In this Year of the Snake, will traditional Chinatowns roll snake eyes in their quest to remain relevant?

As it's Chinese New Year January 29 - February 12, this newsletter is centered on the Chinatowns segment we plan to include in a larger episode about how cities are affected by immigration. ?Being the Year of the Snake, we slither around North America for a look at how some of these historic ethnic enclaves are faring. ?

Despite Chinatowns being part of the fabric of San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Philadelphia, New York and elsewhere, most of these communities are in relative decline as many new immigrants go directly to the suburbs (Houston, Seattle, Atlanta). Their proximity to city centers makes them development magnets and old guard leadership often prefers the status quo to needed change to keep them relevant. ?Among traditional Chinatowns, only Chicago's is growing.

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Hear from Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director, Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, at the University of Southern California:

One fascinating story is how ? of LA's Chinatown was moved a few blocks to North Broadway in the mid-1930s to make way for the now landmark Union Station train terminal. It is one of several examples of neighborhood demolition that predated the post-War redevelopment era. ?The remaining ? of the original site was then flattened in the early 1950s for the Hollywood Freeway downtown extension.

And how many know there are remnants of small Chinatowns still barely visible in the downtowns of Pittsburgh, St Louis and Baltimore?

Grant Avenue in San Francisco's historic Chinatown is below:

On the immediate production front, we just filmed in Atlanta and Birmingham this past weekend for additional b-roll to bolster stories already shot in those cities and are now shooting a story about Charlotte's ImaginOn, the popular youth library and children's theater complex in the heart of downtown.

Chicago's Chinatown is below:

Philadelphia's Chinatown gate is below:

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CITY QUOTE?

"The American city should be a collection of communities where every member has a right to belong. It should be a place where every man feels safe on his streets and in the house of his friends. It should be a place where each individual’s dignity and self-respect is strengthened by the respect and affection of his neighbors. It should be a place where each of us can find the satisfaction and warmth which comes from being a member of the community of man. This is what man sought at the dawn of civilization. It is what we seek today."

President Lyndon Johnson – special message to Congress on cities, 1965

FUN FACT

Asians are the fastest growing ethnic group in the US and Canada. Metro Vancouver is just over 40% Asian, San Francisco is 1/3 and the SF Bay Area just over 1/4.

GOOD READS

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Will a Detroit church succeed in building an urban village around its parish?

Copyright 2025 ? Ronald M. Blatman, Inc. All rights reserved.

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