San Francisco's Chinatown clings to roots amid tech boom

[yuiyoshida]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For a century and a half, San Francisco's Chinatown, the nation's oldest, has sheltered waves of immigrants seeking a new life.

It's the birthplace of Chinese America, and to some extent, the broader Asian America that descended from immigration over the Pacific Ocean throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Now, Chinatown faces powerful economic and demographic challenges that could upend its identity as the city undergoes an unprecedented growth in tech jobs.

Rising rent elsewhere in the city has entrepreneurs eyeing Chinatown for offices, entertainment and housing. A $1.6 billion subway set to open in 2019 could provide an economic boost, bringing customers from outside while taking residents out to jobs. But speedier transit also brings added development pressures, especially in a pocket of the city coveted for its location.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/San-Francisco-s-Chinatown-clings-to-roots-amid-6405440.php