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Sydney Marino
Professor Nancy Aries
IDC 3001H
20 May 2015
The Great Chinatown Migration
Chinatown was once a growing, self-sufficient section of downtown Manhattan with an enormous Chinese population. However, at the brink of the 21st century, a significant change started in Chinatown. The Chinese population is declining as the Caucasian population is increasing in Chinatown. One reason Chinese people could be leaving Chinatown could be because of gentrification. Dicitonary.com defines gentrification to be “Thebuyingandrenovationofhousesandstoresindeterioratedurban neighborhoodsbyupper-ormiddle-incomefamiliesorindividuals, thusimprovingpropertyvaluesbutoftendisplacinglow-income familiesandsmallbusinesses”. Basically, Chinatown, a once low-income neighborhood, is being bought out and reformed to meet the needs of a mid-to-upper-class society. There have been recent signs of gentrification in Chinatown, with rising rental prices, number of properties for sale or being renovated, and the decrease of low-income families. Since there have been signs of gentrification, people are being pushed out of their homes or businesses and moving to other places. The two most notable places that are receiving the Chinatown population are Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Flushing, Queens. The reason for moving to these places is because they are already established “Chinatowns”, lower rents, a surplus in opportunity, and the multiple types of transportation that can get you anywhere around New York, Long Island and other States. However, there are other places these people from Chinatown are moving. Sunset Park and
*Chinese, including Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and other sections occupied by China.
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Flushing are just two places which have a notable increase in population due to the gentrification in Chinatown. From 2000 to 2010 the Chinese population is being pushed out of Chinatown, Manhattan and moving to other places, like Flushing Queens and Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
In order to understand the gentrification happening in Chinatown, we must first look at the population changes in Chinatown. From 2000 to 2010, there was a 15.2% drop in the Asian population in Chinatown, specifically a 16.8% drop in the *Chinese population (Chinatown Demographic Change). Inversely, the Caucasian population has had a 42.2% increase from 2000 to 2010. There must be a reason for such a drastic increase in the Caucasian population, especially in such a dense Asian population that originally was 68% of the population in this area (Chinatown Demographic Change). In the early 2000’s, the tourist industry in Manhattan took a downward turn due to the 9/11 terrorist attack. Chinatown businesses rely on business from the tourist industry and locals, therefore some businesses began to struggle. As business began to fail, so did the garment industry in Chinatown. By 2004 over 100 factories in Chinatown had shut down and thousands of jobs were gone (Chao). The reason the garment industry was beginning to fail in Chinatown was because as rent rose, their profits were slowly being eaten away. Or they could make enough money to keep up with rising rents. Therefore, most of these businesses either shut down completely or relocated, to cheaper neighborhoods that they could afford to operate in.
For the people who still had jobs and lived in Chinatown, they could not keep up with the rising rents. The average rent for a Chinatown apartment can go for over $3,000, and that is for just one bedroom apartment ("Average Rent Rates for 10013"). 30% of Chinatown residents only make $20,000 or less a year and about 20% make anywhere between $20,000 to $40,000 a year("State of New York City's Housing and Neighborhood in 2014."). If 30% of the Chinatown population is living below poverty levels that means eventually they will not be able to afford the rising rents. This can be seen in the number of vacant properties in Chinatown. From 2000 to 2010 there was a 54% increase in the amount of vacant homes in Chinatown (Chinatown Demographic Change). So if you have a large chunk of the population not being to afford to live in Chinatown anymore and a jump in the number of vacant residential units that means a large chunk of the Chinatown population are being pushed out. The reason is mostly the gentrification happening.
Landlords are realizing that, because affluent areas such as the Village, Financial District, and Tribeca surround Chinatown, they can easily flip their properties for a high price. In order to do so, they need to push out longtime residents that have been residing in these homes for multiple years. The median sales price for a home in Chinatown has significantly increased over the last ten years. As of now, the median selling price for a home in Chinatown is 4 million dollars ("New York Market Trends."). Therefore, a landlord would rather renovated properties and makes a high profit instead of catering to renters.
As these long time locals are starting to leave Chinatown, traditional Chinese businesses are beginning to leave as well. These traditional shops normally rely on the locals and tourist for businesses. However, with locals leaving and the tourist industry not doing so well, these shops are beginning to close down as well. They do not have business from other places outside of Chinatown, besides tourist, unlike the westernized businesses that are moving in. New, westernized businesses cater to a new generation and receive business from all over the boroughs. Westernized, meaning nontraditional, Americanized, or franchisee stores. Therefore, they can keep up with rising rents, and are actually making profits from the gentrification. As Chinatown becomes more gentrified, it is being seen as an “upper class” neighborhood, which will invite more residents from the boroughs to come and shop. Just as boutiques and chain stores thrive on business from everywhere in Soho, so do these westernized businesses in Chinatown.
