People pose for photos in front of decorations for Chinese Lunar New Year at the deck observatory of the Empire State Building in New York, the United States, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)
New York overall scored 73.6 and was listed as the best city in the United States for the second year in a row.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- A business website on Tuesday released a list ranking 2023's best cities in the United States for Lunar New Year celebrations, in which New York stood on the top.
This unofficial list was made by lawnlove.com, a company operating in over 120 cities across the country. A group of experts and professionals in the field of culture took part in the work.
It ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities by 11 metrics including Asian American population, number of Asian restaurants, number of Lunar New Year festivals and events, weather forecast, fireworks legality, and safety, among other items. Cities with a Chinatown district will be awarded bonus points.
New York overall scored 73.6 and was listed as the best city in the country for the second year in a row, the report said. New York, with nine Chinatown neighborhoods, has the largest population of Chinese and Chinese Americans out of all the cities.
The city also has the highest number of Chinese and Asian Meetup groups and the third-highest number of Lunar New Year events and festivals.
Meanwhile, 32 of 43 Californian cities were ranked on the top half of the list, the report said, adding it's no surprise because Asian communities had played a significant role in building the West Coast since the Gold Rush.
A woman selects kumquats for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year in Chinatown, San Francisco, the United States, Jan. 20, 2023. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)
According to the report, this year, San Francisco had the most Lunar New Year events, tied with Houston, and the highest concentration of Asian restaurants. San Francisco also had the second-biggest population of Chinese Americans. Los Angeles, the third on the list, has the nation's largest population of other East Asians.
However, the report noted that neither of these cities had a great safety record, especially for Asian Americans.
"Anti-Asian violence has plagued California and escalated since COVID-19 began. Hate crimes against Asian Americans in California rose 178 percent in 2021," the report said. "Many cities along the West Coast, including Seattle (No. 8) and 19 California cities, have high rates of hate crimes."
Moreover, the report noted that "some cities in the South and Midwest aren't ready to ring in the Year of the Rabbit," saying "apart from Chicago (No. 6), only two other Midwestern cities - Cleveland (No. 61) and St. Louis (No. 84) - landed in the top half of our ranking." ■
