Sikhs In Los Angeles

In the 1960s, due to increased Indian immigration and rising interest in Indian spirituality in the American counterculture, a number of non-Punjabi Americans began to enter Sikhism. Prominent in this trend was Yogi Bhajan, leader of the Sikh-related movement 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), whose Los Angeles temple was the first to initiate non-Punjabi Americans into Sikhism


First Immigrants
Sikhs have been a part of the American populace for more than 130 years. Around the start of the 19th century, the state of Punjab of British India was hit hard by British practices of mercantilism. Many Sikhs emigrated to the United States and began arriving to work on farms in California. They traveled via Hong Kongto Angel Island, California, the western counterpart to Ellis Island in New York Harbor.
A big effect on Sikh migration to the western states occurred during World War I and World War II, where Sikhs were recruited by the British Army to serve for them. Sikhs fought bravely during these wars and began to live in England after their serving period. Among the Sikhs who already lived in America prior to the wars, many Sikhs joined them, mainly during World Wars I and II. Among those who served in the US military include Bhagat Singh Thind in World War I.

Immigration to America

Sikhs started immigrating to the United States in 1897. Some came straight from India, while others from the far east. By 1910 there were thousands of Sikhs living in California and the other western states. The majority of these were singles as they couldn't bring their families due to strict immigration laws. They were neither allowed to buy property and land. The majority either returned to India or married women of Mexican ancestry to stay. These early settlers mainly worked on agricultural or railroad construction jobs. Some worked in mines and lumber mills as well. They built their first Gurdwara in Stockton, California in 1912. This Gurdwara is still in operation today.

After 1915 due to the strict immigration laws, immigration of the Sikhs almost stopped. The Sikh population dwindled. There were only few hundred Sikhs living in California as the second world war ended. Immigration laws were changed in 1965, which resulted in a new wave of Sikh immigration. Most of them were educated and they got jobs in almost every profession. Wherever they settled, they also built Gurdwaras. There are hundreds of Gurdwaras in the United States today. Some of them joined the US Army and proudly served. The Police forces in New York, Los Angeles, and the California National Guard have turbaned Sikh police officers. Since pioneer Sikhs got jobs in agriculture, they settled in California's central valley. Due to that, 10% of Yuba City's population is Sikh.

Converts
In 2014, the Sikh Coalition released a national report on the bullying of Sikh children in American schools. The report found that 55.8% of Sikh students surveyed in Indianapolis reported being bullied, while 54.5% of Sikh students surveyed in Fresno, California reported being bullied.^[17] According to the surveys, Sikh students wearing turbans are twice as likely to be bullied as the average American child.

Statistics
In a calculation done by the Statistical Abstract of the United States in 2012, it estimated 78,000 adult Sikhs in the year 2008. However, Boston University's World Religion Database calculated an overall of 280,000 Sikhs in the U.S. in that year. Studies have shown that there are an estimate of 250,000 Sikhs in the US today, in which this accounts for 1.05% of Sikhs in the world. In addition, a Religious Congregations & Membership Study estimated about 246 Sikh congregations. 

***Note: US consensus doesn't ask about people's religious affiliation in America so the numbers calculated are a rough estimate.

There is a total of 14 registered Skih Temples in the State of California. There are more registered Skih temples in Southern California alone than any other States in the country. 

Northern California

Gurdwara Nanak Sar  3060 S Cherry Ave, Fresno, CA 93706 

Gurdwara Sahib  3550 Hill Crest Rd, El Sobrante, CA 94803 

Gurdwara Sahib  300 Gurdwara Rd, Fremont, CA 94537

San Jose Gurdwara  2785 Quimby Rd San Jose CA 95148 

Sikh Temple  2948 Rockville Rd, Fairfield, CA 94533

Southern California

Vermont Gurdwara   1966 N Vermont Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027 

Gurdwara Los Angeles  7640 Lankershim Blvd N Hollywood, CA 91605 

Guru Ram Das Ashram  1620 Preuss Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90035 

Imperial Valley Khalsa Diwan Society  453 Commercial Ave, El Centro, CA 92507   

San Diego Gurdwara  12269 Oak Knoll Rd, Poway, CA 92064 

Sikh Center of Orange County  2514 W Warner Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92704 

Siri Guru Singh Sabha of Los Angeles  101 S Chapel Ave, Alhambra, CA 91801 

Sikh Gurdwara  8302 Whitaker Ave, Buena Park, CA

Valley Sikh Temple  7400 Jordan Ave Canoga Park, CA 91303 

Significant Sikh population now resides in United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, East Africa, Australia and Thailand.

8 Sikh Temples in Los Angeles