Tibetan Community

Tibetans began arriving in the U.S. in the early sixties, but the community entered a new phase of development in 1992 when the U.S. Congress granted one thousand visas for Tibetan exiles in India as part of the Immigration Act of 1990.  These thousand Tibetans were in turn able to bring their family members along with them.  Northern California was one of several destinations for these Tibetan immigrants.  Today, there are over 1,500 Tibetans living in Northern California with significant clusters in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, El Cerrito, San Francisco, and Vacaville.

The Northern California Tibetan community is diverse in terms of age, gender, and people’s occupations.  Many are self-employed and own small businesses and their own homes.  Several are working in the service and construction industries.  Children and youths, particularly those born in Northern California, make up a large part of the community.  Many of the younger members are beginning to branch out into professional fields like nursing.  The community comes together around cultural and religious occasions, and activities geared towards highlighting the ongoing human rights and cultural repression in Tibet.