So now the story is, Chinese people and businesses are being pushed out of Chinatown as Caucasian and westernized businesses are moving in. However, the Chinatown immigrants are not just disappearing. They are migrating to other places, where rent is cheaper and is very accessible. This can be a variety of areas; however, the most notable are Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Flushing, Queens. This does not mean they are primarily going to Sunset Park and Flushing. These two locations are where there has been a noticeable influx of Chinese population, which correlates with the Chinatown Chinese population decrease. There are other places where these people may be moving. For an example, they are also migrating to areas surrounding Flushing and Sunset due to a “spillage” of the population. Meaning, as Flushing and Sunset Park become overflowing with an Asian population, the boundaries will slowly be pushed out.There are also other places, such as places in Queens, Long Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey that may be experiencing a slight shift in Asian population due to Chinatown Chinese migrating.
Sunset Park, Brooklyn is one of the notable places where the Chinese population from Chinatown is moving. To understand why, we must look at why people moved to Sunset Park in the beginning.
During the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, Sunset Park was a long time established Scandinavian neighborhood. However, due to the close of a waterfront and other job opportunities, the town was depleted of opportunity ("A Bluer Sky: A History of the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association."). The natives fled from Sunset Park to other suburban neighborhoods, with other job opportunities. Sunset Park was left desolated, filled with crime, and property value had dropped. That is when Chinese-American investors stepped in (Cheema). They didn’t see the empty, crime-ridden streets of Sunset Park as a risky venture, but, rather, a neighborhood of opportunity. They were quick to buy out cheap properties, and advertise rentals in Chinese newspapers. It was a perfect spot for Chinese, illegal and legal, immigrants to come settle (Cheema). It was cheap, close to the garment factories in Chinatown, and their landlords would be the same culture as them.
In the beginning of the 1900’s, there was a slow trickle of Chinese people settling into Sunset Park. They slowly reformed the neighborhood, taking care of the crime, and made the neighborhood into their own little “Chinatown”. They pushed out crime, opened banks, and introduced a multitude of jobs. In the 1940’s, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was repelled, a wave of Chinese immigrants took to New York (Browning). The Sunset Park population began to expand even more. After the Hart-Cellar Act was passed, education standards for incoming immigrants, the educated Chinese immigrants coming in helped boost the economy in Sunset Park (Browning) . By the time the 21st century hit, Sunset Park was a bustling Chinatown, filled with opportunity.
There are many reasons why the Chinese population in Chinatown sought to live in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. One main reason is that Sunset Park is already an established Chinatown. It took Chinatown, Manhattan many years to build up their economy and “underground government” in the 1900’s. However, Sunset Park is already built up and still continuing to expand. It is bustling with opportunity; something Chinatown in Manhattan is losing. It is perfect for traditional Chinese businesses to buy up storefronts and try to make a living. Traditional business will be able to thrive off the local economy, the same why they had once in Chinatown, Manhattan. The Chinese also immigrating to Sunset Park feel more “safer” because they are surrounded by a Chinese population. They can go anywhere around Sunset Park and be able to see signs of their culture. However, we must note that Sunset Park is actually spilt into east and west. On the west part of Sunset Park, there is a predominantly Hispanic population. The east side of Sunset Park is Asian. However, from 2000 to 2010, the Asian population is starting to trickle into the west side of Sunset Park ("Visualizing a Changing Region, Block by Block."). This can signify that the Asian population in Sunset Park is continuing to expand, which could equate to more opportunity for the new Chinatown immigrants coming in.
Another important factor for coming to Sunset Park is that rent is a lot cheaper compared to Chinatown, Manhattan. Rent in Chinatown, Manhattan could go for $3,000, and that is for a one-bedroom unit ("Average Rent Rates for 10013”). In Sunset Park, a one-bedroom unit could go for as little as $1,000 ("Average Rent Rates for Sunset Park, Brooklyn”). Also, property is bigger in Sunset Park, compared to Chinatown, Manhattan. In Chinatown, 1-2 Family Residential properties are an average 108.1 square feet (Manhattan Community District 3). Compared to Sunset Park, where 1-2 Family Residential properties are 12,946.3 square feet (Brooklyn Community District 7) in this location there is a lot more space and people are getting a lot more space for their money. Coupled with the fact that 19.8% of Chinese foreign born and 21.3% of native born Chinese are in poverty, the low rent could be appealing (The Newest New Yorker 104).
If people in Sunset Park are getting more space, for less money, that it can be a lot more appealing for the Chinese population with large families. In most cultures, it is known that grandparents, parents, and children all either live with each other or near each other, regardless of their age. Most of the time, one or two people are finically responsible for the whole family. Therefore, if the family can get a larger housing unit, for a cheaper price, it would make more sense for the whole family to move. There are statistical data that can back the claim that large families are moving into Sunset Park. In Chinatown, the amount of people in family households has decrease from 40,234 people to 33,901 people (United States Census Bureau). That is a 15.7% drop from 2000 to 2010. In Sunset Park the number of people in family households have increased 5.2%, from 71,430 people to 75,160 people (United States Census Bureau). Therefore, there has been an increase in the number of families in Sunset Park, and a decrease in Chinatown. This could mean that families are migrating from Chinatown into Sunset Park.
