Car Rental in New York and Chinatown

Chinatown is a neighborhood in Manhattan that has a large Chinese population of Chinese immigrants. It is a great place to visit with your car rental in New York. This is the result of immigration policies of the late 1800s, but today it is a vibrant community that you can visit with your car rental in New York.

The approximate borders of Chinatown today are Delancey Street to the North (which borders the East Village and SoHo), East Broadway to the east, Broadway to the west, and Chambers Street to the south. The total area is about one mile north-south and two miles east-west.

Get to the root of the neighborhood

Chinatown was started when immigration policies greatly restricted the number of Chinese settlers on the West Coast. Some Chinese immigrants moved to the East Coast in search of employment opportunities. Many started hand laundries and restaurants. By 1870, there was a Chinese population of 200 here and by 1900 there were 7000 Chinese residents here.

When you visit with your car rental in New York, you may learn that the early days of Chinatown were dominated by "tongs" or associations. They were a mix of clans, political alliances, and crime syndicates. They offered protection from harassment due to the prevalent anti-Chinese racism of the time. Each association was also aligned with a street gang for protection. Because of gang warfare, this was the most dangerous slum area for immigrants in New York.

Go underground

Many of the businesses in Chinatown operate in the underground economy. Wages are below minimum wage and transactions are done in cash (which you will want to make sure you have when you visit with your car rental in New York). A large number of immigrants to New York are employed here when they are unable to find work elsewhere. Tourism and restaurants are a vital part of keeping this community alive.

Get there early to make the best finds

Green grocers and fish mongers are clustered around Mulberry Street, Canal Street, and along East Broadway. If jewelry is what you are looking for when you visit with your car rental in New York, then you will want to head for the shop district on Canal Street between Mott and Bowery. West of Broadway you will find the vendors who sell imitation perfumes, watches, and hand bags.

Work and play

What makes this Chinatown unique when you visit with your car rental in New York compared to other cities it that it is both a residential area and commercial area. It is difficult to estimate the population in the area because of language barriers and illegal immigration. As older generations of immigrants gain language skills and education, they tend to move out of the area to better areas of the city. Some of the living accommodations in Chinatown are more than 100 years old and are composed of cramped tenement buildings where bathrooms in the hallway are commonly shared among many families. However, this provides opportunities that many immigrants would never have dreamed of before they arrived.