Locke, California
Photo ID# RW342
Locke is the last remaining rural Chinese town in the United States. At the time of it's establishment in the early 1900's, the Chinese were not allowed to own the land on which they lived on and forced to lease the property from their white landlords. At one time there were 1,500 Chinese living in Locke and predominantely male due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which made it illegal for people from China to immigrate to the States. As a result, the Chinese gold miners and railroad workers in America were forced to live apart from their families who remained in China. It wasn't until 1943 that the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed therefore clearing the path for the majority of the Chinese in the country today.Subsequently, during the 1940's and 50's the majority of young Chinese-Americans moved away from rural Locke to get an education and professional careers in urban and suburbia. In 2004, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency finally allowed the sale of land to those who had been living on it for many years. A great gesture to the elder Chinese residents, but very late in timing as today there are only 10 Chinese left in the population of 90. The majority of the population today is white.
The Locke Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1971. In addition, it was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 14, 1990.