Chinese Enclaves in The San Gabriel Valley - History

History

The western San Gabriel Valley was first settled by Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and South Asian pioneers in the mid-19th century. These Asian settlers worked the fields, harvested the grapes and the citrus fruits, and actually constructed a large part the infrastructure of San Gabriel Valley of today, which has evolved into a major hub, a main cultural center. An area with many suburban cities just east of Los Angeles, it is an "Asian Pacific American phenomenon". Given the San Gabriel Valley's rapidly increasing population of Asian-Americans (largely Chinese-Americans), several business districts were developed to serve their needs. Since the 1970s, most Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles Area have preferred these "Ethnic Suburbs" mainly in the San Gabriel Valley, instead of the touristy old "New Chinatown". Chinese Americans are actually a very complex sub-population. Rather than solely being a significant Chinese American cultural center, the area is a hub of much more extensive "multigenerational and multiethnic Asian American diversity." Of the ten cities in the United States with the highest proportions of Chinese-Americans, the top eight are located in the San Gabriel Valley. As the Chinatown in Los Angeles declines into obscurity, numerous residents and businesses have fled from Los Angeles' Chinatown and have instead opened branches in the San Gabriel Valley area.

Through the years, there has been an influx of some 20 million Asian immigrants, especially after the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act. Many ethnic suburbs, see Ethnoburb, have grown, expanded, and thrived.

Most suburban Chinese-oriented areas are east of the old Chinatown, and the majority are contained within the San Gabriel Valley. While they contain prominent Chinese-language signage, these communities do not feature the Chinese-style gateways, or paifang, found in the original Chinatown.