Exodus of Chinese bad for US Chinatowns  

ECNS -- In many US cities, the once-vibrant, historic Chinatowns are showing a decline as Chinese residents are moving to the suburbs in record numbers, Chinapressusa reported Tuesday.

Living around Chinatown is the traditional path for new immigrants from China. They could find their compatriots there, and more important, they could make a living, according to reports by Philadelphia News.

However, this picture is beginning to change. Over the past decade, a silent movement has been brewing in large US cities: a withdrawal from Chinatown.

In San Francisco and New York, two cities with the highest concentration of Chinese immigrants, Chinatowns are seeing shifts in the population to safer, more convenient, and quieter suburbs.

A primary reason for the large exodus of Chinese immigrants is the renovation of old urban neighborhoods. As the price of refurbished houses skyrockets, low-income families are forced to leave their old communities and neighborhoods in search of new places where cheaper and more affordable houses can be found.

Unemployment is another factor. The slim job opportunities in Chinatown force those "non-knowledge-based" immigrants to move out of Chinatown in order to make a living.

The shrinking Chinese immigrant population also contributes to the decline of US Chinatowns. As the fast-expanding economy in China offers bright outlooks for its nationals, more Chinese are choosing to stay in China, which directly contributes to declines in the residential population of Chinatowns.