After the Establishment of Canton Avenue in New York, Two of New York’s Four Major Chinatowns Are Cantonese Communities

紐約廣東大道成立后，紐約四大華埠中粵語為主嘅占兩個

Two of New York’s four major Chinatowns are Cantonese communities: Manhattan Chinatown (originated during the Qing Dynasty) and Canton Avenue (established in 2026). Below are the four Chinatowns:

1.Manhattan Chinatown (the oldest)

Location: Lower Manhattan, around Canal Street and Mott Street

History: Development began in the 1870s. The earliest settlers were Cantonese immigrants from Taishan and Hong Kong, with Cantonese as the dominant language.

Features: The busiest for tourists. It houses the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and temples, famous for its Lunar New Year parade.

2.Flushing Chinatown, Queens (the largest today)
Location: Queens, along Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue

Features: Founded by Taiwanese immigrants in the 1970s. Mandarin is now the primary language, with Chinese migrants from all provinces. It has abundant supermarkets, food courts and herbal shops, offering comprehensive amenities where residents can live without English.

The 7 subway line runs directly to Midtown Manhattan.

3.Brooklyn Chinatown
Location: 8th Avenue, Brooklyn

Demographics: Chinese people from many provinces. Fuzhou dialect speakers form the largest group. It is packed with Fujian seafood restaurants and snack shops, ranking as New York’s second-largest Chinatown.

4.Canton Avenue, Brooklyn
Location: Around 86th Street

Features: Home to concentrated Cantonese and Hong Kong immigrants. It is a Cantonese-speaking community with numerous Cantonese dim sum restaurants and roast meat shops. For this reason, the community proposed installing the honorary street sign “Guangdong Avenue”, marking this as a Cantonese Chinese neighbourhood.