- published: 28 Aug 2012
- views: 192866
Little Manila (also known as Manilatowns or Filipinotowns) is a term that refers to a community with a large Filipino immigrant and descendant population.
Main Article: Filipino American
The Golden State is host to the largest Filipino constituency of any of the United States. About 2 million residents are of Filipino background and it is the primary destination for Filipino immigrants and tourists. Filipinos are also the largest Asian American group in the state and one of the largest ethnic groups, making up 6% of the entire Californian population. ABS-CBN International and its Studio TFC is base in Redwood City, in the San Francisco Bay Area known for a large Filipino population (highly centered in San Francisco and esp. in the Pacific Heights neighborhood). Filipinos also live in the Central Coast of California, Orange County in large numbers and an estimated 30,000 Filipinos of the farming desert region of the Imperial Valley. There are also growing Filipino populations in the West San Fernando Valley, Santa Clara, San Diego (a large Filipino community developed in the Miramar/Mira Mesa district) and the Inland Empire of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Filipinos settled in large numbers as agricultural laborers and employees of the U.S. Armed Forces in the California Desert (the Antelope and Victor Valleys).[citation needed]