Thai American
Encyclopedia : T : TH : THA : Thai American
A Thai American is an American of Thai descent.
History of Thais in the U.S.
The first persons from Thailand who immigrated to the United States were In and Chan, the famous Siamese twins, who came to the United States in 1830. They settled in White Plains, North Carolina, and used "Bunker" as their last name. Their descendants have continued to use "Bunker" as their last name until recently.The first student to immigrate from Thailand was Mr. He Thien (original name "ThienHe"), who came with an American missionary, and graduated from a New York medical college in 1871. He was the father of former Prime minister of Thailand Pote Sarasin.
- From 1961-1970, about 5,000 Thai immigrated to the United States.
- From 1971-1980, about 44,000 Thai immigrated to United States.
- From 1981-1990, about 64,400 Thai immigrated to United States.
Areas of greatest concentration
Los Angeles, California has the largest Thai population outside of Thailand. Roughly 66% percent of all Thai Americans live in Los Angeles. It is also home to the world's first and only Thai Town. In 2002 there was an estimated 80,000+ Thai immigrants living in Los Angeles. Thai Chinese are also included in the population. Because of this, Los Angeles is sometimes referred to as Thailand's 77th province.Note that both Bangkok and Los Angeles are known as the City of Angels.
However, there are Thai communities spread throughout the US. Other cities with sizable Thai populations include Houston, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Cultural Influence on America - Contribution to the \"Melting Pot\"
Thai Americans are well known for bringing the cuisine of their native Thailand to America. Thai cuisine is popular in many american cities. It is currently popular for American restaurants to Thai influenced dishes.Thai culture's prominent popularity in the US is somewhat disproportionate to their precentage in the total population. Which is largely due to US presence in Thailand and Laos during the Vietnam War and the subsequent influx of Thai Americans and Laotian Americans. According to the article on Laotian Americans, many Laotian Americans take on Thai identities to gain acceptance in America. According to the 2000 census there were 196,893 Laotians and 150,093 Thai residents in the United States. Thai and Lao cultures and lanugage are very similar especially in the northern Isan region of Thailand.
Political involvement
Traditionally, political involvement in the Thai-American community seldom exist. As of 2005, there are no elected officials of Thai descent. In the Asian-American mainstream, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Korean-Americans have been elected to political offices. Two Thais ran in municipal elections in 2003, one in Anaheim, California and the other in Houston, Texas; but both candidates lost.Community
Buddhist temples (Wat) often serve as a civics center for Thai Americans. Many offer classes in Thai language, music and culture for Thais who grew up in America. They also serve as a meeting place for cultural festivals like Songkran (Thai New Year, best know to foreigners as a water festival) and Loy Krathong.Notable Thai Americans
See List of Thai AmericansSee also
Sources
[We the People Asians in the United States Census 2000 Special Reports]External links
- [ThaiNewYork.com]
- [Thaitown USA News]
- [List Temples in North America]
- [Asian Pacific Newspaper]
- [Siam Media Newspaper]
- [Sereechai Newspaper]
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