Filipino restaurants within a few blocks of one another. Filipino American community relations were strengthened by local Roman Catholic churches in the East Village and Gramercy area. As rents increased, and properties were taken over by New York University, the number of Filipinos and Filipino businesses in East Village Little Manila waned. Elvie's Turo-Turo, the longest standing Filipino business in the area, closed in late 2009 after almost 20 years of operation. New Filipino business continue to sprout up. The Archdiocese of New York designated a chapel named after the first Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila for the Filipino Apostolate. Officially designated as the "Church of Filipinos," or the Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz is the second in the United States and only the third in the world dedicated as such. New Jersey New Jersey is home to a Filipino population numbering at more than 100,000 statewide, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. This number may have been closing in to the 200,000 level, in 2006, due to a high birth rate among Filipino Americans and 8,000 Filipino immigrants annually. While Filipinos can be found across the state, the commercial districts catering to the Filipino community are found mostly in the state's urban areas. State and local governments in the Garden State have significant number of employees of Filipino background and they play a vital role in the state's affairs, issues, and commerce. Filipino enclaves exist in Jersey City, Bergenfield, Passaic, Union City and Elizabeth. The Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus hosts the annual Philippine Fiesta, a cultural event that draws Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike from across the New York metropolitan area. The event takes place on the weekend of the second week of August. Jersey City Jersey City is home to a high-ptofile Little Manila. Seven per cent (7%) of Jersey City's population is Filipino. The Five Corners district has a thriving Filipino community, which is the largest Asian-American subgroup in the city. Newark Avenue's strip of Filipino culture and commerce dwarfs that of New York City. A variety of Filipino restaurants, shippers and freighters, doctors' officers, bakeries, stores, and even an office of The Filipino Channel made Newark Avenue their home. The largest Filipino-owned grocery store on the east coast Phil-Am Food has been there since 1973. An array of Filipino-owned businesses can also be found at the section of West Side where many of its residents