New York City's Chinatown is located on the lower east side of Manhattan. It has the largest concentration of Chinese in the U.S. within its two square-mile radius. Chinatown's estimated population of 150,00 is also the largest Chinatown in the United States.

New York City has 4 Chinatowns; the largest one is in Manhattan. The others are in Flushing, Elmhurst, and Brooklyn. Chinatown is where most Chinese immigrants live and do business. In the beginning 19th century, Chinese arrived in California for gold, during the famous Gold Rush. The Chinese arrived in California to build the Central Pacific Railroad. At the end of the completion of the railroad, Chinese laborers were willing to work in other industries like cigar rolling and textiles. Because they worked hard and were a source of cheap labor, tension erupted because white laborers thought the Chinese would take their jobs and threaten their livelihoods. Violence and rampant discrimination drove the Chinese east into larger cities where they can find jobs easily. By 1880, Chinese lived on the south east side of New York.