By Anaridis Rodriguez -- February 18, 2010
Known for its decorative Buddhist temples, Cambodian restaurants and the second largest Cambodian population in the US, Lowell is on the fast lane to becoming the next "Chinatown."
With this in mind Lowell city officials are considering adding yet another Bay State attraction, "Little Cambodia."
Director of cultural affairs for the city of Lowell LZ Nunn said developing this ethnic quarter into a tourist attraction will not only bring revenue, but also mass appeal to the city and the Cambodian community.
"I think there is an opportunity that the city has to look at in terms of further planning areas where there is a high concentration of Cambodian businesses and restaurants and see how we can expand their opportunities to reach new markets," Nunn said in a WERS interview.
Although the development of "Little Cambodia" is in its conceptual stage, Nunn said Lowell residents as well as community leaders are excited for the possible move.
"There is a really passionate interest by a lot of different groups in the community to find ways to better highlight an incredible, one of their incredible cultural resources which is a very strong Cambodian community in this city," Nunn said.
And before they build an archway or start a marketing campaign Nunn said the support of the Lowell community is imperative. Within the next month, city officials will be holding a series of community meetings to discuss the issue.
"Our planning and development department has been working with MIT and some other experts in terms of getting community input," said Nunn.
The largest Cambodian population is located in Long Beach, CA.
Cambodian immigrants first started arriving in Lowell in 1980, as of today close to 20,000 Cambodians reside in the fourth largest city in Massachusetts.
