Reading the travel page of the USA Today newspaper it list Oakland Chinatown as one of the 10 great places to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Dragon. Chinese New Year's Eve starts January 22, 2012 and end with the Lantern Festival, February 2,2012.
San Francisco may boast that it’s has the nation's oldest Chinatown, the article states Oakland feels less touristy, a read place. Some would call it personality!
Did you know the early Chinatown in the mid-late 1800’s was located in West Oakland? Do you know where? Some of you may recognize the location when looking at the picture below. 
At the turn of the century, Oakland was California’s second largest city, with a population of 67,000. When the 1906 earthquake struck, Oakland suffered considerable damage, but it avoided the devastating fires that crippled San Francisco. Oakland’s residents responded quickly to the disaster and welcomed almost 200,000 San Franciscans who sought refuge.
Oakland’s Chinatown boomed during the influx. Overnight Oakland, with its port and railroad lines, banks, and communication lines, became the base for the relief effort.
