While walking down Avenue U you will see a substantial amount of Chinese hair salons, grocery stores, food markets, restaurants, nail salons, bakeries, butchers, cell phone and other technology shops, dentist and doctor’s offices, and even bridal shops. Avenue U Chinatown emerged in the late 1990’s. Many people came from the other Brooklyn Chinatown located on 8^th avenue in Park Slope as a result of congestion and monetary problems in that area. It has become known to many as Brooklyn’s “second Chinatown” or “the new Chinatown.” This Chinatown is much smaller than the one in Manhattan but that is because it is fairly new. However, in an attempt to stay closely connected with the original Manhattan Chinatown as well as the park slope Chinatown, the new Chinatown is centrally located around the Q train, which allows for an easy connection to Manhattan’s Chinatown. On a totally unrelated note, for some reason when I think of Chinatown I immediately envision a red awning with yellow symbols. I look forward to learning more about the communities in order to broaden my understanding of Chinatown.

Avenue U, over time, has become Brooklyn’s second Chinatown, and in various ways resembles the more established and well-known Chinatown in Manhattan. Spanning from Gravesend to Bergen Beach, and including such neighborhoods as Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest, this street is populated almost exclusively by Chinese businesses, most popularly food markets and restaurants, electronics stores, and beauty salons. Many of these have only recently sprung up in the last 20 or so years, as since 1990 the area has experienced a relative boom in the “Asian and Pacific Islander” population, as it has more than doubled from about 10,000 to 24,000 people (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/bk15_info.shtml).

The Lower East Side of Manhattan has a little neighborhood we have come to know and love as Chinatown, but this neighborhood ain’t so little or insignificant. Not only is New York City’s Chinatown the largest in the US of A, it is also home to the largest concentration of Chinese in the Western Hemisphere. The roughly two square mile area is home, surprisingly, to a very diverse population estimated at 150,000 people. Since the 1800’s, Chinatown has been called “home” to the greatest number of immigrants in New York. (Not to mention I walked past Five Points and Columbus Park yesterday, so naturally one of my friends could not resist giving us all a history lesson, but I’ll spare you.)

Source: http://www.explorechinatown.com/PDF/FactSheet.pdf

One of my favorite pastimes is discovering new food and, of course, eating, so Chinatown is a very exciting place for me. They have all types of Chinese and other Asian cuisines to sample, ranging from food carts to little shops and larger restaurants. Vendors line the streets selling funky shaped fruit, as well as the usual Halal foods, so whatever your food preference may be, you’ll be happy.

On a side note, Chinatown knows how to party:

(Excuse the poor quality, my fingers were near frozen off.)

Glitter, confetti and the ocasional popper littered the streets after a rather large Lunar New Year celebration, making the pavement as bright as the signs and letters above.

Located between the Lower East Side and Little Italy, Manhattan’s Chinatown is home to approximately 90,000-100,000 people. In fact, Chinatown  is home to the largest amount of Chinese people on the Western Hemisphere. Many Chinese immigrants flocked to New York City after the Chinese Exclusion act was lifted, forming their own community that we know today as Chinatown. Although Chinatown is iconically known for its massive Chinese population, there are other ethnic groups present, such as Filipinos, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans.

Visiting Chinatown is a great way to experience Chinese culture without having to take a plane to China. For example, Chinatown is known for its multitude of small restaurants and bakeries that offer authentic Chinese cuisine. In addition, many Chinese elders go to Columbus Park, Chinatowns largest green area, to do Tai Chi exercises every morning. The neighborhood is rich in Chinese culture and history and therefore truly lives up to its name, Chinatown.

Homecrest is home to Brooklyn’s second largest, and fastest growing chinatown. Avenue U is the main throughstreet in this growing neighborhood, and is home to several chinese food markets, bakeries, and restaurants. In all, the Avenue U Chinatown encompasses fewer than ten blocks. According to the New York City department of City Planning, Homecrest (Brooklyn Community District 15) had a population of 159,650 as of 2010. Most of the district (which contains the Ave. U chinatown) consists of 1-2 family residential housing. From 1990 to 2010 the “Asian or Pacific Islander Nonhispanic” population has increased from 10,381 to 24,121, representing the considerable growth that makes this neighborhood Brooklyn’s most rapidly developing chinatown.
(http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/bk15_info.shtml)

Chinatown, as the name suggests, is a community of about 90,000-100,00 people in Manhattan. More specifically, it is home to the largest population of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere and it has residents from all over China speaking their language from their home regions. Chinese culture is prevalent walking through the streets of Chinatown and has attracted other immigrants such as Puerto Ricans and Filipinos. Shops have medicine, jade, jewelry, stationary to name the least.

