You might never know it, but there are over 1 million Iranian-Americans living in the US. The reason you probably don’t see very many throughout most of the country is because half of them are in Southern California. That’s right. 500,000 Americans of Iranian ancestry live in the cities and suburbs that make up the southern reaches of California. Why is that? Here are a few reasons why this part of the country resonates with Iranians.
1. The Weather
Los Angeles has weather that is very similar to Tehran. While the summers can get pretty hot, for the most part the temperatures are moderate, and it never gets cold like it does in the east. Dotted with hills and palm trees, and bordered by snow-capped mountains, L.A.’s topography is even similar to Iran.
2. An Independent Community
The huge and spread-out nature of Southern California makes it easy for all ethnic groups to form their own communities. A quick drive around Los Angeles, and you’ll notice immigrant communities like Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Filipinotown, and Thai Town. These are places where both established and newly arrived immigrants can find the food, grocery stores, places of worship, and other aspects of life that can be startlingly similar to the communities in their native lands. In Westwood, near UCLA, is a neighborhood with so many Iranians — and so rich in Iranian culture — that it’s actually known as Tehrangeles. With Iranian barbershops, ice cream stores, restaurants, and grocery stores — with many of the signs written in Persian — a walk down Westwood Blvd can feel like you’re walking down a street in Tehran.
3. A Base for a Community to Grow
As with any immigrant community, once a group of people from one country settles down and puts down roots, others will follow. In the same fashion that the upper Midwest is filled with descendants of Scandinavians, and Florida has a huge Cuban community, once immigrants started arriving from Iran and settling in Southern California, they were quickly followed by relatives, then extended relatives, then friends. Once that seed was planted, and their friends and family saw how good life can be in SoCal, others followed.
With, terrific weather, a thriving economy, and a rich, vibrant culture which encourages diversity, Iranian-Americans have discovered the same enduring qualities that have attracted immigrants to California for 200 years.
