Chinatown, Albany

Albany Chinatown
Retail district
Country  United States
State New York
County Albany County
City Albany
ZIP Code 12210
Area code(s) Area code 518

The U.S. city of Albany, the capital of the state of New York, is home to a Chinatown (Chinese: 奥尔巴尼唐人街; pinyin: ào ěr bā ní táng rén jiē) that is located around Central Avenue in the downtown district with 303 Central Avenue being the location of the Chinatown mall. According to Tsui in her book, Albany's Chinatown is classified as a "commercial Chinatown" with Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Orlando cited as examples in this category.[1] Since its establishment around 2009 according to some sources, the Chinatown has been a "work in progress".

Demographics

The city of Albany has around 989 Chinese, about 1.2% of its population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census data with a total Asian population of around 3,000.[2] The first Chinese to arrive in Albany was not well documented until the first Chinese business was registered in 1877 located at 668 Broadway. From 1886 to the 1920s, Albany's Chinese population grew, where the number of Chinese laundromats grew from 9 to about 24. Like the rest of the country, the Chinese Exclusion Act kept the population in this city small. It was documented that most of the original Chinese population who migrated to Albany, did so through the Hudson River, a common migration route for those who settled in the Capital District from New York City. Many of the first Chinese residents of Albany lived around Green Street and Hudson Avenue. By the year 1920, the city was home to only two Chinese restaurants on Green Street. Later on, the famous "Oriental Occidental Restaurant" opened at 44 State Street but closed and is now the "... site of Jack's Oyster House."[3]

History

Albany's history until the 21st century showed a lack of reputation as a cultural hub, that in 1982, former New York governor Ed Koch once derided Albany as “a city without a good Chinese restaurant.”[4][5] However, due the flourishing nanotechnology[6] and high-technology[7] sectors, the city will be getting a new Chinatown by early 2013 to service the metropolitan area's growing Chinese community, to be located at 303 Central Avenue, featuring a teahouse and a variety of Asian stores, according to an article from Biz Journals.[7] This Chinatown will supposedly be a "work in progress".[8]

References

  1. ↑ Bonnie Tsui. "American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods".
  2. ↑ "Albany Population and Demographics".
  3. ↑ "Capital District Chinese History".
  4. ↑ Wallis, David (2006-11-24). "Albany, Hub of the Empire State". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Ed Koch".
  6. ↑ Freeman Klopott and Xu Wang (2011-09-27). "IBM, Intel Start $4.4 Billion in Chip Venture in New York". ©2011 BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Michael DeMasi (2010-01-11). "Albany’s new ‘Chinatown’ features teahouse; other businesses sought". © 2012 American City Business Journals. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
  8. ↑ Joseph Chaparro (2012-06-17). "Bringing Chinatown to Central Avenue still a work in progress". ©2012 - Albany Student Press. Retrieved 2012-12-29.