Korean immigrants first came to Texas in the early 20th century, with a handful living in the state by the 1920s. Most were laborers arriving from the western U.S., including Hawai'i, or from Mexico. Larger numbers immigrated after the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, when the U.S. established military bases in Korea and many U.S. servicemen returned with Korean wives to Texas installations such as Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, and Fort Sam Houston. After the war, Texas families, especially in Dallas, also adopted a number of Korean orphans. Following the abolition of the national origins quota system in 1965, increasing numbers of Korean nurses and other professionals moved to Texas, many settling in urban areas and building growing communities in Dallas, Houston, and other cities. Others opened businesses across the state, and Korean business districts developed in Irving, Killeen, and Houston's Spring Branch neighborhood. Korean immigrants often formed communities around Christian and Catholic churches, and ethnic Korean churches and other organizations in Dallas, Houston, Killeen, and other cities helped newcomers adjust to life in the U.S. Today, Korean Texans continue to make positive social, cultural, political, and commercial contributions to the state.