Monthly Archives: March 2021

Australia’s working holiday visa programs offer young Americans unique opportunities to live and work for up to three years in the Land Down Under. “Digital nomads” -- remote employees currently working from home or overseas – and university students ages 18-30 can apply for the program. 

Unlike other countries that introduced digital nomad programs to boost tourism during the pandemic, Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) temporary visa program was suspended during the COVID-19 crisis. WHM began in 1975 to encourage young people from Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom to spend a year working and touring the commonwealth. It has since grown to dozens to countries and hundreds of thousands of participants. During 2017 and 2018, more than 170,000 WHM applications were granted each year, including more than 2,100 WHM visas for U.S. citizens. 

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and is the largest city in the Mountain Time Zone.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area has a population of 4.8 million—the tenth largest metropolitan area in the United States—and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  New residents and businesses come here for the low cost of living and year-round warm weather.  Phoenix gets more sunshine than any other major city on the planet.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area, also known as the Valley, includes the cities of Casa Grande, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Maricopa, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe.  The Valley has a strong base of semiconductor, electronics, and aerospace manufacturers.  Real estate, construction, healthcare, financial services, and tourism are also major components of the Phoenix economy, which has over 200 golf courses, 500 hotels, and 40 resorts.  The Korean immigrant community in Phoenix is not huge, however, the city is home several Korean churches and other nonprofit organizations like the Arizona Korean Association, which offers cultural events and language courses.  Phoenix has several Korean restaurants and grocery stores, including an H Mart located in Mesa.  There is also an online community newspaper—The Korean Arizona Times. 

San Diego is America’s 17th-most populous city and is the third-most populous urban area in the state of California.  This metropolis of 3.3 million residents shares a 15-mile border with Mexico, where just to the other side sits Tijuana—Mexico’s sixth-most populous city (and an important city for Korean manufacturers that have invested in factories along the border).  About 200,000 people cross the border each day, making this one of the busiest land borders in the world.  San Diego is well known for its mild Mediterranean climate that attracts over 35 million visitors each year.  This is a beach city that has nearly year-round perfect weather, plenty of scenic vistas, and miles of spectacular coastline that includes La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Coronado Beach, and Imperial Beach.  The San Diego metropolitan area includes cities such as Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, San Marcos, Santee, La Mesa, National City, Oceanside, Vista, and Encinitas.  The Convoy District in Kearney Mesa is known as San Diego’s cultural district for all things Asian and has dozens of Korean restaurants and markets.  Korean immigrants and Korean Americans, however, are scattered all throughout San Diego and there are over 50 Korean churches in the metropolitan area.    

Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada and located in the Mojave Desert, bordering California and Arizona.  The Las Vegas metropolitan area, known as the Las Vegas Valley, includes Clark County and the cities of North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City, as well as several other unincorporated communities and neighborhoods.  The Las Vegas Valley has a population of 2.3 million people and has been America’s fastest growing city the past decade.  Although Las Vegas ranks only as the 28th-most populous city in the United States, there could be as many as 300,000 tourists visiting the city on any given day.  Las Vegas is known as “America’s Playground” and is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting over 42 million visitors a year.  The city also hosts over 20,000 annual conventions, meetings, and trade shows each year.  The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is an important event for Korean companies, which typically send nearly 400 exhibitors to the show each year.  There are only few thousand Korean immigrants in Las Vegas, however, the population is growing quickly as more people move to the area from California in search of new business opportunities and lower housing costs. 

