Over the years, New York's Chinatown has become one of the nation'smajor ports of entry for newly arrived immigrants. Since 1965, lowerManhattan's Chinese population has quadrupled, reaching an unofficial estimateof 150,000 in 1990. Most of this population is concentrated in acore area which now contains 90% of the Chinese in Chinatown.

The New Yokr-New Jersey-Connecticut Tri-State area is home to 20 million people of vastly diverse ethnic backgrounds. It is a world class center of cultural and international corporate and financial headquarters.  As a historical point of entry for immigrants, it has attracted those seeking refuge and opportunity.  Today, itis home to the largest Asian American communities in the United States. There are approximately 300,000 Chinese Americans comprising 1.5% of theArea's population.  The vast majority (239,000) reside in the fiveboroughs comprising New York City, making up 3.3% of the City's population.

New York's Chinatown servesas a major economic, social, and cultural hub for the Chinese Americanpopulation throughout the Tri-State Area.  With over 100 years ofhistory and culture behind it, it is not difficult to understand why Manhattan'sChinatown is regarded as the center of the metropolitan Chinese community. Within the eight census tract area in lower Manhattan, Chinatown has roughly 23,000 housing units; over 600 restaurants, and garment factories employingmore than 20,000 people; and 20 banks operating more than 30 branches witha combined deposit of $3.6 billion.

On the weekends, tens of thousands crowd onto the Chinatown's narrow thorough fares for shopping,dining, social activities, and religious worships.  Many come to visitfriends and relatives and to take advantage of the specialized servicessuch as Chinese doctors, acupuncturists, herbalists, lawyers, and otherprofessional and social services unavailable in the other boroughs andsuburbs.

On the weekdays, thousandscommute into Chinatown to work in hundreds of garment factories, grocerystores, and restaurants mainly by subway, buses or privately operated vans. Non-English speaking Chinese New Yorkers commute daily for specializedjobs and many also bring along their children for educational programsoffered by community based schools and social service providers. Many workers often work ten to twelve hours days, six and even seven daysa week.  Many after school and day-care programs help take care ofthe otherwise "latch-key" children.  Some stay with their parents'work place after school.

It is projected that bythe year 2000, there will be one million Asian Americans in the Tri-StateArea.  Chinese will comprise of approximately one half, representingnearly 5% of the Tri-State Area's population and 33% of all new populationgrowth in the Area.