New York's was settled by Chinese who came from the West Coast following the construction of the continental railroads or who moved down from Canada.
紐約華埠與中國距離遙遠，大致從廿世紀中期開始，才有華人搭飛機從東南亞直達；在此之前，華人多半隨著美國鐵路的搭建，由西而東抵達；或由加拿大南下，遷到紐約。