| Metro Atlanta's suburban Gwinnett County, Georgia is a nontraditional gateway and growing destination for Korean American immigrants. The suburbs in and around Duluth and Suwanee, Georgia are diverse ethnoburbs that have substantial communities of Korean residents, Korean businesses, and Korean churches. This study adds to previous research conducted in large cities.;This study sampled Korean churches, drawing its research framework on previous studies of heterolocalism, ethnic entrepreneurship, and the functions of immigrant churches. This is mainly a qualitative case study utilizing semi-structured interviews with Korean church pastors, a deacon, a refugee center supervisor, and Korean small business entrepreneurs. In addition, field research was conducted in order to document the locations of Korean ethnic churches and businesses. The study found over 90 Korean churches and at least 23 Korean business enclaves. Mapping provided visual evidence of the large number of Korean churches together with their northeast-southwest orientation along Buford Highway, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Duluth Highway, Old Peachtree Road, and a few other transportation arteries. Church forms varied from traditional, storefront, warehouse, and metal buildings. Church sizes varied from 12 to over 2,500. Most of the businesses were found in reasonably close proximities to church locations.;Korean churches are central to the Gwinnett County Korean community. Most Korean immigrants participate in a Korean ethnic church. This has been especially true for first- generation Korean immigrants. These churches serve the needs of Korean American immigrants by providing settings for social networking and community integration. Among other types of support, these churches help immigrants to adjust to their new place of residence, learn English, and find employment and opportunities in small business entrepreneurship. This study found that Korean Americans business people are especially dependent on Korean churches for encouragement, but it was much less convincing on the subject of churches directly supporting small business entrepreneurship. Korean American business people from Gwinnett County were mainly unaware of how their churches actually participate in community development. |
