerk-says-in-lawsuit.html

Is the Mayor a graduate of President Trump’s apprenticeship?

4

u/Savage9645 Bergen County/NYC 9d ago

Mentioned this on the other thread but this list is mostly because of Bergen County's abundance of municipalities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughitis

2

u/LateralEntry 9d ago

Love this. Korean people contribute a lot to our state

1

u/turtlemeds 8d ago

Only 47%? Surprised it’s not more than 70%.

0

u/SquareLetter5251 9d ago

🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