History | Yonkers | Chinese Communities
The Chinese have had a long history of living and working in Yonkers, New York. Exclusion records show that George Sing, for example, was born in Yonkers in 1883. His father, Charles G. Sing, married Ida V. Wilburn of New York City, and the couple had a home in Yonkers for a short time during the 1880s.
Geography might be blamed for the fact that a Yonkers Chinese community never grew, since New York City’s flourishing Chinatown was so near to the city that it was not necessary to develop Chinese organizations in Yonkers. Those Chinese who did settle in Yonkers made a practice of visiting New York City’s Chinatown weekly, usually on Sundays. Chinese churches, stores, and health practitioners were conveniently available on these weekly trips to shop and socialize with family and friends. The number of Chinese residents listed in the Yonkers federal census remained small at about 50, until the 1970 census listed an influx of 963 foreign-born Chinese to the area.
Vocabulary
Exclusion: A period of time between 1882 and 1943
during which United States laws limited or prevented
Chinese immigration into the country.
Flourishing: Growing well, thriving, prospering.
Practitioners: Those who practice a profession, as in the health field.