Chinatown (Chicago)



Chinatown  is a small town located on the South Side of Chicago. The neighborhood is one of the largest concentrations of Chinese people in the United States, as over a third of Chicago's Chinese population have settled in this ethnic enclave. Chinese populations initially dotted the Loop with a few enclaves in the 19th century, before settling further South, and formally creating the current neighborhood in 1912.

Overview
Chinatown is a small neighborhood located in the south side district of Chicago. It has a few buildings and calligraphy in Chinese. The gate is located to the north. There is a center park that connects that centers all sides of the roads.

Chinatown hosts a variety of shops dedicated to the Chicagoan Chinese-speaking community, including Chinese restaurants, motels, gift shops, grocery stores, Chinese traditional medicine pharmacies, and various other services. Aswell as being a source of goods for the Chinese diaspora living in Chicago and its suburbs, it also serves as a community hub, and as a tourist destination for foreigners and locals alike (despite its overcrowded status). To adress the issues related to its touristic status - and to improve livability in the area - the neighborhood constantly tries to find balance between attracting tourists, and serving the needs of its inhabitants.

The main attraction of the neighborhood is undoubtedly the Chinatown Gate (designed by Peter Fung), which acts as the border between Chinatown and the Chicago Loop further North.

History
Initial influx of Chinese immigrants started in the 1870, as ex-workers from the transcontinental railroad faced increasing discrimination on the West Coast, and began flocking in others parts of the US. In the 1920s, the Chicagoan Chinese community started to settle in the area currently know as Chinatown, which was originally populated mostly by Italians and Croatians, due to the relatively inexpensive leases compared to other neighborhoods.

Population rose slowly at first, until the advent of the Communist takeover of China in 1949. This event - which coincided with a relaxation on immigration laws - led to an unprecedented surge of Chinese immigrants in the 1950s and the 1960s (so much that in 1970, Chicago ranked fourth in Chinese population in the US).

In order to improve connectivity among the Chinese community of Chicago, the Chinatown Gateway was built in 1975, acting as a symbol of unity and to encourage greater cultural exchange between members of the Chinese diaspora.

Today, many immigrants from continental China and Taiwan have settled in Chinatown, seeking to acclimate themselves to their new country.