The Best Chinese Communities in Atlanta, Georgia
Hello! I’m Tim Trevathan with Tim Trevathan Homes, your go-to Atlanta Realtor. Today we are going to talk about the Chinese community in Atlanta.
Atlanta is a city full of people who moved here from somewhere else. Maybe that describes you and you are currently living elsewhere but would like to call Atlanta home. Or, maybe you moved to Atlanta several years ago and have found yourself ready to upgrade or downsize your home. Or, maybe you have lived here all your life and are ready for a change and want to check out life in a different part of the metro area.
No matter which describes you, I am glad you are here and would love to hear from you! My contact info is right here on the screen and if you would like to call Atlanta home, please give me a call.
Over the last 20 or so years, the Asian population in Georgia has rapidly grown. Over 70% of the state’s Asian population lives in the Metro Atlanta area, and as of the 2020 census that was almost 301,000 people, making about 7% of the population of Asian descent.
Gwinnett county is 12% Asian, leading the way among the Metro Counties, but northern Dekalb County, northern Fulton County, and southern Forsyth County also have a significant Asian population.
In the 10-county area that makes up Metro Atlanta, the Indian community is the largest Asian community followed by the Vietnamese community. As of 2019, about 14.5% of the Asian community here in Atlanta was Chinese, and the state-wide Chinese population was around 70,000 people.
Specifically, the Asian community in Douglas County was almost 25% Chinese and in Fulton county it was almost 20% Chinese.
Like most of Atlanta’s Asian communities, the Chinese community started growing in the 1970’s and 1980’s and was initially situated in the corridor around Buford Highway. As the 1990’s faded into the 2000’s, the communities moved into the suburbs, especially into Gwinnett County where almost 100 languages are now spoken by students in the public school system.
So, what is the Chinese community here in Atlanta like? I can tell you what it is not like: Atlanta does not have a large, centralized, urban Chinatown like you’d find in San Francisco or New York City. The Chinese community here is newer and has been part of the suburban sprawl just like the rest of Atlanta.
The closest thing to a true Chinatown here in Atlanta is the Atlanta Chinatown Mall down in Chamblee, just north of I-285. You’ll find quite the variety of businesses here: there’s a food court, sit-down restaurants, a nice garden with a stage for community and cultural events, a tailor, translation services, accounting services, a hair salon, a bookstore, cosmetics, gift shop, and a grocery store as well as a pharmacy.
Guarded by two stone lions, the mall opened in 1988 and is said to be the first commercial Chinese area in the southeastern United States, and certainly the first in the Atlanta area.
There are several Chinese-speaking Buddhist Temples in Metro Atlanta as well as several Chinese-speaking churches including the Atlanta Chinese Christian Church, First Chinese Baptist Church of Atlanta, and Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Church.
Serving parents who wish their children to learn the Chinese language and culture, there are schools like Atlanta Chinese School, Chinese Cultural School of Atlanta, and Hongfan Chinese Academy.
Some of the schools also teach Chinese classes for adult learners and offer cultural events for the community.
The Atlanta Chinese Dance Company was founded in 1991 and uses traditional Chinese dance to educate its audiences on Chinese history and culture as well as offers Chinese dance classes for children and adults.
Located in Johns Creek, Atlanta Professional Dance Academy is a unique part of Atlanta’s Chinese community. It is a pre-professional classical ballet school with a mostly Chinese faculty that also offers students Chinese folk dance classes in addition to their classical ballet lessons.
When it comes to holiday celebrations, you can find Lunar New Year celebrations throughout Atlanta. Some are held by local cities like Johns Creek or Decatur, and others are hosted by local businesses like the Atlanta Children’s Museum.
While we don’t have a centralized Chinatown like cities with older and larger Chinese communities, Atlanta does have a vibrant Chinese community that is thriving despite the suburban sprawl.
If you are ready to check it out and make Atlanta your next home, I would love to hear from you! Please send an email, send a text, or give me a call.