In the past, Chinatown has been a home for immigrants from all countries. Germans and Irish immigrants resided in the 1800’s and the 1900’s brought about Eastern Europeans, Jews, and Italians. Since the Chinese Exclusion Act was lifted, Chinese immigrants flooded to Chinatown to forge their own community. Despite racial discrimination, Asian immigrants flourished in their new home and created jobs of all variety in the area. Chinatown is still a common destination today whether you want a charm for good luck or delicious food.

Bordering Kings Highway to the north, Avenue X to the south, Coney Island Avenue to the west, and Ocean Avenue to the east, Avenue U Chinatown in Homecrest, Brooklyn is home to many Chinese people of Fuzhou decent. Identified by the zip code 11229, this little Chinatown is one of many prominent Chinatowns in Brooklyn. Whether it be 8th Avenue Chinatown, Bensonhurst, or Avenue U Chinatown, one can always find a variety of Asian foods ranging from delicious pineapple buns and Chinese takeout to full meals of authentic Chinese cuisines. Looking for the latest Asian hairstyles or just looking for a good mani-pedi? Stop by one of the many Chinese beauty and nail salons in this neighborhood. This handball loving, chinese chess playing, mahjong neighborhood is actually considered an extension of the Sheepshead Bay/8^th Avenue Chinatown. Congestion and rising real estate prices was what set up this community in the late 1990s and it is still continuing to grow today.

Avenue U, considered both as an extension of Manhattan’s Chinatown and Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, developed into the second Chinatown of Brooklyn. It is located towards the south of the borough, running through the Homecrest and Sheepshead Bay areas. The Avenue U station on the BMT Brighton line is home to the Q train that runs straight from Canal Street in Manhattan to Avenue U in Brooklyn. Avenue U itself is second to Sunset Park in terms of Brooklyn’s largest Chinatown. It came to be as a result of increasing prices and population congestion in the older Sunset Park.

Brooklyn’s Avenue U resembles the Chinatown of Manhattan in the 19th and 20th century, occupying only about ten blocks. It is still, however, a flourishing strip of restaurants and food markets from various Asian cuisines, bakeries galore, electronic stores, beauty parlors, and even a bridal shop. Despite its developmental stage, more and more Chinese and other ethnic groups continue to flock to this urban center, ensuring growth and prosperity that might just rival that of Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Coney Island is located on the South shore of Brooklyn, NY. It is comprised of four neighborhoods: Sea Gate, Coney Island proper, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach. It has long been a destination location, with a resort and amusement park appearing in the first half of the 19^th century. Further development in the 20^th century saw the construction of multiple amusement parks, The New York Aquarium and Abe Stark ice skating rink. Unfortunately, by the second half of the 20^th century, the area fell from its peak and though efforts were put forth in this last decade, the area hasn’t yet regained its former economic prosperity. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2009, there were 111,063 people living in Coney Island. “The majority [were] from either Ukraine (25.2 percent) or Russia (21.2 percent). The next three most common countries of origin [were] China (9.7 percent), Belarus (5.3 percent), and Hong Kong (3.2 percent).” (OSC). The census also revealed that the population on Coney Island was relatively older than that of all of NYC, with the median ages being 47.9 years and 36.0, respectively.  The most prevalent occupation for inhabitants was health care and social assistance, followed by retail trade. Coney Island is also home to the world famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, since at least 1972.  🙂

Brooklyn’s Avenue U/ Homecrest neighborhood is home to one of New York’s most recent Chinatown developments. Avenue U Chinatown only began taking shape in the 1990s and as a result is among the smallest Chinese communities in the city. Like most Chinese satellite communities, it is home to a growing number of restaurants, food markets, beauty salons, and electronic stores. The small Avenue U Chinatown consists of just under ten blocks and is reminiscent of Manhattan’s Chinatown in the early 1900s. In fact, many consider Avenue U Chinatown an extension to Manhattan’s Chinatown because the Q train    directly joins both communities, from Avenue U to Canal Street.

Although the Avenue U community is still in its infancy, Brooklyn is no stranger to Chinese communities. The Avenue U/ Homecrest Chinatown is the borough’s second, Sunset Park being the first. Because of increasing population and property values in Sunset Park, many  saw an affordable community in the form of Sheepshead Bay and Homecrest. Although it is currently unremarkable and overshadowed by other chinese communities, Homecrest Chinatown will undoubtedly take shape in the coming decades.

