How Rockville became a hub for Asian Americans in the DC area
All throughout May, WTOP is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with stories about the people and places shaping the D.C. region.
Rockville, Maryland, a town of around 67,000 residents, has over the past four decades become an enclave for Asian Americans living in the D.C. area.
From businesses that cater directly to the community to the many Asian grocers the town has seen, the Asian American community became its largest racial minority group.
John Lin is president of CapStar Commercial Realty and is also a member of the city’s Asian Pacific American Task Force. He said that he has watched the town grow since moving to the region from Taiwan in the 1970s.
“It’s a place where all the Asians want to move in because they have all they want,” Lin said.
Sitting down to a plate of pork dumplings at MaMa Wok, a popular Chinese restaurant in the town, Lin shared the story of how the town became a hub for the community.
It began, according to Lin, on Maryland Route 355 with the opening of Meixin Supermarket in the 1980s. Other Asian grocers would soon follow, and so would other Asian American-owned businesses.
“Over time, you see a lot of others. Businesses like restaurants and salons and doctors and (lawyers) moving near that, and all the new immigrants would come in,” Lin said.
He said grocery stores were key to the growth of the Asian American community in the town.
“[Residents] can go to other grocers and get exactly the things they have back home,” he said.
Another factor he believes is the gentrification of D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood which lead to an exodus of Asian businesses from the nation’s capital.
“D.C.’s Chinatown is pretty much phased out. It’s like a tourist spot because it only has a few businesses left,” Lin said.
- Things to do in the DC area: AAPI Heritage Month events, Adams Morgan PorchFest … and more!
- Longtime Asian American residents raise concerns about DC’s ‘dwindling’ Chinatown
- 8 Asian festivals to enjoy in the DC area during AAPI Heritage Month
Lin added that you’ll even see businesses which may not be owned by Asian Americans, going out of their way to welcome in residents who are. One example, according to Lin, is the Citibank on Research Parkway, which has its sign also in Chinese.
“So when immigrants come in, they feel comfortable. They can walk into the bank and talk to the cashier and do what they need. That makes a difference,” Lin said.
The other big draw for families is the quality of education in the county.
“The Rockville area has the best schools in the nation, and that’s what’s attracting all the people to come,” he said.
Lin said while the city should be a case study for other towns, there is more that he hopes to see come down the road when it comes to restaurants and shops.
“I will say, compared with Virginia, I feel that they are moving so fast. We need to catch up a little bit,” he said.
But Lin said when it comes to those in the Asian community, Rockville continues to rank as the best place to call home.