Clark County's Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population is a rare demographic, being mostly foreign-born: Filipinos are the largest group, but there are also significant and growing populations of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and Hawaiian people.
Chinatown Plaza, Las Vegas' first large Asian shopping mall, was built in 1995. Photo: Shutterstock
“Asian Americans are reimagining Las Vegas beyond the Strip and buffets, changing the tastes, sights and smells of the city,” said Constancio Arnaldo, a professor of Asian and Asian American studies at the University of Las Vegas.
Asian Americans make up 13% of Clark County's population, or 237,000 people, according to the 2020 census, but even that latest figure is outdated. Katherine Francisco, president of the Nevada AAPI Chamber of Commerce, said the county has seen its fastest growth in the past four years.
“A lot of the people who come to Chinatown are from California,” said Francisco, himself a former Californian.
Nevada has no state income tax and property taxes that are less than half the national average, drawing not only wealthy residents looking to preserve their wealth, but also those looking for bigger homes, cheaper rents and lower costs to start a business.
If you've spent time in Los Angeles' Chinatown, Las Vegas' Chinatown may seem familiar.
Thirty years ago, you had to drive to Los Angeles to get good Chinese food. I guess around 2000, that's when I stopped going. Vida Lin, president of the Asian Community Development Council
The old Chinatown west of the Strip has a more traditional feel, with neon lights and ornate archways, while the newer Asian community in Spring Valley resembles Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley, with dense developments with ample parking lots clustered on a few off-the-beaten-path thoroughfares in the city's southwestern district.
Southern California entrepreneur James Chen and two partners built Las Vegas' first large-scale Asian shopping mall, Chinatown Plaza, in 1995.
The commercial complex, anchored by a 99 Ranch grocery store, looks like a bigger, more elaborate version of San Gabriel's Focus Plaza, both of which were designed by the same San Gabriel architecture firm.
Chinatown Mall at Chinatown Plaza in Las Vegas. Photo: Shutterstock
Vida Lin, president of the Asian Community Development Council, said Chen and his partners saw an opportunity in the number of Asian families and tourists from Southern California who regularly visit Las Vegas.
Lin, who came to Las Vegas from San Francisco, said many Chinese investors are looking to test their ideas in places with lower taxes.
It's a long-standing tradition in Southern California for Chinese families who don't want to eat turkey and eggnog to spend the holiday in Las Vegas instead.
Travel agencies in the San Gabriel Valley regularly send Chinese tourists to Las Vegas, and fleets of budget buses ferry Asian retirees back and forth between their favorite casinos almost daily.
The Chinese love to gamble isn't just a stereotype: According to the International Journal of Psychiatry, gambling addiction affects 2.5-4 percent of China's adult population, compared with just 1 percent in most Western countries.
This flow of people and money is also spurring the development of rail links between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. On a recent visit to Chinatown Plaza in Las Vegas, I saw an advertisement announcing the grand opening of the Barstow Asian Food Court.
Lin, who came to Las Vegas in 1994, has his own way of measuring growth.
“Thirty years ago, you had to drive to Los Angeles to get good Chinese food,” Lin said. “I think around 2000, that stopped happening.”
Chinese steamed pork dumplings, xiaolongbao, served at a Las Vegas restaurant. Photo: Shutterstock
While most of the residents are recent immigrants, Asian Americans have been in Las Vegas for a long time, Lin said.
Chinese and Filipino workers built the railroads that made Las Vegas possible, and Filipino designer Rudy Crisotomo created the famous neon signs for The Sands, The Dunes, Circus Circus, Luxor and The Rio.
Chinese entrepreneurs popularized games like keno and pai gow, and in the 1940s, Asian Americans opened nightclubs to attract black customers who had been driven off the Strip.
Las Vegas' Asian neighborhoods retain the restless energy of the San Gabriel Valley of a decade ago, with the familiar economic vitality and problems that come with any rapidly growing immigrant community.
In the San Gabriel Valley, these frictions have manifested as disputes over the cultural offerings of grocery stores and a fierce debate over mandating English on public signs that goes far beyond public safety.
While these clashes have revealed xenophobia and racism, the debates have also revealed that some local governments are not ready to accommodate large non-English speaking populations.
It's a new city. It's very open-minded. I actually like that about it. Real estate agent and investor Jim Fong talks about Las Vegas
Las Vegas real estate agent and investor Jim Fong said there is some friction: He has found, for example, that while a yard gnome doesn't require homeowners' association approval, a similar-sized Chinese lion statue often requires paperwork and separate approvals.
But overall, he expects Las Vegas to be a different place, especially for mixed race kids.
“It's a relatively new town. It's very open-minded. I actually like it there,” Phong says.
Officials in the city's Chinatown are even discussing adopting a new name, such as Asiatown or International District, that would better reflect the area's diverse Asian American (AAPI) population.
“This is an important conversation to have,” Lin said.
