Monterey Park, California

Monterey Park is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,051.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles County, California - United States - 2000

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With a relatively large Chinese American population, Monterey Park is considered as a "Chinatown" which would be, without signs leading or indicating it as "Chinatown", indistinguishable from "American" neighborhoods. However, it has not been called Chinatown as such; instead, the Chinese-dominant business district, around Garfield Avenue and Garvey Avenue, is now called Downtown Monterey Park. Monterey Park was billed "Little Taipei" in the 1980s or thereabouts. Many businesses from Chinatown, Los Angeles began to open up stores in Monterey Park, such as the Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant. In 2005, the large ginseng store Wing Hop Fung (a favorite in Chinatown) opened in Monterey Park, that replaced a defunct Rite-Aid store in an aging but popular strip mall anchored by the Taiwanese American supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market.

Related Topics:
Chinatown - Chinatown, Los Angeles - Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant - Strip mall - 99 Ranch Market

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In the 1970s and 1980s, many 49er Taiwanese immigrants began moving into Monterey Park and Mandarin Chinese was dominant in the city during that time period. By the late 1980s, however, immigrants from Mainland China and Vietnam have moved into Monterey Park as well. In 1990 census this city had the first Asian descent majority population in the United States.

Related Topics:
Taiwan - Mandarin Chinese - Mainland China - Vietnam

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From the late 1970s, with a combined influx of Vietnamese refugees and Taiwanese and Hong Kong immigrant students at the time, Mark Keppel High School (constructed during the New Deal era and located in Alhambra, but also serving Monterey Park and Rosemead) felt the impact of this new immigration as the student population increased dramatically. This led to overcrowding. Today, many students are largely second- or third-generation English-speaking Asian Americans.

Related Topics:
Refugee - Mark Keppel High School - New Deal

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Since early 1990s, the Taiwanese have been no longer dominant in the city and Cantonese Chinese is now widely spoken and heard in most Chinese businesses of Monterey Park. The construction boom of shopping centers has declined. High property values and overcrowding in Monterey Park have contributed to a secondary movement. Furthermore, most established, wealthy Taiwanese immigrants have since relocated out of Monterey Park and northward on to wealthier suburbs of San Marino, Arcadia, Temple City, South Pasadena and eastward to Rowland Heights (called the "new Little Taipei" by a local Chinese-language newspaper), Diamond Bar, Hacienda Height, and Walnut with many Chinese-speaking businesses started in those suburbs to accommodate this particular movement. Neverless, there are still countless Chinese-oriented businesses in Monterey Park. Development of new buildings in Monterey Park have come to a standstill and several overgrown weedy lots still remain undeveloped.

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Monterey Park has several choices of Hong Kong fusion cafes (in fact, the first Hong Kong-style cafe opened in San Gabriel Valley actually started in Monterey Park, but it has since closed due to intense competition) and Cantonese seafood restaurants as well as some choices of restaurants offering Mainland Chinese noodles and dumplings. Interestingly, as the activity of Taiwanese immigrant activity shifted to San Gabriel, Arcadia and Rowland Heights in the 1980s and 1990s, very few trendy Taiwanese restaurants have opened in Monterey Park.

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While the multigenerational American-born Latino population generally was declining in Monterey Park, there has been some new incoming of first-generation poor Mexican immigrants.

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The Sybil Brand Institute, the county jail for women, was located in the city, but closed in 1994 after the facility had been damaged in the Northridge earthquake.

Related Topics:
Sybil Brand Institute - County - Jail - 1994 - Northridge - Earthquake

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