Inside the tiny N.J. suburb with the fastest-growing Asian population in the U.S.
BELLE MEAD, N.J. — A few minutes outside of Princeton, New Jersey, residents of the local community coordinate through social media platforms WhatsApp and WeChat on things like replacing a roof, planting flowers or throwing block parties.
BELLE MEAD, N.J. — A few minutes outside of Princeton, New Jersey, residents of the local community coordinate through social media platforms WhatsApp and WeChat on things like replacing a roof, planting flowers or throwing block parties. Sometimes, a neighborhood street is shut down for cultural celebrations like Lunar New Year or Holi. At a park in the hamlet sits a cricket pitch, all up to international standards. Many kids go to Hindi or Chinese schools, which feel like family.
This is Belle Mead, New Jersey, an affluent suburb that’s home to the fastest-growing Asian American population in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. While the area recorded just four Asian Americans in 2010, the group’s population skyrocketed, now making up a majority of the hamlet’s 5,569 residents a decade later. Almost 44% of residents are foreign-born. And in that time, they’ve influenced the local culture.
Families in the area, who are mostly Indian and Chinese, flock there for the good schools, the friendly, small-town energy, and the safe streets. Many of the Belle Mead locals say the Asian American families have been left-leaning in recent years, in part because Donald Trump’s rhetoric has made them feel alienated. But with issues like the economy and inflation remaining a priority for the group, some say the jury is still out on the upcoming rematch between President Joe Biden and Trump.
“People are making a lot more informed decisions, rather than just supporting a party,” said Nick Barot, a 43-year-old resident who works for a pharmaceutical company. “They are now looking at a lot more policies.”
Country Club Estates is one of the two biggest developments in the suburb of Belle Mead. Many of the residents are Indian American and celebrate cultural and religious festivals in the neighborhood's streets, said Mayor Neena Singh, who is of Indian descent.Yehyun Kim for NBC NewsBelle Mead, an unincorporated community and census-designated place, lies in the northern part of Montgomery Township, and Asian Americans currently make up just under two-thirds of its population. Over a decade ago, the area encompassed less than 1 square mile and about 216 people. But by 2020, the geographic boundaries of the census-designated place expanded to more than five times that size. The expansion contributed to the growth in the overall and Asian populations, among other factors, according to the Census Bureau.
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