Manhattan’s Chinatown is nestled between the Lower East Side and Little Italy, and has one of the largest Chinese populations in the United States. Chinese immigrants started settling in the area in the late 1850’s and still continue to arrive there today. Today there are about 90,000 to 100,000 people living in China Town and dialects commonly spoken in the area include Mandarin and Cantonese.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Chinese culture should visit the area and experience for themselves first hand all the exciting and beautiful sounds, sights, smells, and tastes. For example, if one were to go today they would probably get to partake in all the festivities of the Chinese New Year!

Source: http://www.nychinatown.org/manhattan.html

Chinatown is a brightly colored neighborhood with its shops, people, and culture. The shops include and are not limited to aromatic bakeries, fashion boutiques, gift shops, general stores and malls, jewelry, fresh produce supermarkets, Chinese traditional medicine, martial arts supplies, and teahouses. One can shop for “an amazing variety of goods ranges from affordable gifts and treasures to ancient antiques and fine jewelry”.

The neighborhood is located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Bordering Manhattan’s Chinatown is Lafayette, Worth, Grand and East Broadway streets. With an area covering two square miles, Chinatown is home to about 150,000 residents. Throughout history, Chinatown has been home to the highest number of immigrants in New York. In the mid-1800’s, the Irish, Germans, and freed slaves resided here and by the late 1880’s into early 1900’s the next wave of immigrants brought Eastern European Jews, Chinese, and Italians. Surprisingly, Chinatown is still a diverse neighborhood. The neighborhood has also immigrants that are “Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Burmese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and West Africans, among others”. Today, the majority of Chinatown’s inhabitants are from the Guangdong, Toisan and Fujian Providences in China as well as Hong Kong. This Chinese population is the greatest outside of the country of China itself.

Source: http://www.explorechinatown.com/PDF/FactSheet.pdf

Source:http://foisinthecity.com/2011/04/08/a-walk-through-the-neighborhood-of/

Always bustling with people and cars, Chinatown is the home to many of the New York Chinese. Chinatown is the closest thing the elder Chinese has to home. The streets are filled with restaurants, gift shops, and fruit vendors yelling, “Cheap, fresh vegetables and fruits!” Chinatown is the place for the elders to play Chinese chess at Columbus Park, for the youngsters to play handball at Grand St. Park, or just to grab a  quick bite on Mott St.

Growing since the 1900s, Chinatown has become an Asian cultural center. With the lift of the Chinese Exclusion Act, immigrants rushed into New York, forming a Chinese community. They opened businesses such as restaurants, garment industries, and laundry stores. As more and more people of other ethnicities ventured into Chinatown, most restaurants and stores “Americanized.” Chinatown has become not just a gathering place for Chinese, but also a main attraction for tourists from different parts of the world.

Our very own Chinatown, located in lower Manhattan, is one of the most cultural locations in New York City. Ever since it’s inception in the mid 1900s, it has been a destination of hope for a better and more successful life for Asian immigrants. Even though the original Chinese immigrants that resided in this area faced much discrimination, they managed to sustain their own community “with an internal structure of governing associations and businesses which supplied jobs, economic aid, social service, and protection.” There was great anti-Chinese sentiment growing especially in the early to mid 1900s with the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act. People felt threatened and annoyed with the willingness of the Chinese immigrants to work for low wages that white workers would not. Even with all the discrimination and oppression they faced, Chinatown continued to grow. In present times, Chinatown continues to flourish in population and culture. New ethnicities have joined in the population of this community aside from the Chinese, such as “Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Burmese, Vietnamese, and Filipinos among others.” It has grown to be become one of the many tourist attractions of New York City. People often venture to Chinatown to embrace in the culture and try some delectable treats, especially bubble tea and five for a dollar dumplings.

Source:

http://www.ny.com/articles/chinatown.html

Manhattan’s Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in the United States. Chinatown is defined by Kenmore and Delancey streets on the north, East and Worth streets on the south, Allen street on the east, and Broadway on the west, making it a total of approximately two-square miles. Aside from tourists and Chinese immigrants, (as well as trendy NYC teenagers, hehehe,) Manhattan’s Chinatown is also home to many Dominican, Puerto Rican, Burmese, Vietnamese & Filipino immigrants.

Manhattan’s Chinatown has been growing (in population) since the lift of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, but began to grow exponentially after 1968, when the immigration quota was eradicated. Despite upcoming Chinese neighborhoods in other areas, such as Queens, Chinatown’s population continues to rapidly expand even today.

Source: http://www.ny.com/articles/chinatown.html
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Watching a News Story on the Lunar New Year Celebration this morning, I also stumbled upon the ‘Chinatown Betterment Society’ [http://betterchinatown.com/], which I plan to explore further when seeking interviews.