Seattle is the largest city in America’s Pacific Northwest region and is located in the state of Washington.  The Seattle metropolitan area has a population of 4 million people and is the fifteenth-largest metropolis in the United States.  Known as the “Emerald City”, Seattle is situated in a magnificent natural environment along the Puget Sound, surrounded by evergreen forests, mountains, and water.  The Seattle metropolitan area is the headquarters of 11 Fortune 500 companies including famous consumer brands like Nordstrom, Costco, Amazon, Microsoft, and Starbucks.  The Seattle metropolitan area includes the cities of Tacoma, Bellevue, Kent, Everett, Renton, Kirkland, and Redmond.  With over 60,000 Korean people throughout the state of Washington, Seattle and the Puget Sound region has strong connections with South Korea.  Seattle has a sister city with relationship with Daejeon, Korea’s 5^th largest city.  Korea is an important market for Seattle area businesses (there are over 1,500 Starbucks locations in Korea and 16 Costco stores) and is a transportation for cargo ships and airlines like Delta and Korean Air.  Korean communities are concentrated in the towns of Lynwood, Federal Way, Shoreline, and Lakewood, but there are Koreans living all throughout the Seattle metro area.

Denver, known as the “Mile High City” because of its elevation of 5,280 feet, is the capital of Colorado and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  The Denver Metropolitan area is the 19th most populous metro area in the U.S. and has a population approaching three million people.  The region’s growing and diverse economy—along with its proximity to Rocky Mountain ski resorts—make Denver an attractive destination for people seeking a more active and balanced lifestyle.  Denver has a diverse economy and strong foundation of Fortune 500 companies operating in various industries such as healthcare, financial services, media, apparel, electronics, mining, aerospace, energy, and food and beverage.  The Denver Metropolitan area includes the towns of Arvada, Castle Rock, Centennial, Lakewood, Littleton, Thornton, Westminster, and Aurora.   Denver has a thriving Korean community that is centered around Aurora, which has a sister city agreement with Seongnam, in South Korea.  Aurora is home to many Korean restaurants, churches, bakeries, and grocery stores—including an H Mart (there is another location in Westminster).  There is also a Korean school—the Korean Academy of Colorado—that welcomes all local residents to learn about Korean language and culture.

Greater Houston is the fifth most-populous metropolitan area in the United States and has a population of over 7 million residents.  Houston is one of America’s most ethnically diverse cities.  With over 145 different languages being spoken in this global city, it is no surprise that Houston has plenty of great restaurants offering delicious cuisine from all over the world, including several Korean restaurants.  This is a fast-growing and youthful city that attracts entrepreneurs, corporate businesspeople, international investors, and students.  Greater Houston encompasses nine counties and includes the cities of Sugar Land, Baytown, Conroe, Pasadena, Pearland, The Woodlands, and Galveston.  Houston has over 25,000 Koreans and the community is centered around the Spring Branch neighborhood, better known as K-Town.  This area has several Korean churches, professional service companies, restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores, such as H Mart.  Houston even has several South Korea-based chains such as Bonchon, Tom N Toms Coffee, and Tous Les Jours.  The area is home to the Korean Community Center of Houston and there are several other community organizations like the Korean American Society of Houston, which hosts the annual Korean Festival.

Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan and the second largest metropolitan area in the Midwest (after Chicago).  Detroit is better known by its nickname “Motor City”, or “Motown”, because of its prominence as the global center of the automotive industry.  Although the city has certainly had its share of ups and downs, Detroit remains an important and influential American city.  The Detroit metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, has a population of 4.3 million and is the fourteenth-largest metropolis in the United States.  Metro Detroit includes the towns of Dearborn, Royal Oak, Auburn Hills, Livonia, Southfield, Rochester Hills, Warren, Pontiac, Troy, Sterling Heights, and other municipalities.  There are over 20,000 Korean immigrants throughout Metro Detroit and double that number in the state of Michigan; the college towns of Lansing and Ann Arbor both have a substantial population of Koreans.  Detroit has strong links to Korea through the auto industry and there are daily nonstop flights from Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) to Seoul-Incheon Airport (ICN) on Delta Airlines.  Detroit is home to several Korean community organizations such as Korean Cultural Center of Michigan, the Korean American Community of Metro Detroit, and the Detroit Saejong School.