Joe Scott writes in today's Creve Couer Patch article about the influx of Asian immigrants in the West St. Louis County suburbs of Clayton, Maryland Heights and Creve Coeur. The Asian population in all three municipalities stands just above 10%, according to the 2010 Census.
Scott points out that today's immigrants come to the U.S. for the same reasons that immigrants have always been coming here: good job opportunities, better schools and safety concerns. Monsanto and MasterCard have nearby offices and these employers hire many international workers. The Parkway and Clayton school districts are terrific and draw many immigrants to those areas.
Interestingly, most of the interviews for the article center on ethnic restaurants. Local immigrants, of course, do a whole lot more than just open restaurants. However, the diversity of food choices is a great thing for our area.
