Nevada County towns such as Grass Valley, French Corral, North San Juan, North Bloomfield, Washington and Nevada City had a commercially-oriented Chinese community that served the unique needs of the Chinese miners.  As other nationalities set up their businesses in centrally located towns, so did the Chinese.  Nevada City's Chinese Quarter was well established by the 1860's.  Here the hard-working miners from along Deer Creek, ditch diggers from North Bloomfield or cord-wood cutters from Washington could find a place to buy supplies and socialize with those who spoke a common language.  General stores provided traditional foods from home, clothing and tools, as well as a place to pick up mail, messges and local news of the day such as job and investment opportunities.  The Chinese Quarter had a temple for spiritual practices and offered brothels, gambling halls and opium houses for relaxation and recreation.  Other services included doctors, herbalists, barbers, laundreis, boarding houses and places to eat.  There were assay offices and gold buyers as well.  The Chinese Quarter was also a place to gather for special celebrations such as Chinese New Year. 

Nevada City's Chinese Quarter once extended along Commercial Street from South Pine past York Street, all the way to the top of Broad Street.  There were also Chinese businesses along the upper part of Broad Street.  In the area where the parking lot and monument site are located today was a slaughter yard, vegetable gardens and the temple.

When a major fire in June of 1880 devastated the Chinese Quarter, Nevada City passed an ordinance stating that "all Chinese shall be removed from Nevada City within sixty days."  This was during a time when such ordinances against the Chinese were common throughout California.  Attorneys for the Six Companies, a powerful Chinese organization based in San Francisco, argued against the ordinance in Nevada City and similar ones in other mountain towns.  Although a "new Chinatown" was established just outside of town, the city could not effectively prevent the Chinese from re-establishing themselves along Commercial Street.  Leasing newly-built brick buildings, the Chinese returned to the Chinese Quarter.

All data from Nevada City, California Chinese Quarter A Walking Guide, made possible by a grant from the Tahoe National Forest, the Nevada County Arts Council and the Nevada City Chinese Quarter Society, 1999.