mostly instagrammed --> this is sunset park, now the largest chinatown in nyc, it runs around and along 8th avenue from the 40s-70s streets --> there are satellite chinatowns in brooklyn’s bensonhurst and sheepshead bay neighborhoods as well --> fun fact --> sunset used to be a norwegian neighborhood, then it was abandoned with 90% empty fronts for years on end
I think this is the first time we have seen Brooklyn Chinatown on SSP. Great pics.
Yes, the neighborhood to the south is "Little Egypt". To the north is heavy South American. To the east is Hasidic Jewish. To the west is Mexican (ascendant) and Puerto Rican (nowadays the old timers).
There are also some scattered remnants of Irish and Scandinavian population, especially in the south end of Sunset Park.
I don't know if there are actually more Chinese in Sunset Park than in Flushing. I would guess no. But Brooklyn Chinatown is definitely at least #2 in the city in Chinese population.
And the neighborhood wasn't really "bad" before the Chinese came. It was always a decent working class area. Maybe there were somewhat more store vacancies along 8th Ave., but I think the area was fine back then, and fairly Irish.
its true this was never a bad neighborhood, 8th ave was just forelorn before the chinese.
however, it is the largest chinatown, but we can say barely or at the moment, because its neck and neck with flushing. its cheaper than flushing, so it may stay larger, but who knows? more:
According to a Daily News article, Brooklyn's Chinatown has surpassed the size of Manhattan's Chinatown and now ranks #1 as the largest Chinatown in NYC with 34,218 Chinese residents, up from 19,963 in 2000, a 71% increase. The Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠) ranks #2 as NYC's largest Chinese community with 33,526 Chinese, up from 17,363, a 93% increase. As with Manhattan's Chinatown, Chinese population has declined by 17%, from 34,554 to 28,681 since 2000.
But I wanted to say that I didn't know about other Chinatown in NY aside Manhattan's one.
The Manhattan Chinatown is only the third biggest/best in NYC. Most Chinese immigrants to NYC have been arriving to neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn for decades now.