Between 1880-1924, 27 million immigrants arrived in the US, doubling the population. Most new immigrants came from Europe seeking work rather than land. Chinese immigrants came to California during the Gold Rush in 1849 and settled primarily in San Francisco and Denver, totaling around 300,000 between 1880-1930. However, they faced strong anti-Chinese sentiment and the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prohibited Chinese people from becoming citizens.