WASHINGTON -- The face of the U.S. is changing
fast, and it's looking more and more Asian. As more people from countries in the
region, especially China and India, move to the U.S. in search of a better life,
communities are changing to meet their needs. And newcomers, in turn, are
changing their new home.
One typical example is Amber Wang, a
former journalist. The Nikkei Asian Review ca
ught up with her at lunch recently at a
Shanghainese restaurant in the central business district of the suburban city of
Rockville, Maryland, near Washington. The city is home to a growing Chinatown,
with an increasing concentration of supermarkets, mass electronics retailers,
beauty salons and other shops.
Born in China, Wang immigrated to the U.S.
six years ago with her husband, a scientist. She said it was her husband's
decision to move to the U.S., considering his career and the future of their
children. "Rockville is very convenient. There are many Chinese stores," she
said. The Wangs, who live in Virginia, are now building a house in Rockville, as
they have been impressed by the high quality of life there.
Maryland is home to a number of
biotechnology and information technology-related companies and institutions,
including the National Institutes of Health, one of the world's most advanced
medical research centers. The residents there tend to be well-off, and the
quality of the schools and houses is high. Asians like Wang are attracted to
this environment. Montgomery County, which includes Rockville, has a population
of about 1 million, 15% of whom are Asian.
Joan Wang,
who launched a civil engineering consulting company in 2012, said, "Maryland is
one of the best places to start a business."
In Maryland, many Asians are starting
businesses, thanks to the state's support for minorities. "Maryland is one of
the best places to start a business," said Joan Wang, another resident of
Chinese descent. She founded iDesign Engineering, an environment-friendly civil
engineering and consulting company, in Silver Spring, a town near Rockville.
According to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a U.S. research institute,
one-fourth of technology and engineering companies set up in Maryland from 2006
to 2012 were founded by immigrants. Of these, many were started by people from
China or India.
Rockville and Silver Spring are a snapshot
of the future of the U.S. population. Roughly 19.4 million Asians now live in
the U.S., up about 50% over the past decade. one estimate shows the number might
jump by about 150% in 2060 from the current level. The ethnic Asian population
is still trailing behind those of other minority groups such as Hispanics and
African Americans, but the Asian population growth overwhelms others.
Suburb on the map
A number of Indian shops, including clothing
and jewelry stores and restaurants, occupy both sides of Oak Tree Road in
Edison, a township in New Jersey about an hour's drive from Manhattan. "People
in India know the area. It's on world maps," said Mahesh Shah, vice chairman of
the Indian Business Association.
Oak Tree
Road, New Jersey, is a popular destination for immigrants from India.
Edison has a population of some 100,000
and people with Indian heritage account for 30% of them. Its good location --
the suburbs of New York -- has attracted many immigrants from India,
transforming an area that was once run-down. Now the town is thriving, and is a
magnet for Indian residents.
There have been four waves of immigration
to the U.S.: 1) Native Americans; 2) immigrants from Western and Northern Europe
and slaves from Africa from the 16th century to the 19th century; 3) immigrants
from Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean in the 19th
and 20th centuries; and 4) immigrants from Latin America and Asia after World
War II.
The fourth wave has accelerated since
1965. President Lyndon Johnson eased restrictions on the number of immigrants to
be accepted from each country, and as a result the number of immigrants from
Latin America and Asia, which had been suppressed under stricter limits than
those on people from Europe, started rising sharply. Their fertility rates are
also generally high, which is helping drive the steady expansion of the U.S.
population.
The lead player in the fourth wave is
about to shift from Latinos to Asians. In 2013, the U.S. accepted a total of
more than 1.2 million immigrants. The top spots were dominated by Asian
countries, with 147,000 people from China and 129,000 from India, exceeding the
125,000 from Mexico. Immigrants from South Korea and the Philippines have also
kept climbing. The recent trend underscores the fact that Asia, a region with a
diverse mix of countries and huge populations, is gaining greater presence in
the U.S.
Furthermore, diligent Asians earn high
incomes and achieve high education. Statistics in 2013 showed that their median
household income was $72,000 and people aged 25 or older who have a bachelor's
degree or higher stood at 51%, considerably higher than the U.S. national
average of $52,000 and 30%. This is another reason that Asians are increasing
their presence in the country.
Patty Chen runs a real estate company in
the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. "We not only arrange contracts to buy a
house; we support many things, such as kids, fixing up a house and finding
shops. They come to us for support." She said she has received requests from
Chinese clients looking to buy houses for cash. These customers hope to
immigrate to the U.S. for their children's education or to protect their assets,
even though they may not be fluent in English.
According to the Selig Center for Economic
Growth at the University of Georgia, the purchasing power of Asians in the U.S.
totaled $770 billion as of 2014 -- 19th in the world if compared with gross
domestic product data -- larger than Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. one estimate
by Selig showed that their purchasing power will continue to expand and top $1
trillion in 2019. The increase in the number of Asians, who are relatively young
and wealthy, might serve as a tailwind for the U.S. economy, which has been
struggling with the aftereffects of the financial crisis and its aging
population.
A
huge crowd cheers Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Madison Square Garden
in New York on Sept. 28, 2014. © Reuters
Meanwhile, the higher Asians' economic
status becomes, the bigger say they have in the country. In September 2014,
about 19,000 people reportedly gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York to
show their support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first
visit to the U.S. since taking office. The Indian group that organized the event
claimed it was the largest ever in the U.S. to welcome a foreign leader. MR
Rangaswami, an Indian investor who participated in the event, said, "That was a
big milestone event that the community can look back on and feel proud." He is
also involved in lobbying and takes as an example Jewish-Americans. By learning
about their political and charity activities, he tries to boost the recognition
of the Indian-American community in the U.S. as well as the national interests
of India. Lobbying campaigns by Indian residents were also the driving force
behind the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, which took effect in
2008.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal formally announces his campaign for
the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in Kenner, Louisiana, on June 24.
© Reuters
"My dad told me as a young kid that
Americans can do anything. I believed him then, and I believe it now," said
Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana. on June 24, he announced his
candidacy for the presidential race in 2016, becoming the first Indian-American
to become a major contender. Nikki Haley, the Republican governor of South
Carolina and another Indian-American, is also mentioned as a vice-presidential
candidate. In the not-too-distant future, an Asian American may become the most
powerful person in the U.S.
