San Jose was once home to five Chinatowns. After the first four were burned down, an Irish immigrant, John Heinlen, allowed the community to live on his private land in an area called Heinlenville. But city officials eventually used eminent domain to seize the land and bulldozed it completely.

Changing Laws Allow Chinatown Populations to Diversify
Despite the violence, many Chinatowns survived. And when the Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, followed by the War Brides Act in 1945, the communities that had been dominated by men started to shift. “This allowed the wives of Chinese American veterans to come into the United States,” Louie says. “So you see that the gender balance begins to even out, and begin to see the development of families in these Chinatowns, and that's so key.”

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By the time the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 was enacted, Chinatowns had transformed into multi-generational communities. Poor housing and social services in the Chinatowns eventually spurred Chinese American families to move to the suburbs, most notably to California’s Monterey Park, which became a major suburban Asian enclave. In San Francisco, more Chinatowns sprung up, including ones in the Sunset and Richmond districts.

By the 2020s, following a spate of anti-Asian incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic, cities started to reckon with their histories. In 2021, Antioch, California offered an official apology for the destruction of its Chinatown in 1876 and designated the site as a historic district. Later that year, the city of San Jose formally apologized for the burning down of its largest Chinatown in 1872, taking responsibility for playing a role in “systemic and institutional racism, xenophobia, and discrimination.” In 2022, Santa Ana apologized for the 1906 torching of its Chinatown, and Denver removed an anti-Chinese plaque that had marked the 1880 destruction of its Chinatown.

“Folks really became protective of the Chinatowns,” Louie says, adding that the neighborhoods continue to serve in their original role—as enclaves where Chinese immigrants can establish themselves, support each other and thrive.

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