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In this Census Feature: Around America: Rise in Minority Numbers California: Diverse, but Still Segregated San Francisco: Major Trends Daly City: Finding Comfort Milpitas: Living Near Tech Central Monterey Park: Ground Zero in API Growth Boom

Milpitas – Living Near Tech Central

By Ji Hyun Lim

Nestled between San Jose and Fremont, Milpitas is small but bustling. Once an agricultural town, it has burgeoned into a high-tech mecca. Forty-five miles south of San Francisco, with Highway 237 running through the 14 and 1/2 square-mile area of this city, boxed in by Santa Clara Valley to the west and Mount Hamilton to the east, Milpitas is carving its niche as a business-friendly and family-friendly community.

A look down any of its streets confirms Milipitas’ standing as one of the most Asian American cities in the country. According to the 2000 Census, 52.4 percent of the population is Asian American. It is one of two Northern California cities with an Asian and Pacific Islander majority, and it is among 18 cities within the Bay Area that is more than 25 percent API.

The city of Milpitas is small, with a population of some 200,000. The average income of $87,000 is steadily climbing. Towering high-tech buildings house 350 companies and an array of restaurants. Spacious shopping mall areas offer Asian markets such as Ranch 99 and bookstores like Borders, where locals from all ethnic backgrounds spend their leisure time. Within the past six to 10 years, Milipitas has flourished, offering high-paying jobs, luxury housing, and some of the best public schools.

Mayor Henry Manayan is the first Asian American to lead the city. He says one of Milipitas’ strengths is that the residents are integrated.

“We haven’t created an enclave of people or minority group,” Manayan says.

Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau awarded the city of Milpitas an accommodation certificate for its active outreach on behalf of the Census. It had one of the highest return rates of Census forms in the nation.

“People from every ethnic group volunteered to go door-to-door … to make sure everyone participated [in the Census],” says Manayan.

The idea that all people of all colors are included in Milipitas is echoed in daily life. Milpitas Resident Kondo, 27, describes it as “a diverse city where everyone gets along. The people who live and work here are highly educated, and there’s a lot of diversity in the workplace,” Konda says. “They have to get along with different races.”

He adds: “It’s easy to translate [this mentality] from their work environment to home.”