Where It All Goes Down
Merced, California
Merced, California is one unique place. On the one hand, it's just another slice of small-town America. Nothing flashy there. On the other, it's home to more Hmong immigrants than any other city in the United States. These two seemingly contradictory conceptions of Merced are a reflection of the division between these two communities, and play a big role in the events faced by these folks throughout the book.
Smalltown, USA
Merced was your average small town before the Hmong arrived. "Merced was never rich" in the first place, but at the time the book's events take place, recent economic instability is taking an even bigger financial toll (16.13). Plus, the town has seen its fair share of immigration: Chinese, Portuguese, and Mexican immigrants have made up a portion of the working class for much of the city's history. Still, no one is prepared for the arrival of the Hmong.
This flood of new arrivals places an even greater strain on the local government. A high number of Hmong residents are on welfare, which you can't really blame them for given their difficulty adjusting to life in the United States, from its language to its job market to its whole apple pie shtick in general. Besides, some older Hmong even believe that welfare is their reward for fighting in the "Quiet War."
Regardless, this fact doesn't earn them any sympathy: even though the Hmong "expected the Americans to be grateful for their military service [...] the Americans expected them to be grateful for their money" (16.23). Typical cultural breakdown, we've gotta say.
Hmongtown, USA
In many ways, this cultural divide becomes literal. When she first arrives in Merced, Anne Fadiman, author extraordinaire, goes an entire day without seeing a Hmong resident before realizing that she's in the nice part of town. The Hmong literally live on the "wrong side of the tracks" in an underdeveloped neighborhood that was once Merced's Chinatown (16.5). Like the city's Chinese residents before them, the Hmong are denied access to society at large solely based on their race.
And so you better believe that you enter a whole new world once you cross those train tracks. Welcome to "the most intensely Hmong place in the United States." Here you'll find men playing traditional Hmong instruments outside shops selling Hmong specialty goods (16.6), and you can expect at least a few pig sacrifices. Though the community is clearly not rich, the Hmongs' strong community bonds and connection to their culture are on full display whenever you walk down their streets.
One Town to Rule Them All
If the Hmong had their way, of course, they'd be living outside of the city in self-sufficient agrarian communities. And we'd bet our last neeb that many white residents of Merced wouldn't be sad to see them go. But this isn't an ideal world, and these two communities aren't in an ideal situation. Instead, they'll need to do the best they can to get along and survive. Even without any fellowships or magic rings.