Connections to Community CHINATOWN Visited by Sarah Semple, Jennifer La, Ryan Mason, Angeles Ochoa-Raya, Hao Liu

Ways getting to Chinatown

History In 1870, Chinese immigrants came to Chicago (settling more on Van Buren and Clark Streets) mostly because the railroad work was done in California. ★ There were Chinese people in Chicago before this, but not a very significant amount. ★ Many immigrants established businesses such as restaurants or laundromats. 1950s and 1960s was a time of great influx of Chinese due to the establishment of a Communist government in China ★ 7,000 people to 14,000 people

History (Cont’d) In 1905, there was a shift from the original Chinatown in Chicago on Van Buren and Clark Streets to the Cermak and Wentworth Streets. ➢ It was due to the American trade boycott in China in 1905 that increased unfriendly feelings toward the Chinese. This caused the rent for the Chinese to increase. An important factor of the transition of the original Chicagoan Chinatown to the location on Cermak and Wentworth Streets remains that, in the 1970s, the first Chinatown was torn down for the State Detention Center.

History (Cont’d) In more recent times, the limited housing and the unsatisfactory safety of surrounding areas inevitably led to Chinatown spilling out onto 26th Street and the Bridgeport area.

Demographics Population: 7,391 Race: Asian alone dominates over 75% Members per household: 2.9 Foreign born residents: 45.2% Land area:.454 sq miles Population below poverty level: 32.4% Population: 2,722,389 (2014) Race: White alone dominates 45% Members per household: 2.58 Foreign born residents: 21% Land area: sq miles Population below poverty level: 22.6% Chinatown Chica go

The Median Income of Chinatown Chicago Point2 Homes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27,

Fun Facts and atractions 70% of the Chinatown residents are new immigrants. (Chicago-Chinatown.com) Chinatown hosts a New Year’s parade each Sunday after Chinese New Year. Thousands show up to see colorful floats, teams performing lion dances and the “Mystical Dragon” (Chinatownspecialevents.org) Many souvenir/knick-knack shops Aji Ichiban (Japanese candy store) the city of Chicago contributed $7.2 million in grant money and offered to build needed streets, sewers and sidewalks. (Chicago- Chinatown.com) The Chinatown our group went to was considered South Chinatown.

Activities and Landmarks

Group Reflection Cities like Chinatown are found all throughout the United States. They are an outlet for immigrants as well as a glimpse of the culture for anyone not from that specific country. This held true on our group’s visit after walking around the countless shops, trying bubble tea and several dishes at Joy Yee’s. Chinatown contributes to the beautiful diversity that makes Chicago what it is, but it is not representative of all the cultures, and therefore, we believe it is not an authentic Chicago experience.

Work Cited Calendar of Events in Chicago Chinatown for 2015 (n.d.) Retrieved from CASL (n.d.) History. Retrieved from data.com/neighborhood/Chinatown-Chicago-IL.html data.com/neighborhood/Chinatown-Chicago-IL.html U.S. Census Bureau (2015, 14 October). Chicago (city), Illinois. Retrieved from Google (n.d.) [Google Maps Directions to Chinatown from Loyola University] Retrieved October 26, 2015, from ,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x880fd1a6d791e5fd:0xbf7fecc9b700ba86!2m2!1d !2d !1m5!1m1!1s0x880e2c6094f0e2f3:0xd6ba620cfbe60bb1!2m2!1d !2d ,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x880fd1a6d791e5fd:0xbf7fecc9b700ba86!2m2!1d !2d !1m5!1m1!1s0x880e2c6094f0e2f3:0xd6ba620cfbe60bb1!2m2!1d !2d Onboard Demographics (n.d.) Chinatown Population Demographics. Retrieved from