Latino, Asian boom recorded in census

Data from the 2000 Census shows many black residents have left the Princetons and Montgomery Township since 1990.

By: David M. Campbell

   Figures from the 2000 Census show significant increases of area Latinos and Asians but a drop in the number of blacks in the Princetons and Montgomery Township.
   "We attract a lot of different cultures, a lot of different peoples," said Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu in commenting on the increased diversity in his township and the region.
   According to the latest census numbers, the Latino population in Princeton Borough has seen a 64-percent increase since 1990, while in West Windsor and Montgomery the Latino populations have risen by 109 percent and 99.5 percent, respectively.
   The Asian community has more than doubled in West Windsor, tripled in Plainsboro, and nearly quadrupled in Montgomery.
   Meanwhile, the black community has seen an 11.2-percent decrease in Princeton Borough, a 6.2-percent decrease in Princeton Township and a 6-percent drop in Montgomery.
   Local population increases among Latinos and Asians correspond to increases nationally, but the numbers for blacks show a demographic shift that does not reflect nationwide population patterns.
   Nationally, the U.S. Census Bureau reports, the number of Hispanic residents has soared from 22.4 million in 1990 to 35.3 million in 2000, or about 12.5 percent of the total population. Those figures are the result of a population increase driven by both legal and illegal immigration, and by improved counting methods by census takers, according to the bureau.
   The number of blacks has also seen a nationwide increase, from 30 million in 1990 to 34.7 million in 2000, about 12.3 percent of the total population.
   Asians account for about 3.6 percent of the population nationally, or about 10.2 million, up from 7.3 million in 1990.
   According to Princeton Borough Mayor Marvin Reed, the decline in the number of blacks in the borough may be linked to the greater availability and accessibility of houses in nearby towns like Plainsboro and West Windsor, suggesting that more blacks have become homeowners rather than renters.
   The mayor said the increased cost of housing in the borough might also have played a role, both in the drop in blacks and the rise in Latinos. Mayor Reed speculated that traditionally Latino families double up in the same apartment or house, thereby defraying higher rents for individual families.
   Commenting on the overall population increase in the borough — the Census Bureau reports an 18.2-percent increase since 1990 — Mayor Reed said, "I was pleasantly surprised."
   The mayor said he was expecting population figures to drop below 12,000 instead of rising from 12,016 to 14,203, as the bureau has reported. He attributed the increase to improved accuracy by census takers, especially where the Latino immigrant population is concerned.
   Mayor Cantu said the census numbers confirm that "Plainsboro is probably one of the most diverse communities in the region."
   The mayor said that with the new numbers, the township is nearing its buildout projection of about 23,000 residents.
   "Literally we are about at the top of our development and population growth," he said.
   Mayor Cantu said the excellent school district and ideal geographic location may have had something to do with the local boom in the Asian population.
   "I think Plainsboro is a very attractive community" that draws a diversity of cultures and peoples, he said.
   Montgomery Township Deputy Mayor Donald Matthews said he was surprised by Montgomery’s population boom of 81.9 percent since 1990, from 9,612 to 17,481 — which made Montgomery the fourth fastest-growing community in New Jersey in the 1990s. The township had made significant efforts to down-zone to lower the number for total buildout, he said.
   Mr. Matthews attributed the unexpectedly high numbers to the low residents-per-household multiplier the town used in its own buildout analysis, which means that the census counted more children per household than Montgomery did.
   New residents move to Montgomery for the schools, he said, which may be one of the factors that caused the township’s Asian community to almost quadruple.
   Similarly in West Windsor, Township Council President Kristin Appelget said the excellent schools in the district contributed to the increased population and the increased cultural diversity in town.
   "We’re a real melting pot here in town," Ms. Appelget said.