The Beach Street gate into Boston's Chinatown. A park surrounding the Paifang gate is under construction as of 25 May 2006

The only historic Chinatown in New England, Chinatown is located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Centered on Beach Street, the neighborhood borders Boston Common, Downtown Crossing, the South End, and the Southeast Expressway/Massachusetts Turnpike. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 469 KB) A view of the Beech Street gate into Bostons Chinatown, ca 25 May 2006. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 469 KB) A view of the Beech Street gate into Bostons Chinatown, ca 25 May 2006. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... For other uses, see Chinatown (disambiguation). ... One of the formal entrances or Paifang to Chinatown in London, England. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Image:Boston common Boston Massachusetts USA.jpg Boston Common in 2005, with the State House looming in the background 1890 Map of Boston Common and the adjacent Public Garden View of the Water Celebration, on Boston Common, October 25th 1848 Boston Common Engraving For the television series, see Boston Common... Downtown Crossing is a shopping district in Boston, Massachusetts, located due south of the Boston Common and west of the Financial District. ... The South End is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. ... This Interstate Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Interstate Highways. ... View of the Turnpike from an overpass by Boston University, facing east (towards central Boston). ...

History

The first Chinese immigrants arrived in the Chinatown area in the early 1890s. Prior to their arrival, the land was reclaimed by filling a tidal flat between 1806 and 1843 and first settled by White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. After residential properties in this area became less desirable due to railway developments, it was settled by a mixed succession of Irish, Jewish, Italian, Syrian and Chinese immigrants as each group replaced another to take advantage of low cost housing and job opportunities in the area. During the late nineteenth century, garment manufacturing plants also moved into Chinatown, creating Boston's historic garment district. The garment district was active until the 1990s. WASP is a term which originated in the United States. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination...

During the 1950s, the construction of the Southeast Expressway cut into a large part of Chinatown. In the 1960s and 1970s, Tufts University constructed the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Chinatown after a long negotiation process with community leaders. The settlement of these negotiations resulted in the provision of funds for the construction of new community housing in Chinatown. During this period, city officials also designated an area adjacent to Chinatown as Boston's red light district, also known as the Combat Zone. However, the Combat Zone virtually disappeared by the 1990s between the dual expansions of Chinatown from the east and Emerson College from the west. This Interstate Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Interstate Highways. ... Tufts University is a private research university in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts, suburbs of Boston. ... A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution is a common part of everyday life. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Emerson College was founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a school of oratory, in Boston, Massachusetts. ...

Modern day

Chinatown remains a center of Asian-American life in New England, hosting many Chinese, Japanese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese restaurants and markets. However, a competing satellite Chinatown, known as "Chinatown South," is emerging in Quincy, Massachusetts, as discussed below. Chinatown is one of Boston's densest residential districts, with a density of over 28,000 people per square mile in 2000. Nearly 70% of Chinatown's population is Asian, with a median household income of $14,289. Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Norfolk County Settled 1625 Incorporated 1792 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor William J. Phelan Area  - City  26. ...

The traditional Chinatown Gate (paifang), surrounded by lions, is located at the intersection of Beach Street and Surface Road. Once a run-down area housing little more than a fan building for the Central Artery Tunnel, a garden is now being constructed at this site as part of the Big Dig project. The Gate is visible from the South Station Bus Terminal, and is a popular tourist destination and photo opportunity. One of the formal entrances or Paifang to Chinatown in London, England. ... Metropolitan Highway System Big Dig is the unofficial name of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), a megaproject which rerouted the Central Artery (Interstate 93), the chief controlled-access highway through the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, into a 3. ...

The non-profit community newspaper Sampan provides English-language news and information about Chinatown.

Housing development and gentrification

Currently, Chinatown is experiencing a threat from gentrification. Large luxury residential towers are built in and surrounding an area that was overwhelmingly three to five-story small apartment buildings intermixed with retail and light-industrial spaces. A property developer has purchased the Dainty Dot Hosiery building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, with plans to turn it into condominiums. Chinese community organizations such as the Asian Community Development Corporation are also building housing developments which offer mixed- and low-income housing. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ...

Transportation

Chinatown has excellent local and regional transportation connections due to its proximity to South Station, Interstate 93, and the Massachusetts Turnpike. Two Chinese-owned bus services (Fung Wah and Lucky Star/Travelpack) provide hourly connections with New York's Chinatown. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This Interstate Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Interstate Highways. ... View of the Turnpike from an overpass by Boston University, facing east (towards central Boston). ... Fung Wah Bus Transportation Inc. ... A Chinese lion helps usher in the 2006 Chinese New Year. ...

Chinatown South

In recent years, a new satellite Chinatown has been rapidly emerging approximately 10 miles (16 km) to the south on Hancock Street in suburban Quincy. This is due to the rapid influx of Hokkien-speaking Mainland Chinese immigrants from the province of Fujian, as well as a large growing ethnic Vietnamese population. There are already several large Asian supermarkets such as the Kam Man Foods and Super 88 supermarket chains, and other businesses that are competing with Chinatown. Several businesses operating in Chinatown now have extensions in Quincy. Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Norfolk County Settled 1625 Incorporated 1792 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor William J. Phelan Area  - City  26. ... Mǐn N n (Chinese: 閩南語), also spelt as Minnan or Min-nan; native name B ; literally means Southern Min or Southern Fujian and refers to the local language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China. ...   (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal map spelling: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

References

• Chinatown Profile Census 2000
• Developer buys historic Hub textile building for $9m, plans residences

See also

• Chinatowns in North America
• Chinatown bus

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Chinatown patterns in North America. ... Passengers waiting at the Fung Wah Lines ticket window on Canal Street and the Bowery in Manhattan A 2000 Coach bus in NYC, August 2004 Chinatown bus lines, also known as dragon buses, refers to the private transportation industry that has arisen in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast...

External links

• Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
• Asian American Civic Association
• Asian Community Development Corporation
• Chinatown Heritage Project
• Patriot Ledger Special Report: Chinatown South