When did Monterey Park, San Gabriel become chinese neighborhoods (Los Angeles: buy, living in)

[NJ Chutzpah]

When did Monterey Park, San Gabriel become chinese neighborhoods?

Just curious that is all. I was there once, and the old chinatown. Just wondering when the chinese started leaving old chinatown, and into a new place

[eureka1]

About 20 years ago. I would describe the San Gabriel Valley as "Asian" not just Chinese. With Lunar New Year coming up they have many fairs and festivals, esp in MP.

[NJ Chutzpah]

So it started in 1987 huh?

I do not mean when the first families started moving in because that does not really mean they have taken as their own.

I mean when did the majority of the downtown stores be owned by chinese people, and other folks no longer saw this neighborhood as a viable place to lead an "American Life Style"

From what I understand Monterey Park, San Gabriel are mostly chinese. I am pretty sure there are some others mixed in, but they are mostly chinese am I not right.

[UB50]

I would say it started happening in the 1980s. San Gabriel/Monterey Park/Alhambra has many Asians of all variety: Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Cambodian, etc. The old Chinatown (downtown) is still Asian -- it's just that we now have a lot more Asians. There is not enough room for them all downtown. Other areas are also gaining a lot of Asian population. (Glendale, LaCanada, Los Angeles in general, lots of places in Orange County.)

I love going shopping in San Gabriel because it feels like going to a foreign country.

In the early 1980s, there was the first lawsuit over the Chinese signage on the businesses in Monterey Park.

I'm not sure what you mean by this:

I mean when did the majority of the downtown stores be owned by chinese people, and other folks no longer saw this neighborhood as a viable place to lead an "American Life Style"

[Ranch resident]

The "Chinese influx" began in Monterey Park in the mid-1970s. Fred Hsieh (Mandarin Realty) was one of the first Chinese businessmen on Garvey Avenue and his lead seemed to be followed from there. What many seem to lose sight of is the fact that there were a significant number of Asians (primarily Japanese) living in M.P. from the late 1950s on, many of whom were looking to "move up" from Gardena and areas of L.A. While many lament how M.P. has changed over the last 30 years (I grew up there in the '60s and '70s), the Asian influence has mostly been positive. Chinese investment in the community has been far greater than if nothing had changed. That said, M.P. still suffers from the same lack of major shopping areas as it did when I was a kid. However, it remains a clean, safe, conveniently-located community, albeit somewhat congested in some neighborhoods.

[ubringliten]

Originally Posted by Ranch resident

The "Chinese influx" began in Monterey Park in the mid-1970s. Fred Hsieh (Mandarin Realty) was one of the first Chinese businessmen on Garvey Avenue and his lead seemed to be followed from there. What many seem to lose sight of is the fact that there were a significant number of Asians (primarily Japanese) living in M.P. from the late 1950s on, many of whom were looking to "move up" from Gardena and areas of L.A. While many lament how M.P. has changed over the last 30 years (I grew up there in the '60s and '70s), the Asian influence has mostly been positive. Chinese investment in the community has been far greater than if nothing had changed. That said, M.P. still suffers from the same lack of major shopping areas as it did when I was a kid. However, it remains a clean, safe, conveniently-located community, albeit somewhat congested in some neighborhoods.

I am Chinese and moved to Monterey Park in 1980 because my dad started a wholesale business on Garvey Ave. We were one of the first to invade MP. At that time, every restaurant, shop, grocery store, department store, etc. were American. To have fun, I would go to Chinatown (in LA). I buy anything from clothes to celebrating Chinese New Year there. It is until late 80s and very early 90s that I started to stay in my community to have fun.

Now that I have left there because of job, I love SGV (I call it the "Asian Oasis"). I go back there once a month to visit family and friends and just to feel grounded. It's the epitomy of Asian success in the States. It feels like it has its own economy without any effect from the financial meltdown everywhere. Now it has become a center for Asian immigration.

[edwardius]

This obituary of Fred Hsieh gives a pretty good thumbnail sketch of the history of Asian immigration into the area.

Developer Who Saw Monterey Park as 'Chinese Beverly Hills' Dies - Los Angeles Times

Talking to friends in the area, they also said that the other driver of Monterey Park was language. Most of the stores and shops in the older Chinatown in downtown LA catered mostly to Cantonese speakers. In Monterey Park, most of the stores cater to the speakers of Mandarin.

In the Bay Area you see the same phenomon. In SF's Chinatown its mostly Cantonese, but in the Chinatown in Oakland its mostly Mandarin.

My understanding is that communist party as it consolidated power was pushing Mandarin. As Chinese immigration patterns have changed, the more recent Chinese immigrants have tended to come from Mandarin speaking regions or came from areas like Taiwan where Mandarin was a widely spoken dialect.

[Ranch resident]

Originally Posted by edwardius

This obituary of Fred Hsieh gives a pretty good thumbnail sketch of the history of Asian immigration into the area.

Developer Who Saw Monterey Park as 'Chinese Beverly Hills' Dies - Los Angeles Times

Talking to friends in the area, they also said that the other driver of Monterey Park was language. Most of the stores and shops in the older Chinatown in downtown LA catered mostly to Cantonese speakers. In Monterey Park, most of the stores cater to the speakers of Mandarin.

In the Bay Area you see the same phenomon. In SF's Chinatown its mostly Cantonese, but in the Chinatown in Oakland its mostly Mandarin.

My understanding is that communist party as it consolidated power was pushing Mandarin. As Chinese immigration patterns have changed, the more recent Chinese immigrants have tended to come from Mandarin speaking regions or came from areas like Taiwan where Mandarin was a widely spoken dialect.

Thanks for the obit on Fred Hsieh - it accurately portrays his influence in changing Monterey Park.

[NJ Chutzpah]

Was Monterey Park majority asian by the 80's or mid 90's?

[Ranch resident]

Originally Posted by NJ Chutzpah

Was Monterey Park majority asian by the 80's or mid 90's?

M.P. was still almost 50% "White" at the 1980 census, but was 57% "Asian" by the 1990 census. So one could surmise that Asians became the majority sometime during the late 1980s.