Asian American Hidden Communities |
Sri Lankan Community in Staten Island – US

Staten Island is the least populated borough in New York City, but did you know that it has one of the largest Sri Lankan populations outside of the country of Sri Lanka?

Nearly 5,000 Sri Lankan Americans have settled there since the late 1950’s.

Walk through the Tompkinsville and St. George neighborhoods and you’ll experience “Little Sri Lanka”, with restaurants, stores, and the very first Sri Lankan art museum. Asian American Life correspondent Rayner Ramirez meets the original Sri Lankan family that settled in Staten Island and takes us on a tour of the rich community that blossomed there.