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Sri Lankan immigrants to Los Angeles have immigrated from the island nation of Sri Lanka off the Southern Coast of India.

Sri Lankan immigration to the United States began in the early 1950’s, with Rajah Rutnam, the son of a wealthy Sri Lankan Tamil scholar, Dr. James T. Rutnam. Rajah migrated from the island nation under the McCarran-Walter Act, and later settled in Los Angeles, California where he lived until his death in 2009. The Sri Lankan community of Los Angeles reflects the multiethnic makeup of their homeland, but finds unity in a common national identity. Sinhala Buddhists, especially, define the core of their cultural identity as their food, language, and religious traditions, and place high value on the maintenance and propagation of these customs. Many families have been challenged by the conflicting Western values they have encountered here, but their adaptability and strong sense of community have enabled them to find a new Sri Lankan identity within the greater American milieu.

The Sri Lankan community of Los Angeles enjoys an annual Sri Lanka Day, and boasts a number of organizations centered around their shared national roots, including the Sri Lankan Foundation, the Sri Lankan American Association, and the Sri Lankan Youth Organization. The Sinhala Buddhist community has established nine Theravada Sri Lankan Temples in the area, with a greater concentration of Sri Lankan monks and temples than any other state in the country.

Most Sri Lankans come to LA in search of greater economic and educational opportunities, and many hope to experience the glamorous American lifestyle portrayed in Hollywood films. Many educated Sri Lankans work in Medicine, Engineering, Business, and IT Technology, and Sri Lankan youth are often encouraged to pursue their maximum educational potential in these fields. Specifically Sri Lankan women in LA are known to own or work in preschools or daycares, while many are homemakers. Blue collar Sri Lankan men often work at convenience stores or in various driving capacities as truck drivers, uber drivers, or bus drivers.

Sinhala Buddhists communities tend to center around temples and religious ceremonies, while many respondents suggested that Tamils may gravitate to Indian Hindu communities (though the researcher was unable to confirm this). Christians and Catholics (which include Sinhala, Tamils, Burghers, etc.) often find adjustment into American society to be relatively easy as there are numerous Christian/Catholic communities available to them.

According to long-time community leader, Jayam Rutnam, by the 1970’s there were about 200 Sri Lankans living in the Southern California region. Now, in 2014, there are anywhere between sixty and eighty thousand. The Sri Lankan community has not converged in any single area, but there is a slight concentration in the San Fernando Valley, as well as a number in the Covina/Glendora area and a small Tamil group in Lancaster.

Many Sri Lankan immigrant families cook Sri Lankan food regularly, as ingredients can often be found at local international stores, and there are also a couple stores in the area that have everything and sell specifically Sri Lankan imports. However, most also enjoy American or ethnic foods and many successive generations favor the taste of American meals and fast food.

A typical Sri Lankan diet consists of various types of curry paired with brown, yellow, or white rice.