After racial discrimination drove many Chinese Americans out of Seattle and the Great Fire of 1889 destroyed what was left of Chinatown, the Chinese Americans remaining in Seattle established a new Chinatown on King Street. This Chinatown is at the center of today's International District.
Second to arrive were the Japanese. They developed Nihonmachi, or Japantown, on Main Street, two blocks north of King Street. They were forcibly detained during Japanese American internment from 1942 to 1946.
After the arrival of the Japanese, Filipinos settled the neighbourhood's many hotels and boarding houses. African Americans moved to the district to work in the war industry during World War II, occupying many of the houses that the Japanese had left. African Americans dramatically impacted Seattle's jazz scene.
After the Vietnam War, in the late 1970s and the 1980s, a new wave of immigrants from Southeast Asia established Seattle's Little Saigon in the district. Many of these immigrants were of Chinese descent.
According to the 2000 Census, the International District is 56% Asian, 15% black, 15% white, and 5% hispanic/latino. These numbers allegedly undercount Chinese Americans in the district who are said to be afraid of the government and thus don't participate in census counts.
Many buildings were destroyed for the construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s. Many residents also complained when the Kingdome was built at the west end of the district, resulting in traffic congestion and lack of parking during sporting events.
In the 1970s, organizations devoted to the preservation of the International District were founded. In 1987, the International District gained federal status as the "Seattle Chinatown Historic District." In 1999, the City Council approved the "Chinatown-International District Strategic Plan" for the future of the neighbourhood.The Population
Crises and Preservation