From these articles it becomes pretty obvious that when in a new and strange place, people try to find things that are familiar to them in order to compensate for the change in scenery. Because of this, enclaves such as El Barrio and Chinatowns are formed as groups of immigrants cluster together. However, these enclaves both endured struggles as El Barrio faced the threat of gentrification and the Chinatowns were stigmatized. Nevertheless, as the years passed, the enclaves managed to survive because there were always waves of immigrants that kept the cultures alive even when many people were moving out.
Today, many Chinese immigrants either leave the Chinatowns as they get higher on the social ladder or they just live in upscale neighborhoods without having a Chinatown stage. Due to the fact that many immigrants are skilled and more capable of making it in America, they find that they don’t have to stay or even live in a Chinatown. This can be both a good and bad thing because when they leave the Chinatown, they are able to assimilate quicker into society. But, as we know, assimilation is a double edged sword since it contributes to some loss of culture.
In the case of El Barrio, the fact that gentrification was a threat probably pushed many people out of the community because they couldn’t afford the higher prices of living there. Nevertheless, the area still remained as the home of a largely Puerto Rican population. Although the gentrification seemed bad, there were also good points to it since the people who had homes there saw that their property value increased. Since the area was becoming more gentrified, more artists moved into the neighborhood and contributed to the thriving culture of the area.
Overall, enclaves face problems as they try to maintain the life in the neighborhoods. However, many enclaves are able to continue to thrive due to the constant influx of immigrants that replace those who move away. As a result, enclaves have been able to survive for many years as they become centers of culture for the immigrants.
