The Chinatown neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, is on the near South Side (located in the Armour Square community area), centered on and around Cermak and Wentworth Avenues.

It is not to be confused with an area sometimes called "New Chinatown", which is on the North Side around Argyle Street, and which has a larger number of Southeast Asians.

Commerce

Chinatown is home to a number of Chinese restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, Chinese-style pharmacies, as well as a number of services that cater to a Chinese-speaking audience. It is a source of goods as well as a community hub for traditional-minded Chinese in the city and suburbs, as well as a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Landmarks and attractions

• The Chinatown Mural , a mural showing the history of Chinese immigrants in America
• Ping Tom Park , with Chinese gardens along the Chicago River
• Chinatown Square , with sculptures of animals in the Chinese zodiac
• Wentworth Avenue, with shopping, restaurants, and landmarks, including the Chinatown gate

History

Chinese immigrants began arriving in Chicago in the late 1870s as ex-railroad workers faced increasing discrimination in the Western states. The population rose slowly, until the communist revolution in China coupled with a relaxation on immigration laws brought on a surge in immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to the formation of a Chinatown. By the year 1970, Chicago ranked fourth in Chinese population in American cities.

Immigrants found themselves centering around the Cermak and Wentworth Avenue area, which was then populated mostly by Italians and Croatians, due to the relatively inexpensive leases compared with other neighborhoods.

Today, many immigrants from mainland China and Taiwan make Chinatown their home as they become acclimated to the culture of their new home.

External link

• Chinatown, Chicago, Illinois' official website
• Website of Chicago's Chinatown Museum Foundation