Historic Downtown
Clearly catering to the large student population, the streets were lined with an inordinate number of taverns and microbreweries. For those who cared little about regular inebriation, or were simply too young to indulge, there were also some excellent restaurants, coffee shops, book stores and a movie theater built in the art deco style and rumored to be haunted..."
One of the oldest areas of Hidden Rock, this area is renowned for its excellent restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues. It is located on the southeast side of the town abutting the Stitchwort River.
Although the downtown area of Hidden Rock is known as an upscale arts and shopping district, it began as a town within a town. Here, along the banks of the Stitchwort River, Chinese immigrants formed their own community to escape persecution by white residents. At the time, this "little China" was located outside of the town limits and residents of the two communities rarely mixed except for commercial purposes.
The Chinese community quickly thrived through the establishment of restaurants, laundries, markets and more. But even more lucrative were the gambling halls, bordellos, taverns and opium dens — all of which were concealed within an elaborate system of underground catacombs.
By the middle of the twentieth century, "little China" had been fully absorbed by the Hidden Rock township and the character of the district began to change. Illicit businesses were systematically shut down and by the 1980s, most of the catacombs had been closed off permanently.
Many of the businesses in the area are still owned by Chinese Americans.
The Chinese community quickly thrived through the establishment of restaurants, laundries, markets and more. But even more lucrative were the gambling halls, bordellos, taverns and opium dens — all of which were concealed within an elaborate system of underground catacombs.
By the middle of the twentieth century, "little China" had been fully absorbed by the Hidden Rock township and the character of the district began to change. Illicit businesses were systematically shut down and by the 1980s, most of the catacombs had been closed off permanently.
Many of the businesses in the area are still owned by Chinese Americans.
- Many of these businesses were established by the great-grandfather of Kasira Vang and greatly contributed to the Vang family's prominence in Hidden Rock.
