The article tells the story of Delaram, a young bookstore clerk who arrived in Tehrangeles 3 years ago:
She figured rightly that she could find a job in this Persian community. Her father was a general under the former Shah, protected after the revolution by family members connected to the new Islamic government. "I had been brought up in a system that I was told to walk on American flag," she says. But she became curious about America and started practicing her English as a little girl, long before she had ever heard of Tehrangeles. But because so many people in the community speak Persian, she hardly ever gets to speak English.
Check out a 2009 slideshow: Travels in Tehrangeles.
The effect of the Persian community in the area is apparent. According to a New York Times article, Iranian movies are shown on 2 of the 6 screens at the Encino Town Center. I went to the theatre's website and they aren't showing in Iranian films at the moment but I think its just because there aren't any current films circulating in theatres.
If anyone hasn't seen Crash then you need to stop what you are doing and watch it...now! In the film, an Iranian shopkeeper is victimized when he is thought to be an Arab. It is interesting that the actor, Shaun Toub, was born in Iran and was discovered when he was working as a real estate agent in Los Angeles.
I found this interesting article that starts with:
"One day Hollywood will make an Iranian-American "Gone With the Wind." All the epic elements are there. Extended, deeply rooted families in Iran become fabulously wealthy during the oil boom of the mid-1970s, only to see their lives shattered by the Islamic revolution late in the decade. Fleeing to Southern California in droves, they begin to carve out for themselves a niche of wealth and promise they proudly call Tehrangeles."
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