U.S. Census: Indian-Americans flocking to Silicon Valley

Cupertino, California—famous for the sprawling headquarters of Apple Computer and for making _Forbe’_s list of  best-educated small towns in the country—is where a growing number of Indian-Americans are calling home, sweet home, according to reports based on  newly released U.S. Census data. [caption id=“attachment_8987” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“There are 2.6 million Indian-Americans living stateside, which makes them the second-largest Asian group in the United States, behind Chinese-Americans. AFP Photo”] [/caption] According to number-crunching by the San Jose Mercury News , Cupertino’s Indian-American population jumped by nearly 200%, and currently, 22.6% of the town’s approximately 50,000 residents are Indian-American (Chinese-Americans make up 28.4% of the population in Cupertino, making it a so-called minority-majority city). The cultural mix of the city is evident as you drive along the Cupertino’s main thoroughfares—you’ll see Indian bakeries, buffets, and markets alongside Chinese groceries, dim sum houses, and foot spas. Cupertino is even the site of a  cricket pitch designed to international standards. An emerging picture of Indian-American life Figures from the 2010 Census have been released for dozens of the states, and a picture of Indian life in America is beginning to emerge. There are 2.6 million Indian-Americans living stateside, which makes them the second-largest Asian group in the United States, behind Chinese-Americans. Silicon Valley is often associated with Indian migration, but in fact, the largest concentration of the community have historically been in New Jersey and New York . The Census data, however, is starting to bear out what many people have experienced for years: Indian-Americans are flocking to affluent pockets of the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to Cupertino, San Francisco Bay Area cities like Fremont, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara rank as top choices for Indian-Americans. “The growth in population is because of job opportunities and better education,” Raj Bhanot, a California tax auditor told USA Today . “All the high-tech and software opportunities are more in Silicon Valley. Secondly, it’s the best weather in the country.” Santa Clara County, which is often associated as the heart of Silicon Valley, saw the Indian-American population increase nearly 170% to nearly 118,000 in a decade. The Asian population in the U.S. is the fastest growing in the country overall, which jumped by 46% in the past decade.