Sunset Park is also very convenient for people to go to and from Manhattan, as well as other places. Sunset Park has access to the N train, which is, at most, a 40-minute commute to Chinatown, Manhattan. There is also a Chinese bus service, that can get anyone in Sunset Park to Chinatown or Flushing for as little as $2.50 (Beekman). That is pretty cheap, compared to the raising transportation rises.
Sunset Park is one of the more notable places where Chinatown displaced Chinese families are moving to from Chinatown. It is an already well-established Chinese community, filled with opportunity. The price to live in Sunset Park is considerably cheaper than Chinatown, Manhattan and also offers much more space for these lower prices. Finally, Sunset Park offers a variety of transportation options to get to Chinatown in Manhattan and Flushing, Queens. Overall, Sunset Park is an attractive settlement place for these displaced Chinese families from Chinatown.
Flushing, Queens is another location, which is receiving a chunk of the displaced Chinatown population. Flushing, Queens was a small mix of Korean and Japanese during the early 1900’s. The 7 train, which connects Flushing to Manhattan was just constructed, as well as other bridges surrounding Flushing. These bridges connect Queens to parts of Brooklyn, Bronx, and Manhattan. Also, many homes were being converted into apartment buildings, in order to house more immigrants that were slowly trickling in at a cheaper price. When the Chinese Exclusion Act was repelled a wave of Chinese immigration hit New York. You must note, however, there are more than one type of Chinese immigrant. Specifically, we can look at the Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese immigrants. During the 1970’s, Taiwanese people, who supported the Nationalist Party, spilt off from Mainland China because the Communist Party had won. Therefore, because the Taiwanese felt their culture and ideas were different, they decided to run their own government formed around their own ideas (“Flushing, Queens”).
After the repel of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a wave of Chinese immigrants hit New York. At the time, Taiwanese people try, and failed, to live with Mainland Chinese immigrants because of their conflicting views and tension. Therefore, the Taiwanese people needed a place to live. They flocked to Flushing, Queens for a multitude of reasons. Since, it had a small Asian population already and suburban Apartments, it was easy for them to convert it into a “Little Taiwan Town”, different from Chinatown (“Flushing, Queens”). Also, Cantonese Chinese people, southern part of China, and Mandarin Chinese people, northern part of China, were not compatible as well due to conflicting views (“Flushing, Queens”). So an influx of Cantonese, late in the 1900’s, settled in other towns, like Flushing, Queens. By 2000, there were 36,361 Asian people living in Flushing, Queens (United States Census Bureau).
From 2000 to 2010 there has been a 37% increase for Asian population in Flushing, Queens (United States Census Bureau). Most of these people could be Chinatown displaced families because as the number of Chinese people in Chinatown is decreased, the number of Chinese in Flushing increased. There are a number of reasons; similar to Sunset Park, why displaced Chinatown families are moving into Flushing, Queens.
One of the biggest reasons, just like Sunset Park, is that it is an already established Chinese neighborhood. Just off the 7 trains, Main Street, and surrounding blocks are filled with Chinese orientated businesses. It is like a Manhattan city block, only geared towards an Asian crowd. There are schools and libraries that cater to the Chinese population. The town is still expanding and bustling with opportunity, especially for the displaced traditional Chinese businesses.
Flushing, Queens is also a very convenient place to get to and from other places in New York. Within a block of Flushing, there are over twenty busses that can get you all over Queens and into bordering Long Island towns, like Great Neck, Little Neck, or Manhasset. If someone needs to go further into Long Island, there is the LIRR, which has stops in Flushing’s Main Street, Broadway, and Murray Hill. There is, of course, the 7 train that can get you into Manhattan within thirty minutes. There are multiple bridges surrounding Flushing, which gives access to several different boroughs. There is also a Chinese bus service, that can get anyone in Sunset Park to Chinatown or Flushing for as little as $2.50 (Beekman). That is pretty cheap, compared to the raising transportation rises. The best part is that, if someone does not want to travel, but needs access to shops, Flushing is the perfect place. There is a multitude of stores less than a block away from most homes.
The most important part, however, is rent is cheaper in Flushing, compared to Chinatown. Rent in Chinatown, Manhattan could go for $3,000, and that is for a one-bedroom unit ("Average Rent Rates for 10013”). In Flushing, rent goes for as little as $1,000 a month, and that is just for a one-bedroom unit ("Average Rent Rates for Flushing, Queens”). In Flushing a person is also paying a lot less for more space, compared to Chinatown. In Chinatown, Manhattan, 1-2 Family Residential properties are average 108.1 square feet (Manhattan Community District 3). In Flushing, 1-2 Family Residential properties are 101,573.2 Square Feet (Queens Community District 3). For people with large families, cheaper rent and more space is an excellent deal. Just like for Sunset Park, people moving into these areas normally only have one or two people supporting large families.