Chinatown Neighborhood - Boston, Massachusetts - The Most Densely Populated Neighborhood in Boston


Chinatown remains a center of Asian-American life in New England and hosts many Chinese restaurants, Japanese, Cambodia and Vietnam markets. Chinatown is one of the most densely populated residential districts in the Boston area, with a reported 28,000 people per square mile in the year 2000. Nearly 70% of the population is Asia's Chinatown, with an average household income of $14,289.

The only historic Chinese site in New England is Chinatown and the area is located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Focused on Beach Street, the neighborhood borders along Boston Common and Downtown Crossing. To the far south is Highway Southeast or Massachusetts Turnpike.

Part of it occupies a floor space reclaimed by filling the tides or tidal flat and the newly built area was first settled by the Anglo-Bostonians. After residential properties in this area became less desirable due to the development of railways, which was settled by a mixed sequence of Ireland, the Jewish immigrants, Italian, Syrian, and Chinese. Each group replaces the former to take advantage of low cost housing and employment opportunities in the area. During the late nineteenth century, the manufacturing plants of clothing also moved to Chinatown, the garment creation of the historic district of Boston.

The garment district was active until the 1990s. Negotiations culminated in the provision of funds for the construction of new housing in the Chinatown community. During this period, city officials also designated an area adjacent to Chinatown and Boston's red light district, also known as the combat zone.

The traditional Chinatown Gate (paifang) with foo lion on each side is at the intersection of Beach Street and the road surface. The Gate is visible from the southern bus terminal and is a popular tourist destination and great photo opportunity.

Chinatown offers excellent local and regional transport. It is served by the MBTA Red Line, Silver Line and Commuter Rail station in the south and the Orange Line station in Chinatown. Interstate 93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike are close behind. Two Chinese-owned bus services (Fung Wah and Lucky Star / Travel pack) provide hourly connections with New York's Chinatown.

Tufts Medical Center overlooks part of the area and includes a full-service hospital and health facility associated with various schools including Tufts University, Tufts University School of Medicine, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

In addition, South Cove Community Health Center Chinatown Clinic operates at 885 Washington Avenue. South Cove volunteers founded it in 1972, to provide better health care for Asian Americans in the Chinatown area.

In recent years, a new satellite Chinatown has been rapidly emerging approximately 10 miles south on Hancock Street in the nearby city of Quincy. This is due to the rapid influx of Hokkien-speaking mainland Chinese immigrants from Fujian Province and a large and growing population of Vietnamese origin. There are already several large Asian supermarkets, such as food and Man Kam Super 88 supermarket chains and other businesses that compete with Boston's Chinatown. Several companies operating in Chinatown now have branches in Quincy.

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