The Cambodian Community

Compiled by Clifton L. Holland

Long Beach has the second-largest population of Cambodians outside of Asia (after Paris, France), and the area along Anaheim Street is sometimes called "Little Phnom Penh."   Other Los Angeles area cities with a significant concentration of Cambodians (includes Hmong) are Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley, the Monterey Park-Alhambra area of the south San Gabriel Valley as well as the Walnut-Pomona area of the east San Gabriel Vallely in Los Angeles County.

Maps of the Cambodian population in Los Angeles, 1990

The IDEA Strategic Mapping and Information Service, directed by Clifton L. Holland, has produced a series of computer maps on ethnic and religious diversity in the Los Angeles 5-County Region, based on the 1990 Census of Population.    See the following links:   

Los Angeles County:  ../laco/cambodian.pdf (note PDF format).     

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BACKGROUND

Cambodia is a country located in South-East Asia.  It is bordered by Thailand and Vietnam and currently has a population of 12.8 million.  Since the 12th Century, Buddhism has been the main- and sometimes official - religion.  It has a rich history of arts and culture but has the dubious distinction of being most famous for the immense and brutal suffering inflicted on the country by Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge party.  From approx 1975-79, millions of Cambodians (estimates are typically one to three million but run as high as four million) were savagely and systematically exterminated by the Khmer Rouge regime. Given their agrarian and Maoist philosophies, the educated were particularly targeted.  Successive governments have been a complex amalgam of forces, often still including ex- Khmer Rouge leaders and traditional monarchists.  The economic ruin visited on the country by the virulently anti-intellectual Khmer Rouge has caused on-going developmental problems, as has the unwillingness to face an ugly past and allow the growth of strong and independent government institutions.  For these reasons and many more, there has been a flight of Cambodians from their country.  Many were initially escapees and refugees; more recently, the disenchanted or discriminated against have chosen a different life for themselves or their children.

The most recent demographics available from the 2000 Census indicate that the national Cambodian population (including those of mixed race) is 206,052, with 84,559 of those people living in California and, of those, some 43,877 in Los Angeles.   However, our study of the available literature and conversations with local leaders would indicate that there may be significant under-reporting leading to the actual number of Cambodians in Long Beach alone to be between 60,000-80,000 (Cambodian Gospel Resources website).  The prime reasons for under-reporting are that many members of the community are semi-literate and many harbor deep suspicion of any government activities, leading them to avoid disclosure of their existence.  With more than 127,000 Cambodians in the country, that makes the Khmer language number twenty-five in the top fifty languages spoken in the US today.

SOURCE:   http://www.cambodianchristian.com/cambodians_in_crisis/background.htm

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In 1997, the IDEA DATABASE for the Los Angeles 5-County Region contained the following nine Cambodian churches, sorted by city:

Note:  The religious Traditions and Classification Codes (CLASCODES) used in this table are explained in A Classification System of Religious Groups in the Americas by Major Traditions and Family Types (created by Clifton L. Holland of IDEA-PROLADES Ministries, latest version 2007). 

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CAMBODIANS IN CRISIS

 A Study of the Cambodian Population in Long Beach, CA

   By Tommy Dyo & Brett Moore

Group Paper

Introduction to Urban Mission

MN 520

Professor: Jude Tiersma Watson

Fuller Theological Seminary

Winter 2003

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CAMBODIAN CHURCHES IN THE LONG BEACH AREA:  2007

Grace Cambodian Church
3601 Linden Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90807
Pastor:  Ketakun Thor

First Christian Church
440 Elm Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802

First Baptist Church, Cambodian Ministry
1000 Pine Ave.
Long Beach CA 80813
562-432-8447
www.fbclb.org
Pastor:  Samboth Mao 

New Life Lao Nazarene
1800 E. Anaheim St.
Long Beach, CA 90813
Pastor:  Anong Nhim

New Life Cambodian Nazarene
1800 E. Anaheim St.
Long Beach, CA 90813
Pastor:  Luth Sin

First Cambodian Southern Baptist Church
5640 Orange Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90805
Pastor:  Keo Channy

Khmer Baptist Church
PO BOX 4576
Long Beach, CA 90804
Pastor:  Chhoumdoeun Boun

First Cambodian Lutheran Church
946 Linden Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90813
Pastor:  Chandara Lee

Long Beach Seventh-Day Adventist Church
1001 E. 3rd St.
Long Beach, CA 90804
Pastor:  James C. Dok

Cambodian Evangelical Church of Long Beach 
2416 E 11th St.
Long Beach. CA 90804
562-433-0250

New Hope Cambodian Evangelical Church
759 Linden Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90813
562-423-2396

See also, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Cambodian District 
1616 S Palmetto Ave
Ontario, CA 91762-5972
Telephone: 909-988-9434
Fax: 909-988-3146 
E-mail: cambodist@aol.com

SOURCE:  http://www.cambodianchristian.com/cambodians_in_crisis/resources.htm