Are Bridgeport, and McKinley Park becoming Chinatown/Asiatown (Chicago, Sheridan: neighborhood, high school)

[NJ Brazen_3133]

Is Bridgeport, and McKinley Park becoming new Chinatowns/Asiatowns?

This article is from about a year ago.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/11...0hub.%E2%80%9D

Quote from article:
"Since then Bridgeport saw its Asian population explode by 3,138, or 28%, while its white population fell by nearly 8% and Latino population fell even more, the 2020 census shows. The community, which in total grew by 5% to 33,702 residents, is now 42% Asian, 31% white and 21% Latino."

Always wanted to visit Chicago. I love deep dish pizzas. I hear there is already a new one in a district called Uptown. Is it more an asiatown with different east/southeast asian eateries there instead of just chinese?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_A...toric_District

[Hochita]

Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133

I hear there is already a new one in a district called Uptown. Is it more an asiatown with different east/southeast asian eateries there instead of just chinese?

Argyle is mostly Chinese Viet-owned shops and restaurants between Broadway and Sheridan and a block or two up and down Broadway as well.

While Vietnamese may well be predominant among the Asians, they are by no means numerous enough for this area to be considered an Asian neighborhood residentially. It's very mixed. Actually, several of the remaining SROs in Uptown are around Argyle (or were, I could be out of touch).

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133

Is Bridgeport, and McKinley Park becoming new Chinatowns/Asiatowns?

Yes.

However, Asia on Argyle has been there for 50 years. There is little 'new' about East Asian immigrants establishing themselves in Uptown.

[Cool Arrow]

Largest ethnic/racial group in Bridgeport is Asian. Their percent went from 26% to over 40% from 2000-2020. I suspect it will continue to go up. McKinley Park and Brighton Park will probably follow. I see new businesses opening up on archer with Chinese characters.

[Kmanshouse]

Uptown is very different and isn't included in this list. It is a VERY diverse neighborhood, however. But not Asian dominant or growing in that direction. There are a ton of Asian restaurants and Little Saigon is in Uptown but it's a small part of Uptown.

[Nearwest]

There has been a noticeable movement of Chinese from Armour Square (Chinatown) into both McKinley Park and Brighton Park. This is a logical pattern, as all of these communities are traversed by Archer Ave. According to the 2020 census, Chinese constituted over 40% of Bridgeport's population, and approximately 25% in McKinley Park, and 10% in Brighton Park.

I'm in Brighton Park about once a month, and have noticed a large number of Chinese-speaking passengers using the Archer Ave. bus (CTA route 62). Many of them seem to exit the bus at the various stops in Brighton Park.

Kelly High School, which is located in Brighton Park, has a large number of Chinese students. This school draws its student body from all three of these communities.

As recently as a half-dozen years ago, Brighton Park was mostly Hispanic, with some pockets of residents of either Polish or Lithuanian descent.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Cool Arrow

Largest ethnic/racial group in Bridgeport is Asian. Their percent went from 26% to over 40% from 2000-2020. I suspect it will continue to go up. McKinley Park and Brighton Park will probably follow. I see new businesses opening up on archer with Chinese characters.

Actually, there are also Asians east of the Dan Ryan and south of Dearborn Park. Also, and surprisingly, there is a significant minority of Asians around Mercy Hospital and who reside in Lake Meadows along King Drive.