The Five Points was a neighborhood built around the intersection of Cross, Anthony and Orange streets (or Worth St, Park St and Baxter streets as we know them now.) It was partially built over the Collect Pond, leading to buildings that would settle poorly and provide substandard housing. Five Points was a densely populated neighborhood, first inhabited by free African-Americans in the early 1800s, then eventually Irish refugees. The neighborhood was notoriously riddled with disease and violence, due to the density of the housing and poverty of the inhabitants. Five Points is alleged to have had the highest murder rate of any "slum" at that time in the world. Italian immigrants began to settle in the area nearby in the 1850's, as demolition and slum clearance soon cleared away much of the old neighborhood. Today the Five Points is almost completely gone, replaced by government buildings and courthouses, as well as Columbus (formerly Mulberry) Park.

The Criminal Courts Building and detention center, also know as "The Tombs," was built in Chinatown, displaced many residents, and negatively impacted local businesses in the area. It was renovated and expanded in 1983, and is set to expand again in the coming years, which has been a point of significant conflict between Chinatown residents and the city.

Chinatown has always been home to New York's largest offering of street vendors, and the center of that is on Canal Street. The Canal St markets have been at the forefront of Chinatown's business and financial growth since Chinese started coming to New York, and it remains a huge part of the economy for Chinatown.

Doyers St was central to the Tong Wars in Chinatown because the angle of the street made easy to sneak up and ambush enemies during the Tong Wars. The street had more violent deaths than any intersection in America, and was sometimes referred to as the "Bloody Angle" for this reason.

Chatham Square was a transportation hub for lower Manhattan and Chinatown in the early 1900s before the elevated subway was torn down. Today it still is central to Chinatown, with 9 streets intersecting in the "square." The historic square is surrounded by famous Chinatown landmarks, including Kimlau Square. The Arch in Kimlau Square was erected by the American Legion, Lt. B.R. Kimlau Post 1291, in 1961 to honor Chinese American soldiers who have died at war. It is named after Second Lt. Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, an aircraft commander who was shot down on a mission during World War II. Kimlau Square is located in what is colloquially called “Little Fuzhou”.

The Mahayana Buddhist Temple Association is New York's largest Buddhist temple, and one of the first, as there were not many in New York until recently. It sits right at the mouth of the Manhattan Bridge and Manhattan Bridge Arch and Colonnade.

The Museum of Chinese in America has been the sight of lots of protest, as a product of a controversial $35M grant the city gave them when Mayor Bill de Blasio's announced plans to shut down Rikers Island and build a new jail in Chinatown. The City has claimed the money it gave MOCA was a "community investment" but some see it in a negative light, since the museum appeared to benefit from the city building the new jail.