"Vancouver's Chinatown is the largest in Canada and the second largest in North America, only San Francisco's Chinatown is somewhat larger. Vancouver has a large history of Chinese immigration. Initially, Chinese immigrants came to Vancouver to work on roads and railroads. Already in 1874, main roads were being constructed with Chinese labor. Immigration of Chinese was restricted and regulated since 1885, when an act imposed a 50$ head tax on Chinese immigrants." A View on Cities site